Every year the 5th day and 5th month of the Lunar Calendar welcomes the Dragon Boat Festival, otherwise known as 端午節 (Duānwǔ Jié) or Tuen Ng Festival.
During this Chinese holiday all businesses will be closed from Thursday 9th June – Saturday 11th June. With businesses including the ODM Group resuming normal operations on Sunday 12th June.
Chinese Holiday – Offices Closed for Dragon Boat Festival 2016
The focus of most celebrations involves:
- Eating zongzi (sticky rice treats wrapped in bamboo leaves with meat and egg inside)
- Drinking Realgar wine (雄黃酒, xiónghuángjiǔ)
- Wearing perfume pouches
- Tying five-colour silk threads and hanging mugwort leaves and calamusto to ward of disease
- The all too famous Dragon Boat Racing
Chinese Holiday – Offices Closed for Dragon Boat Festival 2016
For festival background it has its roots spreading back to over 2,000 years with its most popular legend associated with Qu Yuan – a famous minister in the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC). Dragon Boat Racing is associated with racing to save Qu Yuan from the river after he drowned himself. It has been said that the winning team will bring harvest and happy life to the people of their village.
It is also classed as a masculine holiday, due to the Summer Solstice being the annual peak of male energy due to the longest daylight and the Chinese dragon traditionally representing masculine energy.
Chinese Holiday – Offices Closed for Dragon Boat Festival 2016
Please note this can mean disruptions to shipping, production and procurement for the loss of three days. If you have any important requests or need assistance please do contact us by email.
To find out more about East Asian holidays see these related blogs:
