Dragon Boat Races

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is a traditional Chinese folk festival, namely the Dragon Boat Festival. On that day, people eat zongzi and hold dragon-boat races. Zongzi is the Chinese word that described a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. And, everyone Chinese remember that the festival is to commemorate the great patriotic poet, Qu Yuan of the ancient China.

On Sungai Melaka, the dragon boat races is also being organised annually.

During the Warring States Period, the State Of Qin was the strongest State among the State Of Chu, Qi, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei. Qu Yuan was very grieved and he drowned himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the year 278 B.C.

People quickly made threw food into the Miluo River to feed the aquatic lives so that the body of Qu Yuan is not eaten by the water creatures. Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is to recognise this poet. While the Miluo River originates in Jiangxi Province and ends in Hunan Province, the memorial of the Temple Of Qu Yuan is located in Hubei Province.