Dragon Boat Festival 2026: History, Traditions & Celebration Guide

Written by Natalia | Updated November 12,2025

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival in China, is an important traditional cultural event celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. With a long history that dates back more than 2,000 years, the festival is closely related to the story of the famous Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

Nowadays, in addition to China, the Dragon Boat Festival is also popular in various regions with a great number of Chinese populations, such as Singapore and Malaysia. Every year at the Duanwu Festival, people will eat special food and hold dragon boat races. These traditions and celebrations are passed down through different dynasties, embodying profound Chinese cultural heritage. Similar to other traditional Chinese festivals, like the Spring Festival, and Mid-autumn Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is also a time for many people to reunite with their families in China.

Read on to get a deeper undertanding of the Dragon Boat Festival, including its history, origin, dates, top celebrations, global expansion, and many fun facts.

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• What is the Dragon Boat Festival?
• History and Origin of the Dragon Boat Festival
• When is Dragon Boat Festival in 2026?
• How the Dragon Boat Festival Is Celebrated in China and Beyond
• Fun Facts About the Dragon Boat Festival
• FAQs about Dragon Boat Festival
• Plan Your China Tour with Us

What is the Dragon Boat Festival?

The Dragon Boat Festival is a prominent Chinese festival with a long history and profound cultural meaning, which is also one of the four traditional Chinese festivals. In China, it has several alternative names, such as the Duan Yang Festival, Wuri Festival, and Fifth Month Festival. The festival is closely connected with the Chinese poet Qu Yuan, and many activities will be held to commemorate him every year. Thanks to its long history, rich cultural traditions, and celebrations, the festival has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The date of the Dragon Boat Festival is on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It was initially a summer holiday for driving away pests and plagues. Over time, it became a day to commemorate Qu Yuan. Nowadays, many of its customs, such as dragon boat races, eating zongzi, hanging mugwort and calamus, and wearing perfume pouches, are all related to driving away pests and commemorating Qu Yuan.

History and Origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

The origin of the Duanwu Festival can be traced back over two thousand years. The earliest history of the Dragon Boat Festival happened in the Spring and Autumn Periods. It is related to the ancient tribes along the Yangtze River. These tribes believed that the dragon could protect them, so they held special ceremonies to show their respect to the protective deity every year.

Although this is the earliest origin of the festival, the most popular story associated with the Dragon Boat festival is the death of Qu Yuan.

Ancient Roots in the Warring States Period

Qu Yuan was a respectable poet and statesman from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). He was famous for his patriotism, literary talent, and integrity. His work Sorrow After Departure (Li Sao) was widely known and has been passed down until now.

Around 2,300 years ago, Qu Yuan served as a loyal advisor for the State of Chu. He strongly opposed his emperor from forming an alliance with the State of Qin. However, as the emperor of Chu believed the fake words of the evil ministers and regarded Qu Yuan as a traitor, he exiled Qu Yuan.

Later, exiled Qu Yuan was deeply upset and disappointed after knowing the news that Chu had been defeated by. He committed suicide by drowning himself on the fifth day of the fifth month. As Qu Yuan was deeply loved and respected by the normal people, they rowed boats to rescue him, but it was too late. The public threw zongzi into the river to prevent the fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body.

Therefore, the activities celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival nowadays still include eating the traditional festival food zongzi and holding dragon boat races.

Evolution Through Chinese Dynasties

After the legend and story of Qu Yuan, the Duanwu Festival also developed and evolved through different dynasties.

• In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the unification of the north and the south made Qu Yuan’s story spread to the whole country, and the custom of eating zongzi and competing in dragon boat races became widespread throughout the country.
• During the Period of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the cultural meaning of the Duanwu Festival expanded to preventing from evil spirits. At this time, people began to use mugwort and cinnabar.
• In the Tang Dynasty, the Duanwu Festival became an official holiday with generous rewards from the emperor, and the festival customs shifted rituals to entertainment.
• In the Song Dynasty, the prosperity of the economy and culture made the Duanwu Festival’s customs more exquisite, and the fillings of zongzi became diverse.
• In the Yuan Dynasty, although the country was governed by the Mongolian people, the Duanwu Festival was still well preserved and inherited.
• In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Duanwu Festival became an important festival cherished by both the royal family and the common people, so the activities related to the festival also became very grand.

