The Real Essence of "Duan Wu" Festival

It's the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, a day which we Chinese call it the "Duan Wu" Festival, or so-called "Dumpling Festival" in English. It was said that this day was set aside to remember an patriot from the Warring States period of Chinese history by the name of Qu Yuan, who had committed suicide by jumping into a river to show his loyalty for his country. Common folks who heard the news quickly went out in boats and threw rice balls into the river, hoping that the fish in the river will not eay up Qu Yuan's body.

This may have been the history of the dumpling we eat today, but this story is however, not the main essence behind this festival. In ancient China, eating dumpling and holding dragonboat races are just part of the observations for this festival. The 5th lunar month, back then, was considered a "month of sickness", as this is the time of the year whereby spring and summer intersects. The change in humidity and temperature gave rise to the breeding of insects, and many people tend to fall ill during this period. Hence, this is the time whereby every household will do thorough cleaning of their house, and to hang a kind of herbal plant called "Ai grass" at their doorsteps to ward off "evil spirit". Ancient people, who lacked scientific knowledge, assumed that all these sickness and epidermics during this period were acts of the evil spirits, but little did they know that it was actually the smell of these plants that actually help to repel insects. Another thing people would do during this festival is to drink "Xionghuang" wine, a wine that is said to be have the same effect as the Ai grass. Who those who know the story of Madam White Snake should remember a scene where Bai Suzhen, the snake demoness, drank a cup of the wine and revealed her true self in front of her husband. These practices had been in existence since the Zhou dynasty, many centuries before the Warring States period.

With the advancement of technology and science, the practices of hanging Ai grass and drinking "xionghuang" wine were no longer observed. However, eating dumplings and dragonboat racing were still in practice today, but it is no longer a day to commemorate Qu Yuan; it is just an ancient tradition passed down for generations.