Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Duanwu Festival in China. It is a traditional and meaningful celebration, which comes the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

 

It's a traditional festival full of customs activities. The Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated with various events in different provinces, including making sticky-rice treats (Zongzi) and dragon boat races.

 

As most people know, the Dragon boat festival is a traditional festival in China to memorialize the death of ancient Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC). In fact, with a history of over 2,000 years, it used to be a cleanliness day when people would use herbs to repel diseases and poisonous creatures. Besides, great people like Wu Zixu and Cao E also died on the same day, so in particular areas, people also commemorate them during the festival.

 

In September 2009, UNESCO added Dragon Boat Festival to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the first Chinese festival to receive the honor.

 

As a nation that boasts rich cultural heritage, it's a big move to list it as an intangible cultural heritage which means China was starting realized the importance of its culture and tried to help people know the Chinese culture better.

 

Since 2008, Dragon Boat Festival is not only a festival but also as a public holiday in China.