Let’s celebrate the coming Dragon Boat Festival engaging our five senses. We invite you to have a richer and deeper experience with this traditional festival and celebrate it with a creative and critical mind. Download our free resource pack here.

#1:  Origin of Dragon Boat Festival

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival originated to honor the ancient poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself when he was extremely sad. Villagers raced boats to retrieve his body, throwing rice to distract fish.

Can you think of some other ways to cope with sadness?

#2: Sight – dragon boat ≠ rowing race

The dragon boat race is a common way to celebrate the festival. Although it appears similar to a rowing boat race, they are quite different. Watch the two videos of a Chinese dragon boat race in China and an Oxford vs. Cambridge rowing boat race in the UK.

How many differences can you spot between these two types of boat races?

#3: Smell – mosquito-repellent sachet

People make fragrant sachets during the festival. They put herbs inside the sachet to repel mosquitos. Mosquitos hate herbs such as lavender, basil, lemon balm, catnip, rosemary, etc.

Can you find these herbs at home? What do they smell like?

#4: Taste – cook zongzi in leaves

The custom of eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival has prevailed in China for thousands of years and has spread to other Asian countries. Zongzi are traditional Chinese sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, typically filled with meats, beans, or other ingredients. Watch this video of a Chinese boy making Zongzi for the first time.

Why do people wrap up zongzi in leaves to cook?

#5: Listen – Legend of White Snake

People drink a particular type of wine to celebrate this festival. Did you know this wine turned a woman (back) into a white snake in a Chinese legendary story? Listen to this mysterious Chinese mythology in English, told by the National Geographic Kids channel.

It is a love story between a snake and a human. How would you like it to end?

#6: Touch – paper zongzi craft

Suppose you can’t have real zongzi for this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, so why not try some paper zongzi for your home decoration? Click the link to try 10 ideas for paper zongzi decoration.

Source of image: https://www.diyartpins.com/

#7: Language – shape of boat

The Chinese oracle language (oldest Chinese) writes the character ‘boat’ based on a traditional flat-bottom floating boat.

How is the Chinese boat different from a boat you know?

#8: Poem – ancient poem Rock & Roll

The ancient poet Qu Yuan wrote the famous poem 离骚 meaning the sorrow of departure. This is converted into a rock & roll song.

The most famous sentences from this poem is:

路漫漫其修远兮, 吾将上下而求索。
lù mànmàn qí xiū yuǎn xī, wú jiāng shàng-xià ér qiú suǒ.

Long is my road and far is my journey; I would go up and down to seek my heart’s desire.

Can you locate the above sentences from the song? How many musical instruments can you find in this band?

Now you know so much about this festival and we hope you have a great day with your family and friends celebrating it. Our last big question is:

Why do we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival and what are we celebrating?