DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
We all
know what the dragon boat festival is, but do we know why we celebrate it?
There
are many stories behind the festival, but the one that stands out most is that
of Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan
was a poet who loved his country and hated to see his country fall into ruins.
He was a wise man who was loved by most of the people in China.
Before
becoming a poet, he was an advisor to the king of Chu. He warned the King to
ally with Qi (one of the seven warring states) so that they could work together
to defeat the powerful and feared state of Qin. However, jealous officials
accused him of treason and, persuaded by the officials, the King exiled Qu Yuan.
He
started writing many poems while in exile, but when the state of Qin conquered
the Kingdom of Chu, he fell into great despair and committed suicide by
drowning himself in the Mi Lou River.
On
hearing of this tragic event, the people living there went out with long boats
and threw food such as ‘zong zi’ (rice dumplings) into the river to distract
the fish from his body, which was never found.
People continue this tradition on the fifth day
of the fifth lunar month, which was when Qu Yuan died. They also race
on long, dragon-shaped boats and eat rice dumplings as a part of tradition.
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