In China, the Dragon Boat Festival is referred to as the Duanwu Festival. Duanwu Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. Because of this, the holiday is often called the ‘double fifth’ festival. The people of China generally receive a three-day break from work in order to celebrate with friends and family. This year’s Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 25 (Thursday). The holiday starts from June 25 to 27, 2020.

With a history over 2,000 years, Duanwu Festival used to be a hygiene day when people would use herbs to dispel diseases and viruses. However, the most popular origin is closely related to the great poet Qu Yuan in the Warring States Period (475 – 221BC). Composing masterpieces like Li Sao (The Lament), he was regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. After he was exiled by the king, he chose to drown himself in the river rather than seeing his country invaded and conquered by the State of Qin. He died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, thus people decided to commemorate him on that day every year.

Many traditional customs and activities are held on the specified day by people in China and even by people in neighboring Asian countries. Dragon boat racing and eating Zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) are the central customs of the festival. People here also wear a herbal sachet, tie five-color silk thread and hang mugwort leaves or calamus on their doors.

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