Chinese Dragon Boat Festival Celebrated in Colombo

Jun 14, 2026 at 11:06 AM

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Lanka Leader

The Dragon Boat Festival, one of China's four traditional festivals (the others being: Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival), is held on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is a festival celebrated with great festivity every year in late May or June. This year, the festival falls on June 19 (Friday), and it will be celebrated throughout China for a period of 3 days from June 19 to June 21.

This festival is held in memory of the famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340–278 BC). He drowned himself in the Miluo River as a protest against corruption. The people rowed boats and threw rice dumplings (zongzi) into the water to try to save him or to protect his body from the fish. Since then, this has become a festival celebrated every year.

Zongzi is the main food of the festival, which is a rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is filled with meat, beans, egg yolk, or dates. For the dragon boat races, long, narrow boats decorated with dragon heads and tails race on rivers and lakes while drums are beaten. Realgar wine (Xiong Huang Jiu) is drunk to ward off evil spirits and prevent diseases. During this time, medicinal herbs are hung – that is, calamus and mugwort are hung on doorways to protect against evil.

Besides mainland China, this festival is also celebrated in many other Asian countries and regions. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, it is celebrated as the 'Bak Chang Festival'.

After successfully holding the China-Sri Lanka Friendship Cup Dragon Boat Race, which was inaugurated in 2025, the Dragon Boat Festival was celebrated with great festivity this year to enhance cooperation between China and Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, under the co-hosting of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Sri Lanka, the dragon boat race was jointly organized yesterday (12th) by the National Association for Canoeing and Kayaking of Sri Lanka (NACKSL), the Chinese Cultural Center in Sri Lanka, the Overseas Chinese Association of Sri Lanka, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, the China Central Institute for International Cultural Exchange and Tourism Promotion, and the Rugao Puppet Art Troupe. It was held magnificently at Port City Beach Plaza. The Chief Guests at the event were the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, and the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of Sri Lanka, Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage.

Several short-distance dragon boat race categories, a puppet show by the Rugao Puppet Art Troupe, and a charming performance by the Sri Lanka Army that fully showcased the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture and China-Sri Lanka cultural exchange, along with many other competitions and cultural activities, were presented. Competitors from districts such as Jaffna and Colombo, as well as teams representing higher education institutions such as Sabaragamuwa University, competed."