Date: 5th day of the 5th lunar month
Place: Nationwide
Activities: Dragon Boat races and eating of tzungtzu (pyramid-shaped
rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves).
Remarks: The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history
of any of the festivals celebrated in China. Dragon boat races are
held to the sounds of thunderous drumbeats. Racing teams row vigorously,
sprinting forward to reach the finish line.
In Chinese tradition, the dragon boats attempt to rescue the patriotic
poet, Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned himself because his king would
not take his advice. As a result, his kingdom was conquered. Chu
Yuan drowned himself on the fifth day of the fifth month in 277
B.C. To save his body, people fed the fish cooked rice. They rowed
boats and threw bamboo leaved filled with cooked rice into the water.
Later, the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings became part
of the festival.
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