nPostednJune 12, 2013
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nAsnusual in a holiday, there are special foods to eat: rice dumplingsnfilled with egg, beans, dates, fruits, nuts, meat, or sweet potato.nThe dumplings are usually steamed.
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n Somenof the traditional activities include hanging mugwort and calamusn(kinds of plants) on the front door, balancing a raw end on its endnat noon, wearing perfumed medicine bags, and racing dragon boats.nSome people also throw cooked rice into a nearby river.
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nAnothernname for the holiday is Poet’s Day. n
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nWhatnare the reasons for these various traditions? Well, the mugwort andncalamus, the perfumed bags, and balancing eggs are all supposed tonward off bad luck and/or bring good luck. The dragon boats, ricenthrown in the river, and reference to poets all have a differentnorigin: the story of “China’s first poet, Qu
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nYuan.
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QunYuan was a famous scholar and an advisor to the King of Chu in thenthird century BCE. Qu was also a poet. Some of the other ministersnwere jealous of Qu’s intellect, and they conspired to make him looknbad to the king. Sure enough, the king believed their lies and exilednQu.
QunYuan was a famous scholar and an advisor to the King of Chu in thenthird century BCE. Qu was also a poet. Some of the other ministersnwere jealous of Qu’s intellect, and they conspired to make him looknbad to the king. Sure enough, the king believed their lies and exilednQu.n
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nWhilenin exile, Qu wrote many poems that expressed his anger and sorrow.nThe people of Chu still admired him, so when Qu committed suicide bynjumping into a rive with a large stone tied to his chest, many peoplentried to save him. They went out in their dragon boats, trying tonfind him and untie the rock—but they did not succeed. n
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nAndnso every year since then, people go out into the river with theirndragon boats in order to remember Qu. They throw rice into the rivernas a small sacrifice in his honor, and they keep his memory alivenwith Poet’s Day.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nLoving Day
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IndependencenDay in the Philippines
IndependencenDay in the Philippinesn
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nRussianDay
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest pages on Junenholidays, historicalnanniversaries in June,nand Junenbirthdays.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest pages on Julynholidays, historicalnanniversaries in July, and Julynbirthdays.
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