The Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival

Chinese culture is an inherent part of learning Mandarin and a key topic in many syllabuses; a large part of this are Chinese festivals, cuisine and stories. A highly celebrated festival is the Dragon Boat Festival. There are many different stories about the origin of this festival. One of the most well-known versions says that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan; a patriotic officer from the Chu kingdom.

Qu Yuan, a true patriot, loved and cared about his country and the Emperor he served. Burdened by the knowledge that the Qin kingdom was going to kill his emperor and invade the country, Qu Yuan worried for his Emperor’s safety. Despite Qu Yuan’s advice to take action, the Chu Emperor ignored him and did nothing. Instead, banishing Qu Yuan to a rural area to live out his days in isolation. Later, the Chu emperor was killed and the kingdom was invaded by the Qin kingdom, as Qu Yuan had predicted. Upon hearing the news, Qu Yuan was distraught and threw himself into a river on the 5th of May.

Once the local villagers saw Qu Yuan jump into the river, they raced out in their boats to save him but it was too late. Moved by how much Qu Yuan loved his country, the villagers decided to celebrate his death, by making sticky rice dumplings and throwing them into the river, deterring the fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body.

The dragon boat races that still happen till this day are symbolic attempts to rescue and recover the body of Qu Yuan. As one of the oldest and most traditional festivals, there are a few traditions that take place on the day that locals like to practice, such as eating zongzi or hanging calamus and wormwood on doors to dispel evil and bring health.

Although the tradition of dragon boat racing is still at large, some of the other less well-known traditions are slowly fading, and are more commonly practiced in the Chinese countryside. A national holiday celebrated throughout China and beloved by many, Dragon Boat Festival is as fun and boisterous as it sounds, with the races gaining popularity.

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You can also learn more about Chinese Festivals with our Chinese Festival Collection here. The collection includes 11 storybooks and 1 activity book. What’s better than reading stories and doing fun activities at home with your family during this holiday!

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The Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival