Dragon Boat Festival

Suitable for Grades 7-10

Look at these four ​images of Dragon Boat ​Festival, discuss what ​students see and ​complete the See, Think, ​Wonder activity.

Ask students if they’ve heard of Dragon Boat ​Festival and if so, what they know about it? ​Watch this video to find out more

Teachers, please note: there is a brief ​mention of suicide at other points in ​this video when mentioning the origins ​of the festival. Please stop at 3:06 to ​avoid this.

With over 2,000 years of history, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the oldest ​festivals in China. It is a lunar festival, which means the date changes each year. ​It falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year - landing anywhere ​between late May to late June.

According to legend, the Dragon Boat Festival is said to remember the Chinese poet ​Qu Yuan.

On the day of the festival, you can say, “端午安康!” (Duānwǔ ānkāng!) which means, ​“I wish you health for Dragon Boat Festival!”

HOW IS IT CELEBRATED?

Dragon Boat races are celebrated ​across China, and the world.

Watch this video and identify why ​students think Dragon Boat racing is ​popular around the globe?

Dragon Boat Festival has a rich ​history and has been influenced by ​folk law over the years. Explore the ​folk customs of Dragon Boat ​Festival and learn more about the ​festival in the video here:

Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the life, and death, of the great ​statesman and poet, Qu Yuan. During Dragon Boat Festival one of the ​activities that people participate in is a poetry writing competition.

Read the extracts of Qu Yuan's poetry in the Remembering Qu Yuan ​Through His Immortal Poetry together, in groups, pairs or individually. ​Discuss the meanings of the extracts and ask students to identify ​clues that:

1. reflect Chinese culture and beliefs of the time
   
2. reflect events that may have happened in his own life
3. identify what Qu Yuan values

Task: Use our Global Learning ​Card: Poetry for Dragon Boat ​Festival to guide this activity.

If you are able to have eggs ​in the classroom or students ​have access to eggs at their ​home, have students partner ​up to play the Standing Egg ​Game which is traditionally ​played at Dragon Boat ​Festival!

Students might like to ​prepare to show others how ​to play this game too and ​teach other students.

• Share your students’ fantastic work with your school community to show them the great ​intercultural learning taking place in your classroom!

• Prepare an assembly item to share about this holiday.
  

• Create a Learning Wall about the festival.
  

• Display students‘ work on the festival on the Learning Wall or around the school.
  

• Tag @MegGlobalEd on school posts so we can celebrate your students’ wonderful ​work. Find Meg on Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram