Dragon Boat Festival 2023

On your mark, get set, row! Today’s Doodle celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival. This traditional holiday occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, so it is sometimes referred to as the Double Fifth Festival. The origins of this holiday date back to third century BCE, and it commemorates the life and death of poet Qu Yuan. Today’s Doodle is a hand-made Dragon Boat replica crafted from yarn and cardboard. 

When Qu learned the Chu State was defeated, he was overcome with sorrow and threw himself into the Miluo River. Legend has it that locals rushed out in boats hoping to find and save him. When they couldn’t, they threw sticky rice dumplings into the water to keep fish away from the poet. This is said to be the origin of eating zongzi, rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that form a pyramid shape, during the festival. The dragon boat races may stem from this story as well, symbolic of how the boaters raced out to find Qu. 

While many activities and events occur on this day, the dragon boat races are the most spectacular. People across Asia gather to watch teams pile into long, multicolored, wooden boats and race toward a finish line or flag. Each of the boats hold anywhere between 12 and 32 people, including paddlers, drummers to keep the rowing synchronized, and someone to reach out and grab the flag. The intricate boats feature a dragon head at the front, and before the race begins, teams paint eyes on the dragon to bring their vessel to life. 

Other activities on this day aim to bring prosperity. The fifth lunar month is considered an unlucky and unhealthy month, as the summer brings insects and other pests. people may carry sachets full of herbs and plants that deter bugs, or hang plants like mugwort, calamus, or wormwood on doors and windows. Another way to bring good fortune is to partake in an egg-balancing challenge. Balancing an egg on its end at noon is said to bring good luck for a whole year.

And that's what the Dragon Boat Festival is all a-boat! Good luck to everyone racing today.

Check out the behind-the-scenes process for

today’s Doodle artwork sculpted by Doodler, Anthony Irwin and animated by Doodler, Thoka Maer

Fun fact: the Doodlers made 188 scales to cover this smiley friend!