Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in China and South Asian Countries. It is observed on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar and changes each year in the Gregorian calendar.
There are several stories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. The best-known one is to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan (340–278 BC), a poet and reformer in the ancient state of Chu during the Zhou Dynasty Warring States period.
He served as the Left Minister during the early days but was exiled because other corrupt ministers slandered him. He was reinstated but was exiled again. In his exile, he spent time collecting legends and rearranging folk odes. After knowing his country's capital was destroyed by Qin in 278 BC, she despaired and committed suicide by wading into the Miluo River.
People admired him and raced out in their boats to save him, which is the origin of the dragon boat races. When people could not find his body, they dropped sticky rice balls into the river. They hoped the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body, which is said to be the origin of Zongzi, a traditional rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves.
The following is the list of Dragon Boat Festival from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 03, 2022 | Friday |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 22, 2023 | Thursday |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 10, 2024 | Monday |
| Dragon Boat Festival | May 31, 2025 | Saturday |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 19, 2026 | Friday |
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