The Dragon Boat Festival takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar, which is often the end of May or the beginning of June every year.
This festival is associated with Qu Yuan (ε±ε) , who was a patriotic poet and a beloved minister during the Warring States period. He was falsely accused, which resulted in his exile by Emperor Huai. The next emperor surrendered the country to the rival states, and in his despair, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River.
When the villagers heard what he did, they raced out in boats to recover his body. To keep the fishes from his body, the villagers made rice dumplings and threw them into the river. They also beat drums to frighten off the fish. This has since evolved into a yearly Chinese traditions of eating rice dumplings and dragon boat races on the 5th day of the 5th month in the lunar calendar.
