Jun 14, 2021
Dragon Boat Festival 2021
This Doodle’s Key Themes
This year, June 14 marks the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar–the day of the annual Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwujie. Today’s Doodle celebrates this ancient tradition, which has a history that is more than 2,000 years old.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a high-spirited tradition where competitors paddle long, vibrantly-painted long wooden boats into rivers and race to the finish. The team of dragon boat sailors row as fast as they can toward a finish line while one team member sits toward the front of the ship and beats a drum to maintain their pace and keep energy high. Spectators and racers alike enjoy zongzi, a tetrahedron-shaped sticky rice treat wrapped in reed or bamboo stalks believed to bring good fortune. In some cultures, revelers add another friendly contest to the day—egg balancing. Noon is said to be the best time to keep the egg standing!
Good luck to everyone competing today and Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Early concepts and drafts of the Doodle below
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