The lunar calendar doesn't work quite like the gregorian one that we use so that's why it ended up being on 6/19 this year.
according to a site about traditional chinese holidays, here is an excerpt about the holiday's historical context:
- Duan Wu (Dragon Boat) Festival (5th of the 5th month)
- Said to be in memory of a great patriot poet of the then State of Chu during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Qu Yuan (Ch'u Yuan), who drowned himself to protest his emperor who gave in to the bully State of Chin. For fear that fish may consume his body, people of Chu threw launched their boats and started throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river where he was drowned to feed the fish. Now the big event of dragon boat contest may be a legacy of such activity. People today still eat the bamboo-leave rice dumplings on the occasion today.
During Duan Wu, at noon, the earth energy reaches a climax and it is at this time that its most auspicious (haha yes chinese Feng Shui language coming out) to do any kind of meditation or exercise. I do walking meditation but everyone is free to do whatever it is they like, including sitting around and farting...
You will be more connected to the earth and sun at these moments and people of the mystery schools around the world take advantage of these unique moments in the year.
One last bit of interesting news before I sign off.... Mayan Calendar and Chinese Lunar calendar both operate in the same way and share the same dates of alignment. These Lunar based calendars are a means to track the different solstice and equinox patters our earth expreiences.
You will find in Mayan pryamids and Chinese doaist temples some of the same motiffs and designs in the art. Most notably the "uroboro"
google that and see what comes up!
well, i'll save more details about that for next time...
