Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival or the Double Fifth Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday.
It's celebrated on May 5 every year according to the lunar calendar.
It commemorates the life and death of the statesman and poet Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan lived during the Warring States period over 2,300 years ago.
According to legend, he was a descendant of the Chu royal house and served the king in high office.
During his time in exile, he traveled to the countryside rewriting local legends and writing poetry.
Years later, the Qin state conquered the Chu state, and in protest, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River.
Local people attempted to save him by paddling their boats out to the river.
But realizing it was too late, they dropped sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river in order to both feed Qu Yuan in the afterlife and distract the fish away from eating his body.
Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is still celebrated by eating traditional Zongzi, which is sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
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