With over 2,000 years of history, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the oldest festivals in China. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year - making it land anywhere between late May to late June depending on the lunar calendar. According to legend, the Dragon Boat Festival is said to commemorate the Chinese poet Qu Yuan. On the day of the festival, you can say, “端午安康!” (Duānwǔ ānkāng!) which means, “I wish you health for Dragon Boat Festival!”
*Teachers, please note: there is a brief mention of suicide at 3.27 when mentioning the origins of the festival and Qu Yuan’s death. Please review before sharing with students
*Teachers, please note: there is a brief mention of suicide at other points in this video when mentioning the origins of the festival and Qu Yuan’s death. The time stamped portion of this video is suggested for this reason. Please review before sharing with students.
Watch
Jiaxing professionals show how to wrap a perfect Zongzi
to learn more about zongzi, a traditional Dragon Boat Festival dish. Discuss if there are similar food related competitions associated with holidays in their countries.