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Three Dragon Boat Festivals in Quyuan’s Hometown

In Quyuan’s hometown Zigui, there are three Dragon Boat Festivals. In lunar calendar, May 5 is First Dragon Boat Festival; May 15 is Big Dragon Boat Festival, while May 25 is Final Dragon Boat Festival. From the end of April lunar calendar, people in Zigui get busy to prepare, such as soaking glutinous rice, killing chicken and duck, sweeping the courtyard, getting ready of gongs and drums, mending dragon boat, etc. On May 5, the First Dragon Boat Festival, the local people begin to wrap Zongzi, boil eggs, eat garlic, drink realgar wine, etc. The also go to the countryside to collect wormwood grass and calamus, then bind them into bunches with red paper strips, and hang up on doors. On May 15, every family prepare delicious dishes to entertain their daughters and sons-in-law back home, which is popularly called Big Dragon Boat Festival. The important activities during this period include rowing dragon boat, throwing Zongzi, organizing poem competition, etc. This happy atmosphere will last until May 25, which is called the Final Dragon Boat Festival, as long as 20 days.

Dragon Boat FestivalCustoms in Local Places

HeBei Pronvince

People in Beijing avoid as a taboo taking water from wells on Dragon Boat Festival. They would draw water from wells before the festival, the reason for which is reportedly to evade poison from the wells. Peddlers on streets would hawk cherry and mulberry, as people say if you eat cherry and mulberry on Dragon Boat Festival, you will not eat flies by accident through the whole year. Every bakery would sell Five Poisonous Creature Cake, i.e., the cake with five poisonous creatures as decorating patterns. In Luanxian county, families with their children betrothed would send gifts on Dragon Boat Festival. In Zhaoxian county, on Dragon Boat Festivalthe local government would organize assembly in the south of the county town to invite scholars in the county to feasts and compose poems, calling treading willow.

Shandong Province

In Zouping county, on Dragon Boat Festival, in the morning every one would drink a cup of wine, which reportedly would repulse evils. In Rizhao, people would tie seven colored threads on babies, which they have to wear until the first rain after the festival. Then the threads can be untied and thrown into rain water. In Linqing county, on Dragon Boat Festival, boys under seven would wear talisman (necklace made of wheat ears), while girls would wear pomegranate flowers. The children would also wear a pair of yellow shoes made by the mother, and paint five poisonous creatures on the shoe surface. This is to kill five poisonous creatures with the power of Quyuan’s ink. In Jimo, people would wash their faces with dew collected in the morning.

Shanxi Province

In Xiezhou, on Dragon Boat Festivalpeople would wear wormwood leaves, calling repulsing diseases. Babies would wear various ropes around their necks to help Quyuan bind dragon. In Xizhou, every village worshiped dragon king, and hang paper among fields. In Huairen county, Dragon Boat Festivalis also called Red Gate Festival. In Dingxiang county, students should offer gifts to teachers. In Lu’an county, people steam dumpling with wheat flour, called Baituan, and offer it together with Zongzi to others.

Shanxi Province

In Xing’an County, local officials would lead his subordinates to watch boat racing, called treading stone. In Xingping County, people would sew cloth into small Zongzi, and attach a small puppet at the bottom, called play boy. In Tongguan County, people stick wormwood and calamus leaves on doors, called repulsing disease.

Gansu Province

In Ningjing County, people pick rose and preserve it with honey to make syrup. In Zhenyuan County, people offer fragrant pan, silk, scarf, wormwood tiger as gifts to others. Junior people would ask their parents and elder brothers to entertain teachers with banquets, called enjoying festival. In Zhang County, young cowherd would worship god of mountain. People would pile up firewood to make fire before roosters crow in the morning, called burning high mountain.

(Source: bjchinese.bjedu.cn)