Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the Lunar May.05th in China is one of Chinese major holidays, alongside the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumen Festival. Originally in ancient China, Dragon Boat Festival is a festival celebrated by Han people of driving off diseases with hanging acorus calamus, wormwood,moxa leaf, radix angelicae and drinking Realgar liquor and so on, since summer is a time when diseases most easily spread. The festival was enriched by the legend of the patriot Qu Yuan, and people started to eat Zongzi(traditional Chinese rice-pudding) and have dragon boat races then.
Qu Yuan(304B.C-278B.C), a distinguishing patriotic poet, politician of Chu State in Warring states periods, still is the founder of the positive romantic poetry in China and one of the world four great cultural celebrities (alongside Polish Copernicus, British Shakespeare, Italian Dante). In Chu State,Qu Yuan’s patriotic, political propositions were refused by the Emperor Chu, who rioted in evil living. Finding no other possible ways to save his country from the danger of being conquered by other states, Qu Yuan jumped into Miluo River and disappeared.
When the locals heard the news, immediately rowed to save him, however, the heavy rain stopped them near a pavilion in the Dong Ting lake, then,more people with boats assembled and joined in the army saving Qu Yuan against the rain.Having no hope to find the body of Qu Yuan and worrying the body would be eaten by fish and shrimp, people brought rice-pudding back and threw into the Dong Ting river. Gradually, activities of looking for Qu Yuan in Dong Ting river has evolved into Dragon Boat Race, and the rice-pudding became into Zongzi and snacks in common.
The Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history among the three major festivals, and is the only festival at the beginning of summer to remind people take care of their health.