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The Duanwu Festival (in Mandarin Chinese pronunciation) or Tuen Ng Festival (in Cantonese Chinese pronunciation) is a Chinese traditional and statutory holiday. It is a public holiday in mainland China and Taiwan, where it is called the “Duanwu Jie” and a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is called the “Tuen Ng Jit”. In English it is also referred to as “Dragon Boat Festival”, after one of the traditional activities for the holiday.

The Duanwu Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of Double Fifth. In 2009, this falls on May 28. The focus of the celebrations includes eating zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.

The Duanwu Festival has also been celebrated in other East Asian nations. For some equivalent or related celebrations in these countries, see Kodomo no hi in Japan, Dano in Korea, and T?t Doan Ng? in Vietnam.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival