The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The day had been the day of dragon in the past, when ancient people of Wu and Yue regions of south of Changjiang River considered dragon as their totem. At every dragon boat festival, they would hold various worship activities. In the 3rd century B.C, Qu Yuan, a great poet and aristocrate of Chu State throw himself into the river and killed himself because he couldn't bear to see the perdition of his country and the wreckage of his own political idea any longer. Afterwards, people used the dragon boat day to memorize him. Therefore, the meaning of customs of contesting dragon boat and eat glutinous rice dumpling concerning the festival of dragon changed into activities to worship Qu Yuan. Some regions still have popular customs of warding off an evil influence. Because it is in the beginning of summer, it becomes hot and the diseases are easy to develop. Therefore, people would hang moxa stick and calamus outside of house and splash realgar liquor on the ground to keep snakes and insects away.
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