At Pistachio Mandarin Learning Centre, we love bringing Chinese culture to life for our students – and what better way to do that than celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival!
This year, the festival officially fell on 31st May, but we celebrated across two Saturdays, 7th June and 14th June, during our weekend classes.
What is Duan Wu Jie?
Duānwǔ Jié (端午节), or The Dragon is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar — which is why it’s often called the “Double Fifth Festival.”
- Duān (端) means “beginning” or “start”
- Wǔ (午) refers to “fifth”
- Jié (节) means “festival”
- Duānwǔ also means double five
This traditional festival is best known for:
- Dragon boat races on rivers and lakes
- zòngzi — triangle-shaped sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves
- And remembering Qu Yuan, a beloved patriotic poet who sacrificed his life for his country
His story of loyalty and love for his people is still honoured today through boat racing and making zòngzi: both of which our students explored in their own creative ways!
How We Celebrated at Pistachio
To mark the occasion, our students took part in a Dragon Boat Decorating Contest. Each child received a mini boat and chopsticks (as oars) to take home. In class, they coloured in themed activity sheets full of Dragon Boat Festival items, which they later cut out and used to decorate their own boats with the help of family.
On Saturday 14th June, we held our very own competition to judge the top 3 best looking boats and were blown away by the creativity and effort shown across all classes!
Boat Decorating Contest Winners
Group 1 classes
- Joint 1st Place: Sienna – She thoughtfully included miniature zòngzi with eyes in her design!
- Joint 1st Place: Chance – He worked closely with his dad to buy materials and build his boat together.
- 2nd Place: Eva & Aarya – They nailed it with teamwork and imagination!
Group 2 classes:
- 1st Place: Rachel – she designed her boat by making the paddlers in origami style. She did a fantastic job with her creativity.
- 2nd Place: Naomi – who also built her boat with the dragon at the front.
- 3rd Place: Kanishk – His mum joined in and gave wonderful support in helping him make his dragon boat.
A big thank you to all the parents who encouraged and helped their children bring their ideas to life. It was delightful to see such strong family involvement and cultural appreciation.
Learn More & Join the Fun!
Want to learn more about the Dragon Boat festival? Here are two great videos to check out:
- History of the Dragon Boat Festival: https://youtu.be/oKHLDPuI98Q?si=HtFM2pV4WXXRYu4S
- Dragon Boat Racing Highlights: https://youtu.be/ds7BxMShOxw?si=F4tvAMHRXlj4QTDF
It was a joy to see our students learn through creativity, storytelling, and hands-on experience. At Pistachio, we believe language learning goes hand-in-hand with cultural connection – and the Dragon Boat Festival is the perfect example of that.
Want to be part of something special?
Join our classes today and experience the joy of learning Mandarin through culture, connection, and hands-on activities. Everyone’s welcome!