UNESCO Recognition and Global Expansion

In 2009, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The recognition from UNESCO indicates the importance of the Dragon Boat Festival and the profound connotation of Chinese culture.

In addition to China, the Dragon Boat Festival also influences other countries around the world. In Singapore and Malaysia, with a great number of Chinese populations, they also follow Chinese customs of eating zongzi and holding dragon boat races. Korea has the custom of the Guangneung Danoje, and Japan has the activity of hanging the carp streamers.

Some Western Countries, such as Germany, Canada, America, and Australia, mainly celebrate the festival by holding dragon boat races. The Dragon Boat Festival has become an international festival, as its cultural customs have widely spread to some Asian countries, and the dragon boat races also contribute to promoting this festival to Western countries.

When is Dragon Boat Festival in 2026?

In 2026, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival will be celebrated on June 19th, which is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 2026. However, as the Chinese use the traditional lunar calendar to decide the Duanwu Festival’s date, it is celebrated at a different time every year, and the holiday schedule also varies every year.

Related reading: China Public Holidays

How the Dragon Boat Festival Is Celebrated in China and Beyond

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated ceremoniously in China every year, including special food for the festival and many kinds of activities.

Dragon Boat Races

In Qu Yuan’s story, the common people rowed boats to save him after he committed suicide by drowning himself. Nowadays the dragon boat race is a very grand custom and activity when celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival. The most popular regions for dragon boat races in China are Hubei province, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province, and Hong Kong.

• Hubei province, the hometown of Qu Yuan, holds races in coastal cities like Yichang and Jingzhou every year, which expresses more on cultural inheritance and spiritual commemoration.
• In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the dragon boat races are mainly held in the Xixi Wetland, which combines both artistic and competitive value, becoming a symbol of this tourist city.
• In Guangdong province, the dragon boat races in the Pearl River Delta represent the highest level of folk dragon boat culture. These races mainly hold in Foshan, Guangzhou, and Dongguan, which are very famous due to their high competitive level and strong cohesion of the teams.
• Hong Kong’s dragon boat races are the bridge connecting Chinese culture and international communities, which strictly follow the rules and requests from the International Dragon Alliance, and invite both local and international teams to compete together every year.

Recommended China Tours with Popular Boat Racing Destinations:

2 Days Hangzhou Tour: Tea Plantation, Bamboo Forest

8 Days Guangzhou Canton In-depth Tour

2 Days Hong Kong and Macau Highlights Tour

Traditional Foods and Zongzi (粽子)

Most Chinese festivals have specific foods associated with them. The Dragon Boat Festival certainly isn’t an exception. For the Duanwu Festival, the most traditional food indispensable to it is Zongzi.

The Method of Making Zongzi

In the past, almost every family would make zongzi themselves. The first step of making zongzi is to soak the glutinous rice and leaves overnight with water, and prepare the fillings you like. Seconds, pick two leaves and fold up the bottom to create a cone. Then, fill the cone with a spoonful of glutinous rice at the bottom, add filling, and cover the filling with two spoons of glutinous rice. To make sure it will not fall apart, folding down the leaf to close the cone and pressing it firmly are essential steps. Finally, steam or boil zongzi and then enjoy this delicious food.

Different Flavors of Zongzi

Zongzi is mainly divided into two categories based on different fillings: Sweet zongzi and savory zongzi.

The raw materials of sweet zongzi are usually mung beans, red beans, or honey dates. Savory zongzi mainly include various ingredients such as salted egg yolk, pork belly, shredded pork, Chinese sausage, and shiitake mushrooms. Different flavors and tastes vary in different regions. People in the north prefer sweet zongzi, while most people in the south prefer savory zongzi.

More than Zongzi, other traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival include realgar wine, eel, tea eggs, fried cakes, etc.

Cultural Traditions and Customs

In addition to dragon boat races and eating zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival also have some other customs related to cultural traditions.

