The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is in late May or June on the Gregorian calendar. In 2023, it will be on June 22nd.

The Dragon Boat Festival has a long history and various origins. One of the most popular stories is that it commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who drowned himself in the Miluo River after being exiled by his king. Another story is that it originated from ancient rituals to ward off diseases and evil spirits in the hot and humid fifth month .

The Dragon Boat Festival has many customs and traditions, such as:

• Participating in or watching dragon boat races, which are said to reenact the search for Qu Yuan's body in the river.

• Eating zongzi, which are glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, which are said to be thrown into the river to feed the fish instead of Qu Yuan's body .

• Hanging wormwood and calamus on doors and windows, which are believed to have medicinal and repellent properties .

• Drinking realgar wine, which is a type of alcoholic beverage mixed with a yellow mineral that is thought to detoxify and protect against snakes and insects .

• Bathing in herbal concoctions, which are supposed to cleanse and refresh the body .

The Dragon Boat Festival is also celebrated in other Asian countries and regions, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and Thailand.