Qu Yuan

 when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason.

During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River.

The festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing originated in southern central China more than 2500 years ago. 

In commemoration of Qu Yuan, people hold dragon boat races yearly on the day of his death according to the legend. They also scattered rice into the water to feed the fish, to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body, which is one of the origins of zongzi.

Zong Zi

Rice Dumpling

A notable part of celebrating Duanwu is making and eating zongzi with other family members.

Zong zi make by the leaves of bamboo, sticky rice and fillings.

Fillings flavor :

Northern regions in China prefer sweet zongzi, with bean paste, dates and nuts as fillings.

Southern regions in China prefer salty zongzi, with a variety of fillings including marinated  pork, sausage and salted duck eggs.

Eating zongzi are considered as

a symbol of luck!