The Dragon Boat Festival， also called Double Fifth Festival， is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar①. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals， the other two being the Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year.
The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named Chu Yuan. He was a good and respected man， but because of the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventually fell into disfavor in the emperor’s court. Unable to regain the respect of the emperor， in his sorrow Chu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Low river.
Because of their admiration for Chu Yuan， the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons. Although they were unable to find Chu Yuan， their efforts are still commemorated② today during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Traditions At the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races were inspired by the villager’s valiant③ attempts to rescue Chu Yuan from the Mi Low river. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries.
A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat festival is tzung tzu④. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat， peanut， egg yolk， or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Mi Low river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour Chu Yuan.
The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival， the fifth lunar moon， has more significance than just the story of Chu Yuan. Many Chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. Families will hang various herbs， called Ay Tsao⑤， on their door for protection. Hsiang Bao⑥ are also worn. These sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness.
① lunar calendar农历
② commemoratev. 庆祝、纪念
③ valiantadj. 英勇的
④ tzung tzun. 粽子
⑤ Ay Tsaon. 艾草
⑥ Hsiang Bao香包
端午节
端午节，又称为五五节，因为端午节是在农历的五月五日，是三个重要的中国节庆之一，其它两个分别是中秋节和农历新年。
这个节日的由来是古代中国有一位博学多闻的官吏屈原，他是一位爱民而且又受到尊崇的官吏，但是由于一位充满嫉妒的官吏陷害，从此在朝廷中被皇帝所冷落。由于无法获得皇帝的重视，屈原在忧郁的情况下投汨罗江自尽。
由于对屈原的爱戴，汨罗江畔的居民匆忙的划船在江内寻找屈原，并且将米丢入汨罗江中，以平息汨罗江中的蛟龙。即使他们当时并没有找到屈原，但是他们的行为，直到今天在端午节的时候，仍然被人们传颂纪念着。
端午节最重要的活动是龙舟竞赛，比赛的队伍在热烈的鼓声中划着他们多彩的龙舟前进。这项活动的灵感是来自于当时汨罗江畔的居民，在江中划船救屈原，而这个传统也一直保持了数个世纪。
在端午节时受欢迎的食物就是粽子，粽子是以米包着肉、花生、蛋黄及其它材料，再以竹叶包裹。而粽子的传统则来由于汨罗江边的渔夫，将米丢入江中平息江中的蛟龙，希望他们不要将屈原吃掉。
农历的五月，也就是端午节的这个时节，对中国人而言，除了屈原的故事还有许多其它重要的意义。许多中国人相信五月是一年中容易引发疾病的危险时节，因此必须有许多防备家人生病的措施。许多家庭会将一种特别的植物——艾草挂在门口，作为保护之用，而人们也会挂带香包，它是以含有多种香味的药用植物所做成，也可以保护人们远离疾病。
