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Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu)
Honoring the loyal minister and poet Qu Yuan — a celebration of patriotism and virtue.
📅 May 31🌙 Lunar calendar
✦ Why It Matters
The Dragon Boat Festival honors the memory of Qu Yuan, a loyal minister and poet of ancient China who drowned himself in the Miluo River in 278 BCE in protest of his country's corruption. The people threw rice into the river to prevent fish from eating his body — the origin of zongzi dumplings and dragon boat racing.
✦ How It Is Observed
Dragon boat races, eating zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), wearing aromatic herbs (moxa, calamus), drinking realgar wine, reciting Qu Yuan's poetry, hanging calamus and mugwort at doorways to ward off evil.
Note on dates: This holiday follows a lunar or lunisolar calendar. The date shown is approximate for 2025–2026. Exact dates may vary by one or two days depending on moon sighting and regional tradition. Always confirm with your local community.