Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is on 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

In Gregorian calendar, it varies every year, generally falling in June and in a very few years in late May. The dragon boat holiday is 3 days long. In 2025, the festival date is May 31 and the holiday lasts from May 31 to June 2.

The event - also known as Tuen Ng festival - has been celebrated in China for 2,000 years to commemorate the death of iconic patriot Qu Yuan.

(Water spectacle: Crowds flocked to see the dragon boats race on Hong Kong's Aberdeen Harbour today to commemorate the death of patriot Qu Yuan)

(Wet and wild: The strain of paddling for the line shows on the faces of the rowers as they battle it out in Hong Kong)

(Race rowers: After the festival, participants on the dragon boats were awarded flags for taking part in the ancient event)

(Go faster! Frantic rowers paddle as quickly as they can as they race during the annual festival which is also celebrated in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore)

The poet (339 BC -278 BC) drowned himself in the Mi Lo River to protest against the kingdom's corrupt rulers and according to folklore, people used their dragon boats and beat their paddles on the water to prevent the fish from eating Qu's body.

The villagers also threw cooked rice in the river to keep the fish away. According to legend, Qu Yuan's spirit appeared to tell the villagers to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages to ward off the dragon.

(Paddle frenzy: A dragon boat races in Hong Kong's Aberdeen Harbour. According to folklore, people beat their paddles to stop fish eating their hero's body)

(Water dragons: With Hong Kong's familiar skyscrapers in the background, the dragon racers compete against each other in Aberdeen Harbour)

(Wet work: To the beat of a drummer, rowers race during today's festival in Hong Kong watched by thousands lining the river)

(Boat people: The festival is celebrated every year in the fifth lunar month on rivers and lakes in Hong Kong and Macau)

Pyramid-shaped dumplings made of glutinous rice are commonly eaten during the festival and they are usually filled with meat, mushroom slices and chestnut, although there have been variations in the rice and other ingredients used to cater to local tastebuds.

The festival is also celebrated in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore