The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. According to legend, the festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a famous poet and government official who lived during the Warring States period in ancient China.

Qu Yuan was exiled from his home state of Chu after opposing the alliances it formed with its powerful neighbors. During his exile, he wrote many famous poems expressing his love for his homeland and his sadness at its decline. When he heard that Chu had been conquered by the neighboring state of Qin, he threw himself into the Miluo River in despair.

The local people who admired Qu Yuan raced to the river in their boats to search for his body. They beat drums and splashed their oars in the water to scare away the fish and evil spirits that might harm his body. They also threw rice dumplings, called zongzi, into the water as an offering to Qu Yuan's spirit.

Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by racing dragon boats, eating zongzi, and hanging up fragrant sachets and calamus leaves to ward off evil spirits. It is a time for family gatherings and for remembering the sacrifice of Qu Yuan and other Chinese heroes who fought for their country and people.