Ai Ye is fragrant again, and the sun is approaching. We are about to usher in the important traditional folk festival - Loong Boat Festival. According to the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Some Holidays in 2023, the schedule of holidays and holiday precautions are hereby notified as follows

From June 22nd (Thursday) to June 24th (Saturday), there will be a 3-day holiday with compensatory leave. Normal work will resume on June 25th (Sunday).

The Loong Boat Festival originated in China and began as a festival for people to cure diseases and prevent epidemics. Before the Spring and Autumn Period in Wuyue, it was customary to hold tribal totem sacrifices in the form of Loong Boat races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month; Later, it became a traditional festival for the Han people to commemorate Qu Yuan; Loong Boat Festival is a traditional custom in China for more than 2000 years.

Dragon Boat Festival customs

1. Eat Zongzi

Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival has been a traditional custom of the Chinese nation since ancient times. Due to different dietary habits in different regions, zongzi has formed a northern and southern flavor.

2. Fragrant sachet

Fragrant sachet, also known as sachet, sachet, purse, etc., is made of five colored silk thread wrapped around it or sewn with shredded cloth. It contains spices and is worn on the chest, with a strong aroma. The ancients usually wore sachets for children on the Loong Boat Festival. It is said that the sachets have the function of avoiding evil spirits and expelling plague. They are particularly exquisite and lovely.

3. Insert Ai strips

As the saying goes, "The willows are planted during the Qingming Festival, and the wormwood is planted during the Dragon Boat Festival." The wormwood "here refers to the wormwood, whose stems and leaves have volatile essential oil, and its smell can repel mosquitoes and insects. The Loong Boat Festival has also been a solar term for disease prevention and epidemic prevention since ancient times, because it is the summer solstice and the cold and hot weather intersect, every family will clean the door on this day, and insert the wormwood sticks on the door to sterilize.

4. Dragon Boating

Loong Boat is an important activity of the Loong Boat Festival. It was popular in Wu, Yue and Chu in ancient times. Now it is very popular in the coastal areas of southern China. After being spread abroad, it was deeply loved by people from various countries and formed an international competition.

5. Eat Five Yellow

Eating the five yellow foods is a folk custom of the Han ethnic group, popular in places such as Jiangnan. Wuhuang refers to yellow croaker, cucumber, eel, duck egg yolk, and realgar wine (realgar wine is toxic and is usually replaced with regular yellow wine).