The Dragon Boat Festival, known in Chinese as Duanwu Jie, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is one of China’s most important traditional holidays, observed across the Chinese mainland and in many Asian regions, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

The festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan, whose death is honored through vibrant traditions such as dragon boat racing, the festival’s most iconic activity. Communities gather along rivers to watch teams paddle in long, ornate boats shaped like dragons. Another central custom is eating zongzi, sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. People also hang mugwort and drink realgar wine, rituals believed to ward off illness and evil spirits.

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