Dragon Boat Festival
Have you ever wondered about a festival that integrates thrilling boat races, delicious treats, and a rich history? Look no further than the Dragon Boat Festival! The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, is one of the most significant traditional Chinese festivals. As the first festival which was selected for the world's intangible cultural heritage in China, it has a variety of legends, among which Qu Yuan threw himself into the river is the most distinguished.
Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet and politician of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221BC), dedicated his entire life to endeavoring for the peace and prosperity of his homeland. Due to the incompetence of King Huai of Chu and the corruption of officialdom，Qv Yuan felt underappreciated. To make it worse, realizing the irreversible decline of Chu, overwhelmed by remorse for his inability to save it, Qv Yuan ultimately threw himself into the river and sacrificed for his beloved homeland on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The locals living adjacent to the river rushed into their boats to search for him. They threw rice dumplings and other food into the river with the intention of Qv Yuan's not being devoured by the creatures in the water. In order to commemorate this patriotic poet and draw inspiration from his patriotism，the custom of launching dragon boat races and throwing rice dumplings into the river passed down, giving rise to the name-Dragon Boat Festival.
Numerous traditional Chinese festivals are related to specific food when the dragon boat festival is no exception. The Dragon Boat Festival is a collection of worshiping for gods and ancestors, praying to ward off evil spirits, entertainment and food. During the Dragon Boat Festival, we make rice dumplings, raw dragon boats, and hang calami and wormwood. Plenty of traditional Chinese festivals are related to food, and the dragon boat festival is no exception. I still vividly remember the auspicious moment when my family got together and collaborated in making rice dumplings. It's the most unforgettable and fantastic moment in my memory about the dragon boat festival, during which my grandmother taught my uncles, my father and us children to make rice dumplings.
Apart from it, what impressed me most during this year's Dragon Boat Festival was the kindness of our university's canteens. To our immense delight, the canteens in our university gave out rice dumplings with an elaborate package to the faculty and us students for free, which was an extremely auspicious deed and at the same time warmed the bottoms of our hearts. My classmates and I were profoundly impressed by the deed. What's more, we went out to celebrate this festival with our friends while some students went home to celebrate this festival with their families.
Anyway, I glaringly cherish the Dragon Boat Festival. It not only renders me a chance to taste delicious rice dumplings and appreciate the thrilling boat races but also allows me to draw inspiration from its profound cultural essence and inherit the precious patriotic spirit. Let’s carry forward this tradition with pride and enthusiasm, ensuring the spirit of the Dragon Boat Festival lives on forever!