Beijing’s Dragon Boat Festival all set to enthrall tourists in June

Beijing, the capital of China, is endowed with cultural heritage and glorious historic past. The city possesses many architectural sites such as the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the forbidden city and similar other masterpiece that represent ancient Chinese architecture. The city also holds a reputation of celebrating traditional festivals to popularize its glorious past and respect for elders.

To be a part of these festivals and also to admire the magnificent architectural sites, tourists from across the world visit Beijing by various domestic and international airlines. These airlines along with direct flights often offer cheap airline deals on their air tickets to Beijing. Airlines such as China Airlines from New York to Beijing, United Airlines from Washington to Beijing, American Airlines from Chicago to Beijing and similar others offer airline discounts on their direct flights to Beijing.

This summer Beijing will be celebrating one of its biggest festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival that holds great significance. Often known as Duanwu or Dumpling Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival that commemorates the death of ancient poet Qu Yuan. The festival is celebrated by the locals with everlasting zeal and enthusiasm. The locals indulge themselves into several activities such as dragon boat racing, eating zongzi (traditional Chinese dish), and drinking wine.

The festival is celebrated annually in the month of June, which falls on the 5th day of the 5th month according to the Chinese lunar Calendar. Although the festival marks the commemoration of the famous poets Qu Yuan, it also has educational influence on the locals. The festival gives a chance to the Chinese people to drive out diseases from their bodies and live a healthy living. Tourists visiting Beijing enjoy watching the vibrant dragon boats races at the nearby lakes.

The traditional dragon boat race involves a team of people who roar to reach the destination before the other teams. During the race one team member sits at the front of the boat and beats a drum in order to maintain morale. The beating of drum also ensures the rowers to be in line with one another. The race originates with an idea to save poet Qu yuan from drowning in the river and the winning team will bring harvest and prosperity to the people of their village.

The eating of zongzi also holds a traditional importance. It is believed that the famous patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who lived in the court of China's first feudal dynasty, was slandered and exiled by the aristocrat Zi Lan. To show is patriotism he wrote several enduring poems and after his last masterpiece he drowned himself in the river water. To save him from drowning local fishermen rushed their boats in search of his body and other villagers threw food like zongzi into the river to distract fishes from destroying Qu Yuan's body.

If you want to be a part of this cultural festival celebration then start searching for flight deals to Beijing right now. The best way to get inexpensive flight tickets is to book well in advance. By booking your plane tickets in advance you can also enjoy great discounts on business class flights to Beijing.Apart from regular travel agents, many travel companies such as Fare Buzz, also offers discount coupons on coach class and business tickets to Beijing.