The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, so its date on the Gregorian calendar is not fixed.

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, so its corresponding Gregorian date is not fixed and usually falls between late May and late June. If you want to know the exact Gregorian month and day of the Dragon Boat Festival in a given year, the simplest way is to check the lunar calendar markings on that year's calendar.

As for the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, the most widely circulated account is that it commemorates the patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the Warring States period, and from this the folk customs of making zongzi and racing dragon boats took shape. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Duan Yang Festival, the Double Fifth Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival, and together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival it is known as one of China's four major traditional festivals.

In terms of folk customs, the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival mostly revolves around ingredients and plants. The main ingredient of zongzi is glutinous rice, and the leaves used for wrapping are mostly taken from indocalamus leaves or reed leaves; every household hangs mugwort and acorus at the door, gives children sachets to wear, and in some areas there is also the old custom of drinking realgar wine. Mugwort and zongzi leaves are all common agricultural products, and every year before the Dragon Boat Festival, the growers involved also enjoy a peak sales season.

Today the Dragon Boat Festival is a national statutory holiday, and traditional folk customs such as making zongzi and racing dragon boats have also been included in the intangible cultural heritage list. Whether you go home to eat zongzi or go out to watch dragon boats, understanding the timing pattern of this festival can help everyone better arrange their holiday life.