The Dragon Boat Festival will fall on the 7th of June, on Friday. China will have a 3-day holiday from 7th June to 9th June (Friday to Sunday). The locals will only be back to work on the 10th of June, on Monday.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, otherwise know as the 端午節 (Duānwǔ Jié), is a holiday that’s primarily celebrated in China, Hong Kong and Macau. This is a traditional festival of superstitions and traditions. This occasion has been a holiday for the Chinese since 2008.
During this popular festival, locals will celebrate with loved ones, while participating in interesting and fun activities to bond with each other. For example, locals will race each other in dragon-shaped boats during this occasion (known as Dragon Boat Racing).
During the Dragon Boat Race, the respective teams will work as a team and paddle together while the drums are being played loudly. Heading towards the finished point, it is said that the winning team will have great luck and a prosperous following year. This ancient sport is now enjoyed by 35 countries around the World.
The festival is incredibly cultural. Dragon Boat Racing originated from the legend where people paddled out on boats to scare the fishes away and retrieve the Chinese Poet, Qu Yuan’s body after he drowned himself in 278BC.
Qu Yuan was a famous poet and politician during the Chu Period. However, he was expelled by the Emperor after being accused of treason. He wrote multiple poems to express his passion and love for his country. After writing his famous Huia Sha Poem, he decided to drown himself on the 5th day of the 5th month (of the Chinese Lunar Calendar). Citizens of the country were extremely upset, therefore, they started to set out with their fishing boats to find his body.
The locals would make rice dumplings 粽子(zòng zi) and throw them into the water and feed the fishes, so they would not eat the Poet’s body. The Dragon Boat Race is a symbol of the attempts to rescue and recover the body of Qu Yuan as quickly as possible. This is why the locals would always dragon boat race and eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival.
They are pyramid-shaped dumplings that are wrapped using bamboo leaves. The filling includes sticky rice, meat, beans, etc. These are traditionally enjoyed by the locals during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Do not worry! Although our office in China is closed for the weekend, our teams in Vietnam and the Philippines are still open. Feel free to contact us and await a response! Vietnam front loads most public holidays to the first part of the year with Tet and CNY being the major overlap for ODM staff taking well earned time off.
China also celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival annually. Check out this blog to learn more about this traditional festival and why the Chinese are celebrating it!
Buddha is a distinct religious figure, no doubt there will be a festival for his birthday! Check out this blog to find out why are people commemorating the Budha Bathing Festival and what this means to the locals:
Another traditional festival that the Chinese celebrate every year is the Qingming Festival. Learn more about how people celebrate with their loved ones during this festival:
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