Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Guangzhou will celebrate by hosting their own dragon boat races, giving everyone a taste of the excitement of the event and a chance to enjoy traditional foods and activities.

Dragon boat racing is the best expression of the character of Guangzhou residents. It has a long history in Guangzhou -- in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), both the government and the general public staged races during the holiday.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, holds dragon boat racings every year to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. [Photo/gz.gov.cn]

In Guangzhou, dragon boat racing is thus a celebratory reminder of local culture and roots, and a whole ceremonial system surrounding the dragon boats has developed, boosting connections between villages, neighborhoods and even countries.

In 1994, the Guangzhou Municipal Government officially named the festival the Boat Racing Festival. Since then, it has been developed into a major event and attracted athletes from many countries including the US, Australia, Singapore and Canada to compete on the Pearl River.

The 2017 boat racing activity kicks off on May 24, starting from Longxi Bridge in Chebei village, Guangzhou. [Photo/ycwb.com]

As things stand today, the tradition of dragon boat racing is mainly observed in Tianhe, Haizhu, Panyu and Zengcheng districts. The racing activities can last for about 15 days.

For most people, the traditional festival is an important occasion for family gatherings, and simply an opportunity to have time off work and to dine, drink and make merry with friends and relatives.

Zongzi, pyramid-shaped steamed glutinous rice packaged in bamboo or reed leaves, is indispensible to the Dragon Boat Festival dining menu. Most people make their own zongzi at home, filling them with ingredients such as red date, pork or salted egg yolk.

Zongzi, pyramid-shaped steamed glutinous rice packages in bamboo or reed leaves, is indispensible to the Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo/southcn.com]