By Tom McGregor, CNTV Commentator

Many Americans are familiar with their national holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day and Memorial Day. They honor them with time-honored traditions that have captured attention from people all over the world.

Nearly everyone, including people living in remote villages, knows about Christmas. Nevertheless, many Chinese holidays, with the exception of Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, are not recognizable to regular global citizens.

China has transformed into an economic powerhouse with rising in geo-political influence. 5,000 years of Chinese civilization history had enriched the cultural dynamics of the country. The nation stands as unique, rich and powerful, but its holidays remain a mystery to the outside world.

The Dragon Boat Festival, a national holiday, will be celebrated on June 9. However, for those who are not Chinese or foreigners who have never visited the country, have you ever heard about this holiday?

Taking a closer look

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on different dates each year according to solar calendar, on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. Here’s how it’s calculated according to the lunar calendar. This year, the Chinese New Year fell on February 8. Add five months and five days and that means June 9 is set for the Dragon Boat Festival.

For the Chinese, the festival signifies the peak of the summer solstice, when daylight hours are the longest and summer goes into full swoon; for yin and yang experts - masculine energy surges to a peak.

Regular customs entail eating Zongzi (sticky rice treats wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves with strings), drinking regular Chinese wine to ward off evil and prevent diseases and racing dragon boats.

Other activities include: Hanging up icons of Zhong Kui (mythic guardian figure), hanging mugwort and catamus, taking long walks and wearing perfumed herbal medicine bags. 

Nonetheless, not all Chinese follow these ancient customs anymore. They are more likely to relax with family and friends without pondering too deeply on the meaning of the Dragon Boat Festival. Today’s Chinese have a more modern outlook.

Enter the dragon boats

Despite Chinese contemporary society shifting away from its historic roots, dragon boats deserve special recognition from the international community. The intricately-designed paddle boats range from 40-100 ft. in length that can hold a maximum of 80 rowers.

The boat’s front end is designed with a dragon’s open-mouthed facial features and a scaly-tail on the back end. They are painted in bright, flashy colors, while the rowers, who participate in races, perform a special ceremony - painting the dragon’s eyes - before entering a competition. 

Dragon boats are expected to race on a river, where the winner is the first team to grab a flag placed at the end of the course. Some dragon boat races continue to be performed annually, mainly in Southern China, a region well-known for its fishing and sailing culture.

The dragon is a long-cherished mythical figure for the Chinese, who admire it for displaying traits of power, passion and fast-moving energy. When foreigners think about Chinese civilizations, images of dragons often dazzle their minds.

Honoring a philosopher for the ages

The Dragon Boat Festival was originally intended to commemorate a Chinese scholar, Qu Yuan, who had committed suicide by tying his chest with a heavy stone and throwing himself into the Miluo River on 278 BCE.

Qu had served as a loyal minister for the King of Chu of the Han Dynasty. His superior intellect and strong moral backbone made members of the court jealous of him, so he was falsely accused of crimes. He was forced to live in seclusion, where he had written poems of sorrow and anger.

Qu’s life symbolizes a life of chaste living when confronted by numerous temptations to act corrupt. His zealous nature was not rewarded, but punished. Hence, he’s an historic hero for all Chinese. The inspirational tale should encourage people to stand righteous as an exemplar of morality even when evil surrounds them.

Make Dragon Boat Festival great again

Chinese holidays have amazing histories and customs. They deserve more recognition from the world. The Dragon Boat Festival stands as a day for heroism, activism and warding off the evil forces. Qu Yuan and dragons do symbolize what’s best about Chinese civilization.

 Tom McGregor

Tmcgregorchina@yahoo.com

WeChat ID: 86 13439758718 

( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )

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