During this time, people remember the famous scholar and poet, Qu Yuan, who died long ago. He is said to have tied a stone to his chest and leaped into a river when an evil king betrayed him. Fishermen tried to save Qu Yuan by beating on drums and splashing their oars to keep the water dragons away. When they realized it was too late, they scattered rice cakes into the river so that his soul would never be hungry.

Dumplings
Special rice dumpling called zhong-zi are eaten to remember the rice cakes thrown to Qu Yuan. They are made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves. They are stuffed with delicious fillings such as eggs, pork and peanuts.

Dragon Boats
Chinese believe that dragons rule over the waters and have control of rainfall. Dragon boats look like ferocious dragons with heads, tails and thin scaly bodies. The head and tails are kept ashore during the year, and are only attached for the races. After they have been attached, the boats are "brought to life" during a special ceremony as Taoist priest dots the dragon eyes with red paint. Incense is lit and firecrackers explode in the background. Paper money is placed in the dragon’s mouth and thrown into the water by rowers. All of these traditions are meant to scare away evil spirits.

The Race
Probably the most exciting part of the festival is the Dragon Boat race. A tremendous amount of teamwork and cooperation are necessary in order to win. There are normally 12 or 24 rowers that sit two to a bench, a steer-person in the back who guides the boat with a 20-foot long oar, and a drummer up front.