What is the Dragon Boat Festival and why is it celebrated?
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival or the Duanyang Festival, is one of the traditional Chinese festivals, usually celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the important festivals in Chinese traditional culture and is also listed as a world intangible cultural heritage.

There are multiple legends and reasons why the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated. The most famous legend is the story of Qu Yuan. According to legend, Qu Yuan was a great politician and patriotic poet during the Warring States Period in China. After being ostracized by the nobles, he committed suicide by jumping into the river. In order to commemorate him, people would row dragon boats and throw rice dumplings into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month every year to prevent Qu Yuan's soul from being disturbed. This is also the tradition of eating rice dumplings and rowing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival.

In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival is also related to preventing plague, avoiding evil and praying for health. In ancient times, May was the season for epidemics, and people believed that participating in celebrations could avoid the invasion of diseases. People also believe that the Dragon Boat Festival is a good time to ward off evil spirits, and they hang mugwort and calamus on their doors to drive away evil spirits.

In modern times, the Dragon Boat Festival has become an important traditional festival, where people reunite with their families, eat rice dumplings, watch dragon boat races, and participate in various traditional cultural activities to showcase China's traditional culture and folk customs.

In general, the Dragon Boat Festival is a long-standing traditional festival in China. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, prevent epidemics, avoid evil spirits, and pray for health. At the same time, it is also an important time for people to reunite and pass on culture.