The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Here are the characteristics and origins of this festival in English:
**Characteristics:**
1. **Dragon Boat Races:** One of the most famous customs of the Dragon Boat Festival is dragon boat racing. These races involve teams of rowers paddling long boats with a dragon head and tail, representing the dragon, which is a symbol of power and strength in Chinese culture.
2. **Zongzi (Glutinous Rice Dumplings):** Another traditional food of the festival is Zongzi, which are pyramid-shaped rice dumplings made with glutinous rice and various fillings such as meat, bean paste, or fruits. These dumplings are often wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and tied with string.
3. **Wearing Periwinkle Leaves:** During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is believed that wearing periwinkle leaves can ward off evil spirits and prevent illness. The leaves are often tied around the wrist or placed in a sachet.
4. **Fragrant Incense and Herbs:** Incense and herbs are burned to create a strong, aromatic atmosphere. This practice is thought to cleanse the home of bad luck and bring good fortune.
5. **Eating Fish:** Eating fish on the Dragon Boat Festival is also a tradition, as the Chinese character for fish (yu) sounds similar to the word for surplus or abundance, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
6. **Poetry and Literature:** The festival is also celebrated with various literary activities, including recitation of ancient poems related to the festival and the storytelling of legends associated with it.
**Origins:**
The Dragon Boat Festival has its origins in the memory of Qu Yuan, a loyal minister of the state of Chu during the Warring States period of ancient China. According to legend, Qu Yuan was exiled for his political ideals and eventually drowned himself in the Miluo River in protest of the corruption and mismanagement of the state.
The local people, in a desperate attempt to save Qu Yuan, raced out in their boats and threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the fish, hoping to keep them from eating Qu Yuan's body. Since then, the Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated in his honor, with dragon boat races and other traditional activities.
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