30/05/2025
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Jie, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. It honors the memory of Qu Yuan, a famous poet and minister from the Warring States period who drowned himself in protest against government corruption.
Local people raced out in boats to try to save him or retrieve his body, which later evolved into the custom of dragon boat races. To prevent fish from eating his body, people threw zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) into the river.
Today, the festival is celebrated with dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, and hanging herbs like mugwort and calamus to ward off diseases and evil spirits. It is a time to cherish health, loyalty, and tradition.