The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese folk festival. It is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called Dragon Boat Festival and Duanyang. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival has many other names, such as: Noon Day Festival, Chongwu Festival, May Festival, Bath Orchid Festival, Girl's Day, Tianzhong Festival, Di La, Poet's Day, Dragon Day and so on. Although the names are different, generally speaking, the festival customs of people in various places are more similar than different.

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Dragon boat racing:

Dragon boat racing is the main custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it originated from the ancient Chu people who were reluctant to leave their virtuous minister Qu Yuan and threw himself into the river. Many people rowed boats to chase and save him. They scrambled to catch up and disappeared when they reached Dongting Lake. After that, dragon boat racing was held every May 5th to commemorate the event. He rowed dragon boats to disperse the fish in the river to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body. The custom of racing was popular in Wu, Yue and Chu.

In fact, "dragon boat racing" has been around since the Warring States Period. Carving a canoe into the shape of a dragon amidst the sound of drums and playing a boat racing game to entertain gods and people is a semi-religious and semi-entertaining program in the ritual.

Later, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, people in various places also attached different meanings to the dragon boat race.

Dragon boat racing in Jiangsu and Zhejiang also has the significance of commemorating Qiu Jin, a modern female democratic revolutionary born there. On the night dragon boat, lights are decorated, and people shuttle back and forth. The scenes on the water and under the water are moving and unique. The Miao people of Guizhou hold the "Dragon Boat Festival" from the 25th to the 28th of the fifth lunar month to celebrate the success of rice transplanting and wish for a good harvest. Compatriots of the Dai ethnic group in Yunnan compete in dragon boats during the Water Splashing Festival to commemorate the ancient hero Yan Hongwo. Different ethnic groups and different regions have different legends about dragon boat racing. To this day, in many areas in the south near rivers, lakes and seas, dragon boat races with their own characteristics are held every year during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Reference material: China Net-Introduction to Dragon Boat Festival