奇速英语

Duanwu Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar every year. It is a 2,000-year-old tradition celebrated nationwide in various forms to honor the ancient poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in despair over his country’s fate. How do people usually celebrate it?
Hold dragon boat races. Dragon boats are named for their shape, which resembles a traditional Chinese dragon. They have been held for centuries. The races were inspired by villagers’ brave attempts to save Qu Yuan from the Miluo River. 
Eat zongzi. Zongzi is a pyramid-shaped sticky rice dumpling wrapped in leaves. In north China, people favor sweet zongzi, while in the south salty ones filled with fresh meat or egg yolk are more popular. Nowadays, zongzi has already become a common food, which can be easily found in supermarkets and food stores. However, some families still maintain the tradition of making zongzi on the festive day. 
Hang wormwood and calamus (菖蒲). It is said that hanging wormwood and calamus leaves on doors or windows can protect people from evil spirits. From a scientific point of view, Dragon Boat Festival falls in hot summer, when pests and other poisonous animals are active; both the leaves give off a special smell, which can clean the air and drive out pests, thus helping people stay away from diseases. 
Wear scented sachets (香包). It has the same purpose as hanging calamus and wormwood, as the sachets are always filled with Chinese herbs which can drive away poisonous animals and evil things. Nowadays, it is more popular among children and they are usually made into various shapes, including the traditional zongzi pattern, various animals, pumpkins and flowers. 
Put a picture of Zhong Kui on doors or windows. Zhong Kui is a famous exorcist (驱魔人) in Chinese folk stories. His picture, a fierce-looking male brandishing (挥舞) a magic sword, is hung up in Chinese houses to scare away evil spirits and demons, especially during Dragon Boat Festival.
Besides, there are some customs popular in certain areas, including egg balancing competitions, wearing five-color silk thread, drinking xionghuangjiu, eating eggs boiled with tea, etc.