Like Chinese people in other parts of the country, Suzhou people eat Zongzi and hold dragon-boat races to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

It is generally believed that this festival originated to honor the memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who lived in the state of Chu during the Warring States period. However the Suzhou people celebrate the festival to commemorate Wu Zixu, a high-ranking official of the state of Wu during the same period. At the festival, local people hang Chinese mugwort leaves, calamus and garlic on the doorframes, mix realgar wine with liquor, and apply the mixture on children’s ears and noses to ward off poisonous insects.