A
Chinese holiday that is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth
lunar month, typically in
June. It is also called
Festival of the Double Fifth. It commemorates the
suicide of the patriotic
poet Qu Yuan, who died after his
king ignored his advice and banished him, speeding the
demise of the
Kingdom of Chu,
Qu Yuan's home. When the
Qin conquered
Chu,
Qu Yuan cast himself into the
Miluo River in despair.
Fishermen desperately tried to save him, but he was already dead. To prevent the river
fish from eating the
corpse, they threw
dumplings in the river. That is why
rice dumplings, or
zongzi, are consumed on that day.
The day is marked by dragon boat races, huge canoes with the bow in the shape of a dragon's head. A drummer sits at the front keeping a rhythm while up to 100 rowers man paddles. It mimics the race of the fishermen to save their patriotic poet hero. In addition to races, everyone gets to eat dumplings dipped in soy sauce and have a fun time. The Dragon Boat Festival is the third biggest holiday in China, after Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.