Beijing to hold first cultural festival on Dragon Boat Festival day this year

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May 28 this year is the second Dragon Boat Festival since China revised its statutory holidays. On that day, Beijing will hold the opening ceremony of the first dragon boat cultural festival. Beijing will also launch 33 cultural and sports activities, allowing citizens to learn through live entertainment and feel the charm of traditional culture.

It is generally considered that the Dragon Boat Festival was created to commemorate the ancient Chinese poet, Qu Yuan. Since 2008, the Dragon Boat Festival has become one of China’s statutory holidays. In Beijing’s old times, the Dragon Boat Festival started from the first day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar to the fifth day, and included customs such as eating “zongzi” and hanging branches of moxa and calamus on doors of their homes. The old Beijingers are still particular about eating cakes decorated with figures of five “poisonous animals”: scorpions, toads, spiders, centipedes and snakes, as well as drinking realgar wine, and also dipping the blood of a rooster on the eyes of a portrait of the god, Zhongkui, which is drawn with ink made of cinnabar to drive away evil. The Dragon Boat Festival is also an important holiday for ordinary people to pray for protection and to participate in fitness and entertaining activities. On May 20 of 2006, upon approval of the State Council, the folk custom of Dragon Boat Festival were listed into the directory of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages.

The CPC Beijing Municipal Committee held a news briefing on May 19 stating that on this year's Dragon Boat Festival day, many departments of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality will hold an opening ceremony for the first dragon boat cultural festival in Guishui Park of Yanqing County. The ceremony will consist of a dragon boat race, folk celebration performances and a zongzi making competition. On the same day, folk performances such as boat races, bass drums, dragon dances and lion dances will also be carried out.

Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the  festival, held all over the country.

Moreover, from May 11 to June 8, the 18 districts and counties of Beijing will hold more than 50 folklore performances, poem reciting, lectures and exhibitions, allowing more residents to learn about the traditional culture, celebrate the festival, practice proprieties, and recite poems to enrich their cultural lives.