What is Dragon Boat Festival?
Dragon Boat Festival is a vibrant and exciting holiday that takes place annually in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries with Chinese communities.
To celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, in Mandarin, we say 端午节安康 (duānwǔ jié ānkāng) or 端午节快乐 (duānwǔ jié kuàilè). In Cantonese, it's 端午節安康 (dyun1 ng5 zit3 ngon1 hong1) or 端午節快樂 (dyun1 ng5 zit3 faai3 lok6).
The story of the festival's origins can be traced back over 2,000 years, commemorating the legendary poet Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan, a loyal minister of ancient China, drowned himself in a river as a form of protest against corruption and injustice. The locals raced their boats to save him, leading to the tradition of dragon boat racing.
Another integral part of the celebration is enjoying delicious sticky rice dumplings, known as zongzi (粽子). When Qu Yuan's body could not be found in the river, the people looking for him dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of his body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. These pyramid-shaped treats are wrapped in bamboo leaves and filled with various ingre-dients, such as meat, beans, or nuts. You'll find a variety of flavours of zongzi in your local Asian supermarket.
Get our Dragon Boat Printable
How can your little ones celebrate and learn more about Dragon Boat Festival? Well, download our free printable below in Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese and have them play, colour, search, and more!
Watch our short video on how to make the dragon boat craft using the second page of our printable pack. Share your designs with us!
More Learning Videos about 端午节
Additionally, you will find a few fun English, Mandarin, and Cantonese videos about Dragon Boat Festival below that are kid friendly!