The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of more than 2,000 years. It is usually in June in the Gregorian. The origin of this festival centers around a government official named Qu Yuan. He was a good and respected man. 朝搴阰之木兰兮 夕揽洲之宿莽 日月忽其不淹兮 春与秋其代序 唯草木之零落兮 恐美人之迟暮 Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Luo river. Because of their admiration for Qu Yuan, the local people living adjacent to the Mi Luo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons. Although they were unable to find Qu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated today during the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon Boat race Traditions At the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races were inspired by the villagers valiant attempts to rescue Qu Yuan from the Mi Luo river. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries. Tzung Tzu A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat festival is tzung tzu. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Mi Luo river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour Qu Yuan. The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth lunar moon, has more significance than just the story of Qu Yuan. Many Chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. Ai Hao is a kind of special felon herb ,the leaves of which are believed by our Chinese people to have magic power of protecting us from dangerous or evil things. Usually people hang it over the door.