The rice dumplings come in sweet and savory forms, with dates, red bean paste, or meat and egg yolk. And they are always wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves – zongzi (粽子) are a must for the Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, the festival itself dates back to the attempted rescue of the poet Qu Yuan, who lived in the Warring States period (475-221 BC) and drowned himself in the river because of the injustices he had suffered. The rice dumplings were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from nibbling on Qu Yuan’s corpse. The Dragon Boat Festival is always celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the lunar calendar, and this year it falls on the coming Monday. Until then, however, everyone is already pitching in to prepare the traditional holiday dish. flee