The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals and one of the most important traditional festivals in China. Its origin can be traced back to ancient China more than 3,000 years ago. Regarding the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, there is a saying that it is related to an ancient legend. According to legend, in ancient times, there was a great patriotic poet, Qu Yuan, who was a wise man in the state of Chu. In the dark period of the chaos and corruption of the officials of Chu State and the invasion of foreign enemies, Qu Yuan was deeply worried about the national crisis. In desperation, Qu Yuan decided to throw himself into the river to express his loyalty to the country. After hearing the news, the local fishermen rowed to rescue him, but it was too late. In order to protect Qu Yuan’s body from being eaten by fish, fishermen rowed their boats to the center of the river and threw glutinous rice and calamus grass into the river as bait one after another to lure the fish away. They also beat the water with their oars to drive away the evil spirits in the river. The fishermen didn’t want to see Qu Yuan’s body drowned and eaten by fish, so they sprinkled peach leaves into the river. The smell of peach leaves can resist the fish’s desire to eat. This is the origin of customs such as eating zongzi, racing dragon boats, hanging mugwort, and drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. People eat zongzi to commemorate the love and hard work of the fishermen, and also to commemorate Qu Yuan; dragon boat races commemorate the feat of fishermen rowing to rescue Qu Yuan; hanging mugwort and drinking realgar wine are to drive away evil spirits and avoid epidemics, and protect their health Safety. In addition, there are other theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. Some people think that the Dragon Boat Festival originated in the period of Qin Shihuang in ancient China. In order to consolidate the unified regime, Qin Shihuang suppressed the freedom of thought, burned books and defrauded Confucian scholars, restricted the people’s freedom of speech, and did not allow people to miss ancient heroes. The Dragon Boat Festival happens to be the anniversary of Qu Yuan’s death. To commemorate Qu Yuan, people set off firecrackers at this time every year to show their active resistance to the people. Regardless of the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, it has become one of the most representative traditional festivals in China. Whether celebrating at home or traveling, people express their love for the ancients and their nostalgia for the motherland through celebrations and customs. The Dragon Boat Festival has also passed down the rich and colorful traditional culture of the Chinese nation through generations.
Post time: Jun-16-2023