The Dragon Boat Festival (which is also known as Tuen Ng Festival or as the 'Double Fifth') takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
The festival usually falls around May or June and commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese patriotic poet who committed suicide by drowning himself in a river because he was disgusted by the corruption of the Chu government.
The locals, knowing him to be a good man, decided to throw food into the river to feed the fish so they would not eat Qu's body. They also sat on long, narrow paddle boats called dragon boats, and tried to scare the fish away by the thundering sound of drums aboard the boat and the fierce looking carved dragon head on the boat's prow.
Today, people eat bamboo-wrapped steamed dumplings called zongzi (the food originally intended to feed the fish) and race dragon boats in memory of Qu's dramatic death.
The dragon boats racing, held on the Nam Van Lakes, is the real highlight of the festival. Teams race the elaborately decorated dragon boats to the beat of heavy drums. The special boats, which measure more than 10 meters, have ornately carved and painted "dragon" heads and tails, and each carries a crew of 20-22 paddlers.
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Next in line: Hungry Ghost Festival: Communion with departed ancestors
