Chinese culture has a long history. The formation of ancient festivals contains rich cultural connotation and is meaning in the eyes of Chinese. The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. It not only clearly records the rich and colorful social life and cultural content of Chinese ancestors, but also accumulates broad and profound historical and cultural connotation.

The Dragon Boat Festival, together with the Spring Festival, the Qingming Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, is known as one of China’s four traditional festivals. It is a popular folk festival in China, which has a history of more than 2000 years.

Origination

The Dragon Boat Festival originated from the worship of celestia phenomena and evolved from the sacrifice of dragons in ancient times. The Dragon Boat Festival culture fully embodies the natural view of “the unity of heaven and man” of the ancestors of the Chinese nation.

In 2022，the Dragon Boat Festival is on June 3th. Usually, it is endowed with the humanistic connotation of commemorating Qu Yuan—— a famous national patriotic poet in history. Racing dragon boat and making zongzi are in memory of Qu Yuan. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival is also used to commemorate Jie Zitui and filial daughter Cao E in some area.

National Customs

There are many Dragon Boat Festival customs, which is rich, colorful and lively. Dragon Boat Festival is a folk festival integrating blessing, celebration, entertainment and diet. There are many activities to celebrate the festival.

The customs vary a lot in different areas of China, but most of the families would hang mugwort in their houses, watch Dragon Boat Races, eat Zong Zi (dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) and carry a spice bag around with them.

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is the main custom and important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat rowing is commonly said to save Qu Yuan who died in the river. At the same time, people beat gongs and drums and shouted trumpets to call back the soul of Qu Yuan. In southern China, due to the large number of rivers and lakes, this custom is very prosperous. Dragon Boat raking is not only a kind of sports and entertainment, but also reflects the long history and cultural inheritance of China’s tradition and people’s collectivist spirit.

Hanging Chinese mugwort and calamus

In midsummer, everything is in full bloom. Because herbal medicine is the most powerful at this time in the year, people often hang a few Chinese mugwort and calamus at the door of their homes to drive away diseases and prevent mosquitoes. There are also the same customs as wearing bracelets made of five color silk thread and taking a bath at noon under the sun.

Eating Zongzi

The custom of eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival has been popular in China for thousands of years. It has become one of the most influential and widely covered folk eating customs of the Chinese nation. Due to the vast territory of China and many stories and legends, different customs have emerged in the north and south. For example, zongzi has a variety of shapes, including sharp angle, quadrangle and so on. In terms of taste, the people in north of China love sweet zongzi, while the south love salty zongzi. Besides drinking realgar wine is also popular.

The Dragon Boat Festival in Different Nations

The Dragon Boat Festival culture has a wide influence in the world. Some countries and regions in the world also have activities to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. For example, in South Korea, people will offer sacrifices to ancestors, pray for good harvests and bless health on this day. And they will eat mugwort cake and drink cherry tea. In Japan, people eat “ちまき”. In Singapore, people also race dragon boats and eat Nyonya Dumpling. In Vietnam, people will prepare yellow ginger glutinous rice to thank their ancestors for their kindness.

The Marketing Advice China In The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals. Whenever it comes, people will go shopping, hike and give gifts to each other. So seizing this opportunity can provide a great marketing opportunity and  help foster business in China. Here are some tips for you.

The marketing strategies are various. First, Merchants can package or create some products with the elements of the Dragon Boat Festival. Starbucks, for example, has long celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival in China, producing a range of foods and offering dragon boat emblazoned coffee mugs and other products.Secondly, Merchants can set up unique holidays gift-cards or send zongzi to bring closer the relationship with customers. They are both very popular with Chinese. You can even create an online cards.In addition, it is also a good idea to use products to put out Festival related shapes, which not only combines festivals, but also reveals products.

It’s a good time to participate in the traditional festival to show your respect for Chinese traditions if you have an online or e-commerce business. It will earn you the big bloom on reputation.But it is important to remember that when incorporating traditional Chinese culture into your marketing mix, it must be done with care and consideration. Many brands have unintentionally come unstuck. However, there are also some examples like D&G, who tried to mix chopsticks with pizza, making a not-so-clever marketing. The Chinese are protective of their culture. So as always, you are recommend to find a national Chinese company to give you some suggestions and help you make the most out of marketing campaigns linked to the festival.