A senior resident brushes a child's forehead with realgar liquor as a blessing at Gaoping village in Huaying, Sichuan province, in May 2017. [Photo by Zhou Songlin/For China Daily]

Dragon boat racing is an event related to offering sacrifice to the dragon.

Lin Jifu, a folklore professor of the School of Ethnology and Sociology at Minzu University of China, thinks the origins of the festival come from two sources; from people in ancient times to commemorate a local figure, and the other from scholars to research scientifically and objectively.

"Both explanations of the origin are meaningful, we don't deny any as they all come from life," Lin says. "The fifth month in the lunar calendar is associated with bad weather which may cause disease (and plagues), so it's a festival that shows how ancient people pin their hope on gods to end disasters and protect life."

The customs of the Duanwu Festival are related to both possible origins. Dragon boat racing and eating zongzi are the most popular traditional activities to celebrate the festival.