[Photo from Xinhuanet.com]

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is also called "Duanyang," "Double Fifth" or "Duanwu."

The origins of today's festival are often connected with the patriotic and literary figure, Qu Yuan. On the day of the festival, people mark the anniversary of his death by eating zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. Boat races are part of festivities as well.