Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival (also known as the Duanwu Festival or the Zhongxao Festival) is a Chinese cultural festival that dates back thousands of years. Because it falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, the festival is also known as the Double Fifth Festival. During this festival, dragon boats compete in races all over the world, including in Singapore, where Chinese communities are present. The Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia, observe the Dragon Boat Festival on an unofficial basis. Korean Dano, Japanese Children's Day, and Vietnamese Tết Đoan Ngọ are all equivalent and related to official festivals.

Eating (and preparing) zongzi, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats are three of the most popular activities during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon boat racing has a rich history of ancient ceremonial and ritualistic traditions that began more than 2500 years ago in southern central China. The legend begins with the story of Qu Yuan, a minister in one of the Warring State governments known as the Chu. He was vilified by envious government officials and exiled by the king. He drowned himself in the Miluo River after being dissatisfied with the Chu monarch. The general public rushed to the water and attempted to recover his body. People hold dragon boat races every year on the anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, according to legend. They also threw rice into the water to keep the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body, which is one of the origins of zongzi.

Making and eating zongzi with family and friends is an important part of Dragon Boat Festival celebrations. People traditionally wrap zongzi in reed and bamboo leaves, forming a pyramid shape. The leaves also impart a distinct aroma and flavor to the sticky rice and fillings. The types of fillings available vary by region.

Realgar wine, also known as Xiong Huang wine, is a Chinese alcoholic beverage made from Chinese yellow wine and powdered realgar, a yellow-orange arsenic sulfide mineral known as "rice wine." During the hot summers, it is frequently used as a pesticide against mosquitoes and other biting insects, as well as a common antidote to the poison in ancient Asia.

Takes place: the end of May to the first two weeks of June on the English calendar