The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival , also called the Duanwu Festival , is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese Calendar, For thousands of years , the festival has been marked by eating zongzi (glutinous ricewrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats, the festival is best known for its dragon-boat race ,  especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and  lakes , this regattacommemorates the death of Quyuan, an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowing himself in a river,the dragon boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body.  A typical dragon boat ranges 50~100 feey in length,with a beam of about 5.5 feet ,  accommodating two paddlers seated side by side.