想外国友人介绍中国端午节的习俗的英文作文

Dear Maria,

I'm so excited to tell you all about one of my favorite Chinese festivals - the Dragon Boat Festival! It's called Duanwu Jie in Chinese and it happens on the 5th day of the 5th month on the lunar calendar. This year it falls on June 18th. There are lots of fun traditions and activities around this special day.

The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of Qu Yuan, a famous poet from ancient China. He lived during the Warring States period over 2,000 years ago. Qu Yuan was a loyal minister who got exiled after some bad people told lies about him to the king. He felt so sad and heartbroken that he walked into the Miluo River and drowned himself. The local people really admired Qu Yuan, so they raced out in little boats to try to save him or at least retrieve his body from the river. They also dropped bamboo leaf packages filled with cooked rice into the water as a way to lure the fish away from his body.

Nowadays, we continue some of those ancient traditions to honor the memory of Qu Yuan. One of the biggest events is the dragon boat races! These are really exciting to watch. The boats are loooong and thin, with a carved dragon head at the front.

The crew members have to paddle together in perfect rhythm, following the beats of a drum. The races are so much fun to watch from the riverbanks or bridges. My school even has a dragon boat team that competes! I wish I was a little older so I could join them.

Another tradition is eating zongzi, which are

pyramid-shaped dumplings made of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. The fillings can be different kinds of meat, bean paste, or just plain rice. My grandma makes the most amazing zongzi every year by hand! She lets me help her soak the bamboo leaves and wrap up the little parcels. It takes hours of work but they taste incredible, especially dipped in sweet or savory sauces.

At home, we decorate our door with paintings of Zhong Kui, who was a spiritual warrior that drove away evil spirits and disease. The paintings show him looking really fierce and angry with a big black face, red beard, and crazy bulging eyes. He's supposed to be the protector against plagues and misfortune. We also hang up mugwort and calamus plants, as well as little pouches filled with herbs and coins. My mom says these will keep our home safe and lucky.

Maybe the most fun Dragon Boat Festival tradition is making and wearing perfume pouches! We take a little silk bag and fill it with herbs, flowers, coins, and other trinkets that are supposed to bring good health and fortune. Girls like to decorate their pouches with embroidery, tassels, and beads to make them look pretty. My favorite part is picking out the herbs and flowers to put inside based on their symbolic meanings. I always include lavender for purity, jasmine for amiability, and a gold coin for wealth. Then we hang the pouches around our necks or tie them onto our belts.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, my whole family goes out to watch performers put on shows about the life of Qu Yuan. There's lots of singing, acting, and dramatic retellings of his story. Sometimes boats are set on fire in the rivers as a memorial. In the evenings, we also enjoy eating delicious traditional snacks like crispy cruller twists and sweet sticky rice dumplings from the night market stalls.

On the actual day of the festival, my grandparents always make a big breakfast with zongzi as the main dish, along with fried dough twists and soy milk. After we eat, my cousins and I put on our new perfume pouches and head outside to watch the dragon boat races. There's such an exciting atmosphere

everywhere you go, with people selling souvenirs, playing drums and gongs, and waving fans to stay cool in the summer heat. If it's been a really hot spring, some kids will even go swimming just for fun. At night, we'll have another round of zongzi for dinner along with cold dishes like smashed green beans in garlic sauce or shredded potato salad.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of my favorite times of year because of all the fun traditions, yummy food, and family time. I feel so lucky to be part of the Chinese culture with such rich history and symbolic meaning behind every little activity. I hope you can come visit China during the Dragon Boat Festival sometime so you can experience the exciting races, shows, and cuisine for yourself! Let me know if you have any other questions about how we celebrate this special day. Your friend, [Your Name]