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The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which usually falls in June. The festival has a rich history and is associated with several legends and stories, the most famous of which is the story of Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan was a patriotic poet and statesman who lived during the Warring States period in ancient China. He was a loyal advisor to the King of Chu, but when the king allied with the enemy state of Qin, Qu Yuan was banished from the court. He spent the rest of his life traveling and writing poetry to express his love for his country and his concern for its people.
In 278 BC, when Qu Yuan learned that his beloved Chu had been defeated by Qin, he was overcome with grief and jumped into the Miluo River to drown himself. The local people, who admired Qu Yuan, raced to the river in their boats to try to save him. They beat drums and splashed water with their paddles to scare away the fish and prevent them from eating his body. They also threw rice dumplings, known as zongzi, into the river as an offering to Qu Yuan's spirit.
Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in memory of Qu Yuan and the heroic efforts of the people who tried to save him. The festival is marked by dragon boat races, in which teams paddle long, narrow boats decorated like dragons, and the eating of zongzi. The festival is a time for people to come together to honor their cultural traditions and to pay tribute to the rich history and legends of China.