When?
It is on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month
On the Gregorian calendar, it is usually in June
This is a festival that is celebrated for over 2,000 years in China
Why?
It is a commemoration for Qu Yuan (340 - 278 BC)
He was a minister, one of China's earliest poets in the State of Chu
He was opposed by aristocrats, later deposed and exiled by King Huai
He cared and loved his country and her people
He was very dissappointed, so on May 5th, he threw himself into the Miluo River holding onto a large stone
After his death, people crowded at the river to pay respect. Fishermen sailed their boats to look for his body. People threw wrapped rice dumplings to divert the fish from eating the body.
Dragon Boat Race
This originated as a race to attempt to recover the body of Qu Yuan. Now it is a sport held all over the world, especially in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan.
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