eight-immortals:

端午节/Duanwu Festival also known as the Dragon Boat Festival has a history of over 2000 years! There are many sayings of the origin of this festival, however, the most well known is that this festival has been held in honor of Chinese patriotic poet and statesman Qu Yuan (340 – 278 BC).

The Legend:

As a minister in the State of Chu – one of the seven Warring States, Qu Yuan was a patriotic poet who wrote a lot of works to show his care and devotion to his country. Composing masterpieces like Li Sao (The Lament), he was regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. After he was exiled by the king, he chose to drown himself in the river rather than seeing his country invaded and conquered by the State of Qin. He died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, thus people decided to commemorate him on that day every year.

Traditions and Customs:

Zongzi:

This day is celebrated by eating Zongzi, a pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves. It has various fillings such as jujube, meat, bean paste, etc. 

Where did this customs come from?

It is said that when Qu Yuan drowned, many people went looking for his body, but his body was never found. People were worried that the fish would eat Qu Yuan’s body so they made Zongzi to lure the fish away. 

(Homemade Zongzi by me)

Dragon Boat Racing:

Legend holds that the race originates from the idea of the people who rowed their boats to save Qu Yuan after he drowned himself. Now it has turned to be a sport event not only held in China but also observed in Japan, Vietnam, Britain, and other countries. 

（sources: travelchina, dianliwenmi.com)