{"id":1564,"date":"2025-05-01T17:39:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1564"},"modified":"2025-05-01T17:49:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:49:27","slug":"dragon-boat-festival-2025-racing-into-summer-with-traditional-crafts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2025\/05\/01\/dragon-boat-festival-2025-racing-into-summer-with-traditional-crafts\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragon Boat Festival 2025: racing into summer with traditional crafts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This year, the Dragon Boat Festival (<\/em><em>\u7aef\u5348\u8282<\/em><em> Du<\/em><em>\u0101<\/em><em>nw<\/em><em>\u01d4<\/em><em> Ji<\/em><em>\u00e9<\/em><em>) arrives early<\/em><em>\u2014<\/em><em>on Saturday, 31 May. But what<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>s behind this ancient celebration, and how can you experience it, even far from China? <\/em><em>Yingxiang Chen from the Department of Education tells us more.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>A river, a poet, and a nation\u2019s grief: the origins of the festival<\/h2>\n<p>There are many legends about the festival\u2019s origins, but the most famous tells the story of \u5c48\u539f (Q\u016b Yu\u00e1n), a loyal minister and poet from the state of \u695a (Ch\u01d4) during China\u2019s Warring States period.<\/p>\n<p>Over 2,300 years ago, Qu Yuan warned his king about an invasion, but his advice was ignored. When the capital finally fell, he was heartbroken. Carrying a final poem, he walked into the Miluo River (\u6c68\u7f57\u6c5f M\u00eclu\u00f3 Ji\u0101ng) and took his own life.<\/p>\n<p>The people, devastated, rushed out in boats to find him. To scare fish away, they beat drums; to protect his body, they threw sticky rice parcels\u2014now known as \u7cbd\u5b50 (z\u00f2ngzi)\u2014into the water.<\/p>\n<p>Though they couldn't save him, their efforts became a tradition. The Dragon Boat Festival was born, blending mourning, honour, and community spirit.<\/p>\n<h2>When and how is the festival celebrated?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, that\u2019s why it's also called Double Fifth Festival (\u91cd\u4e94\u8282 ch\u00f3ngw\u01d4 Ji\u00e9) or \u7aef\u5348\u8282 (Du\u0101nw\u01d4 Ji\u00e9).<\/p>\n<p>In ancient times, this time of year was linked to heat, illness, and bad luck. To ward off evil, people used bright colours, loud drums, and strong-smelling herbs like mugwort (\u827e\u8349 \u00e0ic\u01ceo), calamus (\u83d6\u84b2 ch\u0101ngp\u00fa), and realgar wine (\u96c4\u9ec4\u9152 xi\u00f3nghu\u00e1ng ji\u01d4), a traditional medicinal drink.<\/p>\n<p>Today, dragon boat races take centre stage. Teams of 20 paddle long, dragon-headed boats to the beat of a drummer, competing in 200- or 500-metre sprints.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, at home, families make z\u00f2ngzi, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves with sweet or savoury fillings. Steamed or boiled for hours, they fill the house with a grassy aroma and serve as a delicious tribute to Qu Yuan.<\/p>\n<h2>Dragon Boat fun in the UK<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t need be in China to experience the festival spirit! In the UK, dragon boat racing is now one of the fastest-growing charity sports.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maggie\u2019s Oxford Dragon Boat Racing (Queenford Lakes, 12 Jun 2025): Local teams compete to raise funds for cancer support.<\/li>\n<li>London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival (Royal Docks, June 2025): Nearly a thousand paddlers compete alongside live music and street food.<\/li>\n<li>Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival (River Cam, 13 Sept 2025): Over 40 teams will race to support Addenbrooke\u2019s Cancer Research Hospital.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Meanwhile, workshops pop up across the country for dumpling-wrapping and hands-on crafts, keeping the festival\u2019s traditions alive across continents.<\/p>\n<p>The Bath Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) will be hosting <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.cloud.microsoft\/e\/w7UBreN48G\">a series of creative workshops in the centre of Bath<\/a> on 30 May, when you can try out at least the following activities:<\/p>\n<h2>Three craft activities and their meanings<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Five-Colour Lucky Cords<\/strong> (\u4e94\u5f69\u7ef3 <em>w\u01d4c\u01cei sh\u00e9ng<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Twist together five threads\u2014red, yellow, blue, green, and white\u2014to represent the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). Add beads or bells if you like. Wear it until the first summer rain to symbolically \u201cwash away\u201d misfortune.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Fragrant Sachets<\/strong> (\u9999\u56ca <em>xi\u0101ngn\u00e1ng<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Fill a small cloth pouch with herbs like mugwort (for protection), mint (for cooling), lavender (for calmness), or cloves (for warmth). Decorate the outside with paint or embroidery. Hang it by your bed or tuck it in a drawer for year-round fragrance and good fortune.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong>Blessing Pennants<\/strong> (\u7aef\u5348\u5e61 <em>Du\u0101nw\u01d4 f\u0101n<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Cut colourful card into triangle flags and write traditional four-character wishes. Hang your pennants at home or in the garden to spread festival cheer. Try:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u7aef\u5348\u5b89\u5eb7 (<em>Du\u0101nw\u01d4 \u0101nk\u0101ng<\/em>) \u2013 \u201cPeace and health at Dragon Boat\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u9f99\u817e\u4e07\u91cc (<em>L\u00f3ng t\u00e9ng w\u00e0n l\u01d0<\/em>) \u2013 \u201cMay dragons soar ten thousand miles\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Keep the spirit afloat<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you're watching boats on the Cam, or wrapping a paper z\u00f2ngzi in Bath, the Dragon Boat Festival is a time to honour tradition, stay healthy, and celebrate community. Qu Yuan\u2019s legacy lives on\u2014linking past and present, across rivers old and new.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year, the Dragon Boat Festival (\u7aef\u5348\u8282 Du\u0101nw\u01d4 Ji\u00e9) arrives early\u2014on Saturday, 31 May. But what\u2019s behind this ancient celebration, and how can you experience it, even far from China? Yingxiang Chen from the Department of Education tells us more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1776,"featured_media":1565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[59,175],"tags":[209,241,249],"class_list":["post-1564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign-languages","category-intercultural-competency","tag-chinese","tag-chinese-culture","tag-international-festivals"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/\u7aef\u5348\u5b89\u5eb7.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":940,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/12\/05\/language-film-club-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1564,"position":0},"title":"Language film club 2","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"December 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Watching a foreign language film is a fantastic way to improve your language skills and immerse yourself in a different cultural perspective. But with so many films to choose from, where do you start? 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As we prepare to celebrate the new year that starts on 29 January, it's the perfect time to explore the significance behind this intriguing creature and some related fun facts. 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