LAY ON THE CHARMS

People since the Han Dynasty have worn lucky bracelets on their necks, feet or wrists during the festival for longevity, before they are discarded along with bad luck, legend says. They are made by weaving together ribbons of five different colours to echo the date of the holiday. The colours— cyan, white, red, black and yellow—represent wood, gold, fire, water and earth, as well as north, east, south, west and centre. Make a peaceful afternoon out of knotting your own. river in a protest against corrupt rulers in the court. The people admired his patriotism and cast packets of rice called into the water for fish to eat instead of Qu’s body. Rice dumplings have been associated with Qu ever since. Over the years, recipes have become more elaborate, incorporating ingredients like mung beans, Chinese sausage,

shiitake mushrooms and salted egg yolks, which are wrapped in glutinous rice then bamboo leaves, before being steamed or boiled. Recreate the unmistakable taste of the festival in your own kitchen. snakes, scorpions, geckos, millipedes and toads—from colourful paper to stick on windows, doors, walls and sometimes children’s arms. As well as crafting your own animal decorations, you can also design your own paper dragon boats for a race in a bathtub or pond using paper-folding techniques found online.