The 24th annual Dragon Boat Festival takes place at Festival Beach this weekend, hosted by the Asian American Cultural Center. The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, and honors Qu Yuan (340-278BC), who was a beloved prime minister of the state of Chu during the Warring States period. He was exiled by a corrupt king and took his own life by jumping into the Miluo River in protest. Legend has it that people attempted to scare away fish and evil spirits from his body by splashing the water with paddles – dragons were thought to be the gods of the river in Chinese culture, so the sport of dragon boating pays tribute to those gods and Qu Yuan. The race is free and open to the public, and the festival will include performances, food trucks, vendors, a traditional lion dance, and the traditional zongzi – steamed rice wrapped in leaves with different fillings. – Lina Fisher