What does the Dragon Boat Festival refer to in the lunar calendar?
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals, held every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. As an important cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, the Dragon Boat Festival not only has rich folk activities, but also carries profound historical and cultural connotations. The following is a detailed introduction to the Dragon Boat Festival, as well as a compilation of hot topics and content on the Internet in the past 10 days.
1. Lunar calendar date of Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is fixed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, so it is also called the "Chongwu Festival" or "Duanyang Festival". The lunar calendar is the traditional Chinese calendar. Unlike the Gregorian calendar (Gregorian calendar), the dates of the lunar calendar change every year. The following is a comparison table of the Gregorian calendar dates for the Dragon Boat Festival from 2020 to 2024:
| Year | Lunar date | Gregorian calendar date |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | fifth day of may | June 25 |
| 2021 | fifth day of may | June 14 |
| 2022 | fifth day of may | June 3 |
| 2023 | fifth day of may | June 22 |
| 2024 | fifth day of may | June 10 |
2. The origin and legend of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China, and there are mainly the following legends:
1.In memory of Qu Yuan: The most widely circulated theory is that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a poet of Chu State during the Warring States Period. Qu Yuan was worried about the country and the people and threw himself into the river. In order to prevent the fish and shrimp from eating his body, the people rowed their boats and threw rice dumplings.
2.Exorcise evil spirits and avoid epidemics: In ancient times, May was believed to be the "poisonous month" and the fifth day of May was the "evil day". Therefore, there were customs such as hanging mugwort and wearing sachets to ward off evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival.
3.In memory of Wu Zixu: Some areas believe that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Wu Zixu, a doctor of the state of Wu.
3. Customs of Dragon Boat Festival
The traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are rich and colorful, the following are the common ones:
| custom | Description |
|---|---|
| dragon boat racing | Imitating the scene of people rowing boats to save Qu Yuan has now become a competitive sport. |
| Eat rice dumplings | The fillings are wrapped in glutinous rice and steamed with rice dumpling leaves. The taste varies from place to place. |
| Hanging wormwood | Mugwort has the effect of repelling insects and evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival, mugwort is hung at the door of every house. |
| Wear sachet | Sachets contain spices and are worn on the body to ward off evil spirits and ward off epidemics. |
4. Hot topics and content on the Internet in the past 10 days
The following is a compilation of hot topics and hot content about the Dragon Boat Festival in the past 10 days (as of 2023) across the Internet:
| topic | heat index | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| The debate over zongzi flavors | ★★★★★ | Sweet rice dumplings vs salty rice dumplings, netizens from the north and the south have once again started a debate. |
| Dragon boat race live broadcast | ★★★★☆ | Dragon boat competitions were held in many places, and the number of viewers of the online live broadcast broke records. |
| Dragon Boat Festival holiday travel | ★★★★☆ | Short-distance tours and folk tours have become popular choices, and the number of people visiting scenic spots has increased significantly. |
| renaissance of traditional culture | ★★★☆☆ | Young people are keen to participate in Dragon Boat Festival folk activities, and traditional culture is popular. |
5. The modern significance of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is not only the inheritance of traditional culture, but also the embodiment of the spirit of the Chinese nation. In modern society, the meaning of Dragon Boat Festival is more diverse:
1.cultural identity: Enhance national cohesion through festival activities.
2.family reunion: The Dragon Boat Festival holiday has become an important time for family reunion.
3.health and wellness: Customs such as mugwort and sachet are combined with modern health concepts.
4.economic push: The rice dumpling industry and tourism industry will gain development opportunities due to the Dragon Boat Festival.
As an important traditional festival in China, the Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of May in the lunar calendar and carries thousands of years of cultural heritage. In the process of modernization, we must not only inherit traditional customs, but also give festivals new connotations of the times.
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