Every lunar year, the summer fairy flies in quietly with a basket of flowers and stories, unveiling a series of colorful activities held by the Chinese people in celebration of their lunar summer holidays, which have long remained as a mystery in the eyes of Westerners.

 Duanwu Festival

The Duanwu Festival, the first lunar holiday to ring in the summer, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (June 22 of the Gregorian calendar this year). It is also known as Double-Fifth Day, the May Festival, Daughter's Day, Poet's Day, and the Dragon Boat Festival .

This festival dates back to about 2,000 years ago and contains a number of legends explaining its origin. It is associated with people's worship of dragons, ancient activities in early summer to ward off disease brought by the hot weather and the story of the famous filial daughter Cao'er. The best-known story centers around a great patriotic poet named Qu Yuan , who drowned himself on this day out of helplessness amid his declining nation.

Zong zi , a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to give it a special flavor, is the most favored Chinese dim sum on this day. People also throw zong zi into the river to prevent fish from consuming Qu Yuan's body. Dragon boat racing, which is believed to symbolize the ongoing search for Qu's body, is a great spectacle during the festival -- with drums beating, colorful flags waving and thousands of people cheering on both sides of the river.

To ward off evil spirits and various diseases that may spread rampantly in the hot months, people paste images of Zhong Kui -- the legendary exorcist -- and hang mugwort and calamus on their front doors. They also drink realgar, an antidote believed to cure all poisons. Children receive extra care at this special time: They wear necklaces or bracelets made of red, yellow, blue, white and black threads to ward off evil, and are given colorful pouches made of red, yellow, green and blue silk, fine satin or cotton, filled with fragrant herbal medicines. Women also make sure to bathe their children in water boiled with herbal medicine.

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