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the 5th day of the fifth lunar month

Qu Yuan

Dragon Boat Festival, also called Dragon Boat Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of May according to the China lunar calendar. For thousands of years, this festival has been marked by eating zongzi (glutinous rice) and racing dragon boats. Zongzi is wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to form a pyramid.

The most famous dragon boat festival is the dragon boat race, especially in southern provinces with many rivers and lakes. This regatta will comment on the death of Qu Yuan, an honest minister, who is said to have committed suicide by throwing himself into the river.

Qu was a minister of Chu (located in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces) during the Warring States Period (475-22 BC1). He is honest and loyal, and is highly respected for his wise advice to bring peace and prosperity to the country. However, when a dishonest and corrupt prince vilifies Qu, he is demoted and removed from office. On the fifth day of May, Qu realized that his country had fallen into the hands of evil and corrupt officials. He grabbed a big stone and jumped into the Miluo River. Nearby fishermen came to try to save him, but they couldn't even find his body. After that, the country declined and was finally conquered by Qin.

On the fifth day of May every year, people in Chu mourn Qu's death and throw rice into the river to feed his ghost.