Hanging mugwort and calamus

In ancient times, people viewed May as a bad month. The hot and wet climate always led to diseases and death. Therefore, the ancient people hung mugwort and calamus outside the door to avoid mosquitoes and reduce diseases.

Influenced by this habit, people believed hanging mugwort and calamus could bring good luck and ensure the health and safety of their families. So, it gradually becomes an important custom of the Duanwu Festival. It symbolizes people’s wish for the good fortune of their family members.

Wearing perfume pouches

Wearing perfume pouches has the same logic as hanging mugwort and calamus. The ancient people used rhizome atractylodes, Agastache rugosus, mint, clove, etc., to make perfume pouches. On the one hand, these ingredients could give off a nice smell; on the other hand, they also helped to expel mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and other harmful creatures. Therefore, perfume pouches are now viewed as an amulet and become a bond of conveying emotions, which expresses your best wishes to others.

Drinking realgar wine (雄黄酒)

In ancient times, drinking realgar wine was used to ward off evil spirits. Realgar can kill snakes and insects, so ancient people would mix realgar into wine and drink it.

However, modern science has confirmed that when realgar is heated, it will produce toxic substances. Therefore, nowadays people drink ordinary yellow wine instead of realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. It inherits the traditional custom and ensures safety.

Greetings and Well Wishes

Chinese people like expressing blessings and best wishes to others. When greeting others, we’d like to say:

Fun Facts About the Dragon Boat Festival

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
• Global spread: The Dragon Boat Races have spread to more than 60 countries in the world.
• Mugwort’s medical value: Mugwort has the effects of dispelling cold, relieving pain, expelling mosquitoes, and relieving itching.
• Zongzi’s precursor: The earliest zongzi was not wrapped in leaves but in bamboo tubes.
• The world’s largest dragon boat race is not held in China: The largest dragon boat race is held in Toronto, Canada
• Also known as Daughter Festival: In Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Duanwu Festival was called the Daughter Festival because married daughters would bring gifts back to their parents’ home on this day.
• It was the unlucky month: In ancient times, the fifth lunar month was viewed as “the month of poison” because “five poison creatures (centipede, snakes, scorpion, gecko, and toad)” began to emerge in this month.
• The festival with the most aliases: The Dragon Boat Festival has more than 30 names.

FAQs about Dragon Boat Festival

Can tourists join dragon boat races?

Sure! Many dragon boat clubs teach visitors for several hours then allow them to participate in fun competitions, enabling them to experience dragon boat racing in person.

How is the Dragon Boat Festival different from other holidays in China?

The Dragon Boat Festival is unique for its celebration of the poet Qu Yuan. It is the only festival for which the dragon boat races are conducted.

Is the Dragon Boat Festival a national holiday in China?

Yes, it has a public holiday of three days.

Why eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival?

Zongzi is thoughtful for Qu Yuan’s memory. At the same time, the preparation, serving, and eating of zongzi help to bring the family together.

Where can I watch dragon boat races in China?

Some of the dragon boat fest cities that people like to visit are Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Foshan, Jingzhou, Yichang, and Hong Kong.

What types of zongzi are popular in different parts of China?

The north region prefers sweet zongzi, while the south region prefers savory zongzi.

Is the Dragon Boat Festival a good time to travel in China?

Sure! The weather is cool during the festival, and you can appreciate the unique Chinese culture and taste the special food during the Dragon Boat Festival!

Plan Your China Tour with Us

If you want to have a tour to China during the Dragon Boat Festival, we believe joining China Xian Tour must be your best choice.

First, we provide professional travel consultants and local guides, who have a rich accumulation of knowledge and Chinese culture; therefore, if you have any questions during the tour, they are very willing to help you. If you are interested in China’s culture or stories related to Daunwu Festival or Qu yuan, they can tell you more in the tour.

Second, we can provide practical opportunities for you to participate in dragon boat races and make zongzi by yourselves. These practical activities must be an unforgettable memory of your China tour.

In addition, we have various tour routes for you to choose from, whether you want to try sweet zongzi in the northern part or appreciate the intense dragon boat races in the southern part, we plan and provide an attractive tour for you.