By Yu Tianyu (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-06 14:17

Sun says zongzi is now a food taken for granted during festivities, like cakes on birthdays or turkeys during Christmas.

But to Huang Tao, a folklorist with Renmin University of China, the festival is much more than eating zongzi. Traditionally, people also wear talismans to fend off evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, since people think diseases are likely to strike during this period.

Chinese also post the picture of Zhongkui, guardian against evil spirits, on the door of their homes, Huang adds.

Adults may also drink realgar wine, and children wear fragrant silk pouches, all of which can ward off evil spirits during the festival, Huang adds.

It is also said that if one can balance a raw egg on its end at noon during this period, the rest of the year will be lucky. Still, eating zongzi will be the main affair, Huang says.

Meanwhile, merchants expect increasing sales of zongzi to boost their profits.

There are about 2,000 enterprises countrywide with total annual zongzi sales of more than 5 million yuan ($720,000), says Weng Yangyang, vice-chairwoman of Zongzi committee of China Food Industry Association (CFIA).

Zeng Yi, manager of Wumart's food department, says the chain's year-on-year growth of zongzi sales is also expected to exceed 30 percent this year.

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