Observed each year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Dragon Boat
Festival is widely celebrated in China. Local stories say that this festival
is celebrated in the honor of Chu Yuan, a patriotic statesman,who drowned himself
to protest against the tyrant emperor. He was a very popular man, so when people
heard his drowning story, they all took their boats and started looking for him.
Since then every year this festival is celebrated in the memory of Chu Yuan.
People make loud noise with drums in the hope that fish would get scared and
would not touch Chu Yuan under water. On the Dragon Boat Festival, coked rice
is thrown in the river, which is considered as people's sacrifice for Chu Yuan.
Soon they found that the rice they offered to Chu was eaten by the fish. So
they started putting the cooked rice in envelops and then throw in the water.
This ceremony is known as rice dumpling. Few families also make dumplings of
rice, fresh meat, salted meat, or ham. The sweet dumplings are made of rice,
bean paste, dates' paste, and honey.
Because of Chu Yuan's death, the fifth lunar month is considered to be unlucky
in China. The day when the festival takes place is considered to be the best
day for collecting herbs for making medicines. Besides, dragon boat races widely
take place all over the country.
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