Traditional culture in plain words
Dragon Boat Festival (端午節)
Duanwu (端午節), the Dragon Boat Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month: 19 June in 2026, 9 June in 2027 and 28 May in 2028. Chinese communities around the world mark the day with dragon-boat races and rice dumplings, in memory of the poet Qu Yuan (屈原).
At a glance
How the festivals began
The story goes that after the poet Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river, villagers rowed out in boats to search for him. They also threw parcels of rice, wrapped in leaves, into the water. In time, this grew into the customs of racing dragon boats and eating zongzi (糉子), leaf-wrapped rice dumplings, at the festival.
Duanwu is also known as Duanyang (端陽). Dragon-boat racing, a contest of long boats adorned with dragon heads, has a long history. Lively races are held each year in southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and in many overseas Chinese communities. Families and friends gather by the water and enjoy the festival together.
Traditional customs
On the day, people eat zongzi, hang fragrant calamus (菖蒲) and mugwort (艾草) by the door, and watch the dragon-boat races. The herbs are hung to greet the summer and to wish for peace. Some families also boil lemon grass and pomelo leaves for a bath, a way of washing away the old and welcoming the new.
Festival dates are converted from the lunar calendar and are for reference only. Customs vary a little from place to place. For temple and community events, please follow the organisers' announcements.