Global celebrations bring Dragon Boat Festival traditions to life worldwide

The Dragon Boat Festival's vibrant traditions have paddled across borders this year, with nations in Europe, North America and South Asia embracing the ancient Chinese holiday with spirited dragon boat races and cultural exchanges.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival fell on May 31 this year.

During the festival, people take part in dragon boat races and eat the traditional holiday fare of Zongzi -- sticky rice dumplings wrapped in broad bamboo leaves.

In Budapest, around 40,000 people attended workshops and interactive exhibits during the city's Dragon Boat Festival celebrations over the weekend.

"Mutual cultural understanding between Hungarians and Chinese is essential. As we learn about each other's traditions, with Hungarians understanding Chinese culture and Chinese friends learning ours, we build the foundation for coexistence, cooperation and mutual reliance. That's why organizing such cultural events is so valuable. They help us properly appreciate China's festivals and traditions," said Robert Kovacs, Mayor of Budapest's 10th district.

The Greek city of Marathon hosted its first-ever dragon boat competition at the Schinias Olympic Center on Sunday. Six teams, including four from China and two from Greece, raced across the Aegean waters, with Greece's "Dragon Friends" team emerging victorious after an intense championship round.

The event combined athletic competition with cultural experiences, including traditional Chinese dances and Zongzi tastings that introduced Greek spectators to authentic festival customs.

On Saturday, 125 teams from diverse regions and age groups braved rain and low temperatures to take part in a dragon boat race in Vancouver, Canada. Sri Lanka continued its growing embrace of the tradition, holding its third annual dragon boat races outside Colombo.

The event, featuring five newly donated competition boats from China, blended sporting excitement with cultural education, a testament to the festival's expanding global appeal.

As drumbeats echoed across the globe, these international celebrations demonstrated how an ancient Chinese tradition has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, connecting cultures through shared joy and friendly competition.

Global celebrations bring Dragon Boat Festival traditions to life worldwide

Iran is not only ready for talks with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect, but also fully prepared for war, said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday.

Araghchi accused the U.S. and Israel of playing a direct role in recent unrest across Iran. He said the Iranian government has obtained evidence showing that the recent disturbances, including attacking police stations and burning public facilities, were carried out by "terrorists" backed by the U.S. and Israel.

The Iranian government announced a three-day nationwide mourning period from Monday to honor police officers, security personnel, and civilians killed during the disturbances.

According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, at least 111 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in the unrest over the past two weeks. Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures for protesters.

At midday on Monday, Iranians remained largely without internet access, according to on-the-ground reporting by a China Media Group (CM) journalist, who also said domestic phone services have not been disrupted in Iran over the past 24 hours.

Security has been reinforced across Tehran, with police increasing patrols in key locations and blocks.

Despite heightened security measures, traffic conditions in Tehran were reported to be normal.

Iran ready for talks with US based on mutual respect: FM