Contestants strain every muscle at a dragon boat race, part of festival celebrations, in Zhenyuan county, Guizhou province, in June last year. NING JIAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Tourists and residents make zongzi in Zhuquan village in Linyi, Shandong province, in June last year. WANG YANBING/FOR CHINA DAILY

A senior resident brushes a child's forehead with realgar liquor as a blessing at Gaoping village in Huaying, Sichuan province, in May 2017. ZHOU SONGLIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Bowls of realgar liquor prepared for tourists to mark the festival at Songcheng, a scenic spot in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in June last year. LIAN GUOQING/FOR CHINA DAILY

Women dressed in Miao ethnic clothing celebrate the festival in Dafang county, Guizhou province, in June 2007. ZHANG JING/FOR CHINA DAILY

Participants in a festival ceremony wash their hair with calamus water in Jeonju, South Korea, in June last year. YONHAP