What is a Dragon Boat Festival?

The 5th day of the 5th month of a Chinese year is a Dragon Boat Festival. Like all the Chinese festivals it is a moving holiday, so the date changes every year.

Its story is very peculiar and stange. Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the suicide (or death) of the poet and minister Qu Yuan (c. 340–278 BC). It sounds odd, but this holiday is among the most famous and important ones in China.

Here is an educational video explaining the tradition of Dragon Boat Festival. It will be useful also for those learning Chinese:

And here is our favorite comic guy explaining the Dragon Boat Festival (ignore the date as this year it is different):

So what are the ways to celebrate this colorful festival (especially if you live outside China)?

Zongzi

This is a traditional Chinese dish made of sticky rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves in a form of a pyramid. They can have either sweet or savoury stuffing. Here is a very thorough recipe of zongzi:

Order something Chinese (or Asian)!

If you are lazy to cook or there are no right ingredients nearby, simply order something Asian to set up the mood.

Yami

In Yami shop you can even order Zongzi!

Caviar

Plenty of restaurants available to get something delicious from on Caviar!

DoorDash

And if you want something specifically Chinese, we encourage you to test DoorDash – the fastest delivery!

It is not only about food!

Create DIY Dragon Boat!

With LittlePassports you can do a lot of different activities with you children! Why not spending this day teaching kids about Chinese culture and also developping their imagination!