Dragon Boat Festival

The Lunar 5th day of the lunar 5th month (五月初五) is known as the Double 5 day or Dragon Boat Festival. It is commonly called 端午节 Duan Wu Festival and 夏节 Xia Jie, in Chinese. 

Traditionally, on this day, Dragon boat race is carried out. Delicious rice dumplings that are wrapped in reed leaves or bamboo leaves are sold everywhere. Some household made their own rice dumplings too. Realgar wine 雄黄酒, a Chinese herbal cereal wine, is drunk during this period.  

The day of the Double 5 is a day classified as a sensitive day due to the rise of yang energy. Balancing yin yang is important on this day. The year is deem to be good year with good returns if the day of Double 5 does not rain. If it rains on this day, avoid going under the rain as the rain and wind on this day can impair immune and also cause bad fortune.  

During this period, one can remove hidden health ailment and negative or stagnant energy from one's body by having a herbal bath. Due to our climate at the equator, the herbs should consist of 1 or both of these 2 items, namely the woodworm 艾草 (ai cao) and pomegranate leaf 石榴叶 (shi liu ye). A simple low heat boiling of the woodworm leaf along with soaking the pomegranate leaf and some flowers, such as magnolia, jasmine flower in water for a nice and relaxing shower can get rid of negative energy in the body, to enhance better health and good fortune.  

This year, the Double 5 festival falls on 14th June 2021, in the Gregorian calendar.