Article From：http://www.chinatravel.com/focus/dragon-boat-festival/
Legend
Dragon Boat Festival can be traced back to 2000 years ago and legends about the festival are many. The most famous one is about commemorating Qu Yuan, a notable official and patriot poet during the Spring and Autumn Periods.
Qu Yuan was an important official during the Spring and Autumn Periods in the Chu State, which was located in today’s Hubei Province in Central China. During his life he strongly advocated recommending talents from all social levels, enriching the country and building up the military forces. However, his advocates were strongly rejected by members of aristocracy as it would destroy their interests. Then Qu Yuan was forced to resign and was banished to the remote area of the country, which was the time when he wrote a lot of famous poems to express his loving for the Chu State.
In B.C 278, the capital of Chu State was captured by the Qin Army. Qu Yuan was so sorrow that he committed suicide into Miluo River after hearing the news on the fifth of the fifth lunar month. Locals were very sad about the death of their respectable poet and state official. Every year on this day folklores would commemorate him spontaneously.
Top Customs about Chinese Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon Boat Racing is the major custom to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival. When Qu Yuan drowned himself into the river, many fishermen rode their boats on the river, trying to find his body. They tried so hard that most even rode boats to Dongting Lake. Though they failed to make it, every year later locals would ride dragon boats for commemorating Qu Yuan, hoping to disperse creatures under the river in this way.
In the late Qing Dynasty (1736), Taiwan started to hold dragon boat racing match and later the activity become popular in Hong Kong, too. At the same time, this interesting race was also spread to Chinese neighboring countries like Japan and Vietnam.
In 1991, the 1st International Dragon Boat Festival was held in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, which is the second hometown of Qu Yuan. The celebration activities includes worshiping the dragon head and dragon boat racing match. After that, the Hunan Province holds the International Dragon Boat Festival regularly.
Eating Zongzi
After Qu Yuan committed suicide in Miluo River, fishermen tried hard to find his body but failed. Some locals threw rice rolls, eggs and meat into the river to feed creatures under the river, hoping they wouldn’t eat the body of Qu Yuan. Years later people used leaves to roll the rice rolls and tightened them with colorful threads, which is known as Zongzi (棕子).
Now eating Zongzi has become an indispensable part of Dragon Boat Festival celebration. In southern China almost every household will eat zongzi when the festival comes. People can also buy zongzi in the stores or from street vendors.
Hanging Mugwort Leaves and Calamus
When Dragon Boat Festival comes, most households will sweep the houses and the yards. Then they will hang mugwort leaves and calamus. Usually the plants are hung on the doorframes and the main hall. In some areas people will use mugwort leaves and calamus to make flowers circles or tiger-shape, which are believed to be able to drive out the disease miasma.
Wearing Sachets
During Dragon Boat Festival, usually kids would wear sachets (佩香囊) in the countryside areas. It is believed that by doing so it helps driving out the evil spirit and avoiding illness. At the same time, people think that kids with sachets look more adorable.
Inside the sachets are cinnabar, realgar and aromatic odor. The shapes of sachets vary and they are strung together. In some cities of southern China, some young people will also use sachets to express their affections for each other.
