In China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan today, people are celebrating Dragon Boat Festival by eating
zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), drinking
realgar wine, and racing those colorful long boats. If you happen to be in one of these countries, you’ll also see a special doodle on our homepage to commemorate this annual festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival is said to have begun in China over 2,000 years ago in the ancient state of Chu.
Qu Yuan, a poet and minister of Chu, had warned his people against the rise of the neighboring state of Qin. His warnings were ignored, Chu allied with Qin and Qu Yuan was exiled. When Qin troops later conquered Chu’s capital, Qu Yuan finished one last poem and threw himself into the
Miluo River. His admirers couldn’t find his body, so to stop the fish from attacking it, they threw
zongzi and eggs from their long boats. They also poured realgar wine into the river to make the fish drunk.
Hundreds of years later, these acts are re-enacted everywhere from Hong Kong to Istanbul and Toronto — so go on and search for the race closest to you.
Posted by Caroline Hsu, Head of Communications, Google Taiwan & Hong Kong
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