What is the Dragon Boat Festival?
Doan Ngo Festival, also known as Doan Duong Festival, is a traditional festival held at noon (around 11am to 1pm) on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year. In 2024, Doan Ngo Festival will fall on Monday, June 10. This festival is popular in East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China.
The name Doan Ngo comes from the two words “doan” which means beginning, “ngo” is the period from 11am to 1pm. Therefore, eating Doan Ngo Festival is at noon. According to ancient beliefs, this is the time when the sun begins to be shortest and closest to the sky and earth.
In Vietnam, the Doan Ngo Festival is also known by the popular name "Insect Killing Festival". Legend has it that after a bountiful harvest, people encountered a pest infestation. Suddenly, an old man from far away came and called himself Doi Truan, and instructed them on how to kill the pests. After following the old man's instructions, the pests died. The old man advised them to perform worship rituals and exercise every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month to drive away the pests. To remember the old man's merit, people named this day Insect Killing Festival or Doan Ngo Festival.
In Vietnam, the Duanwu Festival is also known by the popular name "Insect Killing Festival".
Cultural identity through the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival
Offering incense to ancestors to pray for peace
Offering incense to the ancestral altar is an important and indispensable ritual during the Doan Ngo Festival as well as other Vietnamese New Year holidays. This is an opportunity for descendants to express their deep gratitude, remember their roots and pray for their ancestors to bless and protect their families.
The offerings for the Duanwu Festival vary in style and offerings depending on the region. However, in general, the offerings are usually vegetarian, with duck meat added in some regions. The offerings usually on the offerings include: fresh flowers, votive paper, incense, clean water, sticky rice wine, purple sticky rice, fruits, etc.
In addition, the Doan Ngo Festival offering tray can also have some typical dishes according to each region. Gio cake is a typical offering in the North, made from sticky rice soaked in ash leaf water, wrapped in dong leaves and boiled. Duck meat is popular in the Doan Ngo Festival offering tray of people in the Central region. According to folk beliefs, in the 5th lunar month, the weather is hot, eating duck meat with a cold nature will help the body feel cooler. Traditional sweet rice dumplings of people in the South during Doan Ngo Festival are made from sticky rice flour, green bean filling, served with sugar water or coconut milk boiled with sugar.
The offerings for the Duanwu Festival vary in style and offerings depending on the locality.
Tree survey at noon - Unique ritual to pray for trees to bear fruit
At exactly 12 noon on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, many localities in Vietnam are bustling with the tree-beating ceremony, also known as tree-beating. This is a unique custom that bears the cultural imprint of the Vietnamese people, expressing the wish for a bountiful harvest and fruit-bearing trees.
According to ancient beliefs, surveying trees at noon on the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival will bring good luck and prosperity to the homeowner. This ritual is often performed on fruit trees that produce little fruit or are infested with pests, with the hope of "chasing away" bad things and bringing new life to the trees.
The tree-testing ritual usually takes place with two people. The person who climbs the tree transforms into the tree, representing the vitality and potential of the tree. The person below holds a knife, knocks on the tree's base and asks questions such as "Why didn't the tree flower or bear fruit this year?", "Will the tree bear a lot of fruit next season?"...
The conversation between the two people was lively, with questions being asked continuously. The person below would “threaten” to cut down the tree if the next season was not as expected, forcing the person on the tree to answer quickly and promise to produce more fruit next season.
The tree-examining ritual not only prays for the trees to bear fruit but also demonstrates the close relationship between humans and nature. This is an occasion for everyone to gather together, have fun, and pray for a bountiful harvest and a prosperous, peaceful life.
Banh gio and sticky rice wine - Typical flavors of Doan Ngo Festival
Banh gio is an indispensable dish in the Vietnamese Doan Ngo Tet tray. To make delicious, chewy banh gio, the baker needs to be very meticulous in choosing the ingredients. The sticky rice must be the sticky, delicious type, soaked in lye water to create a characteristic color. The leaves used to wrap the cake must be torn dong leaves, washed and dried. The cakes are wrapped in bunches of 7-10 pieces, and boiled in boiling water.
Every year on the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival, parents and grandparents carefully prepare delicious bunches of banh gio for their children and relatives to visit. They gather around the tray of food, enjoy the fragrant sticky rice cakes, drink a few sips of tea and chat animatedly, sharing happy and meaningful stories. These are the warm, cozy moments that everyone wishes for during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Black sticky rice wine is also a typical dish on the Duanwu Festival. The dish is made from fermented black sticky rice with wine, has a sweet taste and brings many health benefits. On the Duanwu Festival, everyone in the family often enjoys black sticky rice wine together as a wish for health and well-being for themselves and their families. This is a traditional custom with profound meaning, expressing the desire to repel pathogens in the body, bringing abundant health and youthfulness.
Banh gio and sticky rice wine are not only delicious dishes but also symbolize luck and prosperity on the Doan Ngo Festival.
Banh gio and sticky rice wine are not only delicious dishes but also symbolize luck and prosperity on the occasion of Doan Ngo Festival. Enjoying these dishes together, everyone will feel the love and warmth of family ties and appreciate the beautiful traditional cultural values of the nation.
The custom of eating duck meat on the Dragon Boat Festival
The custom of eating duck meat on the Doan Ngo Festival is a beautiful traditional cultural feature of the Vietnamese people. According to folk beliefs, on this day, the weather becomes hot and sultry, making people feel tired and lethargic. Therefore, eating duck meat is considered a way to cool down, purify the body and improve health.
According to Oriental medicine, duck meat is cool, sweet, and has a cooling effect. Therefore, this is an ideal dish to enjoy on the Duanwu Festival.
The custom of eating duck on the Duanwu Festival is a beautiful traditional cultural feature of Vietnamese people.
Eating fruit on Dragon Boat Festival
According to folk beliefs, on this day, people are susceptible to digestive diseases due to the effects of hot weather. Therefore, eating sour fruits such as plums, mangoes, oranges, grapefruits... is considered a way to detoxify the body and prevent diseases.
On the Doan Ngo Tet offering tray of most Vietnamese families, we can easily find these fruits. The bright colors and sour taste of the fruits symbolize luck, well-being and prosperity.
In addition, eating the first fruits of the season on the Dragon Boat Festival also represents the wish for a prosperous and fulfilling life. Trees bearing flowers and fruits are symbols of fertility, growth and prosperity.
Eating the first fruits of the season on the Dragon Boat Festival also represents the wish for a prosperous and fulfilling life.
