1、DragonBoatFestivalTheDragonBoatFestival,the5thdayofthe5thlunarmonth,hashadahistoryofmorethan2,000years.ItisusuallyinJuneintheGregoriancalendar.The origin of this summer festival centers arounda scholarly government official named Qu Yuan.He was a good and respected man
2、, but becauseof the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventuallyfell intodisfavor in the emperor's court.朝搴阰之木兰兮夕揽洲之宿莽日月忽其不淹兮春与秋其代序唯草木之零落兮恐美人之迟暮Unable to regain the respect of the emperor,in his sorrow Qu Yuan threw himself intothe Mi Luo river.Because of their admiration
3、for Qu Yuan,the local people living adjacent to the Mi Luo Riverrushed into their boats to search for him whilethrowing rice into the waters to appease the riverdragons.Although they were unable to find QuYuan, their efforts are still commemorated todayduring the Drago
4、n Boat Festival.Dragon Boat race Traditions At the center of this festival arethe dragon boat races. Competing teamsdrive their colorful dragon boats forwardto the rhythm of beating drums.Theseexciting races were inspired by thevillager's valiant attempts to rescue QuY
5、uan from the Mi Luo river. This tradition hasremained unbroken for centuries.Tzung Tzu A very popular dish during the Dragon Boatfestival is tzung tzu. This tasty dish consistsof rice dumplings with meat, peanut, eggyolk, or other fillings wrapped in bambooleaves.The t
6、radition of tzung tzu is meant toremind us of the village fishermen scatteringrice across the water of the Mi Luo river inorder to appease the river dragons so thatthey would not devour Qu Yuan.The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival,the fifth lunar moon, has more
7、 significancethan just the story of Qu Yuan.ManyChineseconsider this time of yearan especiallydangerous time when extraefforts must be made to protect theirfamily from illness.AiHaoisakindofspecialfelonherb,theleavesofwhicharebelievedbyourChinesepeopletohavemagicpowero
