As one of the biggest Chinese holidays, the Dragon Boat Festival has many different traditions. People eat zong'zi (sticky rice dumpling), drink realgar wine, go dragon boat racing, and do so much more to celebrate the holiday. While these traditions may seem all over the place, their origins can be neatly explained with a legend.
Qu Yuan was born more than two thousand years ago during the Warring State period of China. He was an able and righteous official working in the state of Chu, passing many effective and popular reforms. Unfortunately, Qu's success made some officials jealous. They made false and defamatory claims about Qu. The emperor believed in these lies and exiled Qu.
When Qu finally returned, he found himself in hot water again due to his stance on Chu's relationship with the state of Qin. Qin, which will later unify China, was already the strongest state at the time. The Qin ambassador proposed forming an alliance with Chu on the condition that Chu cut ties with the state of Qi.
The emperor and many officials wanted to accept the offer due to the lucrative promises of land and peace. Qu, however, saw through the lies and ambitions of Qin and wanted Chu to maintain their relationship with Qi to keep Qin in check. Qu's proposal was ultimately rejected, and he soon found himself exiled once again. Despite these setbacks, Qu never gave up hope that he will one day return to serve his country again.
Then, in 278 BCE, Qin invaded Chu's capital. Unable to bear the sight of his falling country, Qu committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River with a heavy rock tied to his body. When the local villagers heard of this news, they quickly brought out their boats and organized a rescue mission for their beloved official. However, they search to no avail.
To prevent fish from eating Qu's body, the villagers threw rice balls and other foods into the river. Some dumped realgar wine to drunken the water dragons, while others made an effort in wrapping the rice balls in leaves so that the dragons cannot eat them. To commemorate Qu Yuan's life, the villagers repeated these actions every year on his death anniversary on May 5th of the lunar calendar. Eventually, Qu Yuan's death anniversary evolved to become the Dragon Boat Festival we know today.
