Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. It is the fifth day of the fifth month (May 5) in Chinese Lunar calendar. So sometime it is also called Chongwu, meaning double five. In 2008, the date of Duanwu is June 8.
The history of Duanwu Fesitival has been more than 2000 years. There are several origins of the holiday and also their corresponding customs. The most famous one can be traced back to the warring states period of China (476BC~221BC). Toward the end of the period, Qin grew to be the dominant power among the 7 feudal countries in China. The other countries were debating whether to form an ally to fight against Qin or to follow Qin’s leadership. Qu Yuan (340BC~278BC), at the time a beloved statesman and a famous poet of Chu, foresaw that Qin will not stop at being the dominant country, but to conquer and unify the entire China. He insisted to fight with Qi, another country on east, against Qin. The strategy was followed by the king for about a decade.
However, the policy was abandoned at 305BC and Quyuan himself was drove away from the political center of Chu. While in exile, he heard the news that the capital of Chu was took by Qin. At the dismal, he threw himself into Miluo River, binding himself with a large rock, at the fifth day of the fifth month. The local people heard the news, rushed to rescue him. When they could not find his body, people started to throw rice balls with silk bands into the river, hoping the fish will eat the rice balls instead of his body. Since then, people race boats and eat rice balls with silk bands every year at the same day to memorize Qu Yuan. Today, this two customs become the famous dragon boat racing and eat Zongzi.
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