Abstract: Herb gathering in May,feting the dead,and dragon boat race are the three important events for the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.Among the three,dragon boat race is the most remarkable and absolute,for it succeeds and embodies a festival culture and national identity.Comparing the customs of dragon boat race and folk songs in Zigui,the hometown of the great poet Qu Yuan,and the Tujia villages in the west of Hunan and Hubei Provinces,we may find that folk customs and culture in the Tujia Nationality inhabited areas are mixed with those in other areas of Hubei Province,and they also differ in some extent in social and cultural functions.

Key words: customs of dragon boat festival, dragon boat race of Tujia Nationality, folk songs