A: daughter
B: mother
A: Mum, I like to eat zongzi very much. Do you know how it comes about?
B: Hmm, well. Let me tell you the origin of zongzi. People eat zongzi in memory of the poet Wut Yuan’s death.
A: Mummy, who is Wut Yuan.?
B: Wut Yuan is a high official of the ancient state of Chu. He committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
A: Huh? Why would people memorizes someone who commit suicide?
B: Wut Yuan is a patriotic person who drowned himself in a river because Chu had lost a vital battle. The people sat on the dragon boats to scare the fish away so that Wut Yuan’s body would not be eaten.
A: Oh, I see.
B: My dear, that is how the Dragon Boat and the zongzi originate.
There is also another legend regarding the origin of Dragon Boat Festival.
A: Tell me! Tell me!
B: The festival is a traditional Chinese celebration for the harvest of winter wheat. People sat on the dragon boats to visit their friends and family after a bumper harvest.
A: Mummy, you are great! You know so much about the Dragon Boat Festival. Who told you all these stuff?
B: My father told me. Well, today, many people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Double Fifth.
A: How popular is this festival?
B: Many countries also celebrate this Festival.
A: What countries?
B: Japan, Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore. Japan has even set it as a national holiday.
A: Thank you mummy for your detailed explanation. Now I finally understand the story behind the Dragon Boat Festival.