Dragon Boat Festival is the fifth day of Lunar New Year in May which was called as “重五” in ancient times. It was named as the way of “重九” which is the ninth day of Lunar New Year in September. What’s more, it is also called as “端午” or “端阳” which is one the three traditional festival among the people. These are three traditional festivals: Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and The Middle Autumn Day. And they are valuable festivals for Chinese people in Chinese culture. “端” has the meaning of beginning. One month can be divided into three parts by five days. The first five days is usually regarded as “端五”. The first month according to the lunar calendar is the beginning of Yin month. And the fifth month is “午月” directly. The ancients often wrote “五日” (fifth day) as “午日”. Therefore, “端五”can be replaced with “端午”. In Tong Dynasty, the king of Tong Xuanzong was born on the fifthe of August. In order to make it different from the king’s birthday, so they changed “端五” into “端午” formally. The ancient people regarded “午时” as “阳辰”. Therefore, “端午” also can be called as “端阳”.

The story of Qu Yuan about Dragon Boat Festival

Lots of Chinese culture traditional festival are original from stories of ancient time. We all know there is a famous story about Dragon Boat Festival which describes the story about the famous poet Qu Yuan. Dragon Boat Festival celebrate in honor of Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river more than two thousand years ago.

Qu Yuan is very famous poet and national hero in Chinese culture and history. He was from Chu State in the Warring States era. When he was 22, he had already worked with the Chu emperor. And the king attached great importance to him. However, the nobility and the traitor minister were jealous of him. And they often said something bad to him. Later, the king did not take his advice that fight against Qing State with Qi State. And the king was capture by the Qing State in order to force him to surrender. The king was suffering the disease and died in the Qing State. When the Chu State heard the news that the king had died in Qing State, Qu Yuan was overwhelmed by the misery. Then he petitioned to train the army in order to revenge for the king. However, his advice did not be taken and he was expatriated to the south for three years. Qing State took the chance, the captain of Chu State had been captured by Qing State. At the same time, Qu Yuan’s desire to save the country has been dashed. He was so sorrow that he could not stand and drowned himsele into the river in the fifth day in May according to the lunar calendar. At that time, he was 62 years old. The Chu people were unwilling to lose this virtuous official. So they were rowing on the river to search for the great poet.

However, they did not find out Qu Yuan. Later, it becomes a tradition to row in the river in that day. And this is the origin of Dragon Boat. It was recorded in the “Xu Qi Xie Ji” by Wu Jun who lived in the South and Liang period. Since the fifth day in the May according to the lunar calendar when Qu Yuan died, people threw the rice into the river to sacrifice him. Later, there was a men called Qu Qu had dream about Qu Yuan. And he said Qu Yuan said to him in the dream that the rice use d to sacrifice Qu Yuan had been eaten by the dragon these years. So they packed the rice with the tube of bamboo and colorful things, because the dragons were afraid of the bamboo and colorful things. From then on, this way of packed the rice had been handed down generation by generation. And it developed into a tradition to eat the Zongzi in the fifth day in May according to the lunar calendar.