Dragon Boat Festival Worksheet

Name: ____________________  

Date: ______________

Part 1: Reading Comprehension

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar (late May or June). It honors the ancient poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River. People raced boats to save him, and when they couldn’t find him, they threw zongzi (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) into the river to feed the fish so they wouldn’t eat his body.

Today, people celebrate with dragon boat races, eating zongzi, and hanging mugwort leaves on doors to keep away evil spirits.

Fill in the blank.

  1. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the ___________________________ Festival.
  • It is celebrated on the _______ day of the _______ month of the lunar calendar.
  • The festival honors the ancient poet ___________________________, who drowned himself in the ___________________________ River.
  • People threw ___________________________ into the river to feed the fish so they wouldn’t eat his body.
  • Today, people celebrate the festival by participating in ___________________________ races, eating ___________________________, and hanging ___________________________ leaves on their doors.
  • Mugwort leaves are hung on doors to keep away ___________________________.
  • Dragon boat races symbolize the people’s attempt to ___________________________ Qu Yuan.

Part 2: Vocabulary Match

Match the words with their meanings. Write the correct letter.

  1. ___ Zongzi
  2. ___ Qu Yuan
  3. ___ Dragon Boat
  4. ___ Mugwort
  5. ___ Lunar Calendar

A. A famous Chinese poet honored during the festival
B. A long boat decorated like a dragon used in races
C. A plant believed to protect against evil
D. Rice dumplings wrapped in leaves
E. A calendar based on the moon’s cycles

Part 3: True or False

Circle T for True or F for False.

  1. T / F The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in winter.
  2. T / F People race boats to honor Qu Yuan.
  3. T / F Zongzi is a type of sweet candy.
  4. T / F The festival uses the lunar calendar to determine its date.
  5. T / F Dragon Boat Festival is only celebrated in China.

Part 4: Creative Writing

Imagine you are watching a dragon boat race for the first time.
Describe what you see, hear, and feel in 4-5 sentences: