The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, has a rich cultural history and a deep-seated story behind it. The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the Chinese calendar. Originally, it was a day for the Chinese people to ward off diseases and epidemics2. However, over time, it evolved into a commemoration of Qu Yuan, a prominent minister and poet of the ancient Chu Kingdom12.
The legend goes that during the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan advocated various reform measures to strengthen the Chu Kingdom, but he was opposed and exiled by corrupt officials. After the Chu Kingdom fell to the Qin Empire, Qu Yuan felt deeply disheartened and drowned himself in a river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The local people, moved by his patriotism, rowed their boats to search for his body and threw rice dumplings into the water to prevent fish and other aquatic creatures from eating his body1.
Since then, the Dragon Boat Festival has been a time for people to remember Qu Yuan and his unwavering loyalty to his country. It has become a festival with various customs and traditions, including eating zongzi (rice dumplings), watching dragon boat races, hanging calamus and moxa leaves, drinking realgar wine, and more2. The festival is not only observed in China but also in other countries and regions with significant Chinese cultural influence, such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
Today, the Dragon Boat Festival remains an important and lively celebration for the Chinese people, a testament to the enduring legacy of Qu Yuan and the rich cultural traditions of China.
