Dragon Boat Festival Rice Parcels

Every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the life of Qu Yuan (c.340–278 BCE), a poet, scholar, and politician who was cast out by his enemies. While in exile, he learned of the defeat of his beloved Chu state by the Qin dynasty. In despair, he took his own life by throwing himself into the river. Local villagers rowed boats in search of Qu Yuan’s body, beating loud drums to keep the evil spirits away, and thre