2025-05-31
There are several theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, but the most widely accepted and deeply rooted is the one that commemorates Qu Yuan. During the Warring States period, Qu Yuan was devoted to serving his country, yet he was repeatedly ostracized and slandered by the aristocracy. Even after being exiled, his heart remained with the state of Chu. When he learned that the Chu capital, Ying, had fallen to the Qin, he was overcome with grief and indignation and, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, threw himself into the river, clutching a boulder. To honor his memory, the people rowed boats to search for his body and tossed zongzi into the water to keep fish and shrimp from devouring it. From then on, every year on this day, people have raced dragon boats and eaten zongzi, gradually giving rise to the Dragon Boat Festival.