Long time ago in China, there lived a wise and kind man named Qu Yuan. He loved his country very much and always wanted what was best for it. But the king, who wasn’t very wise himself, didn’t listen to Qu Yuan’s advice. This made Qu Yuan very sad.

One day, something terrible happened! The king made a bad decision, and Qu Yuan’s heart broke. He felt so helpless that he walked to a beautiful river and jumped in.

The people who loved Qu Yuan were heartbroken. They rushed to the river in their boats, paddling as fast as they could. They wanted to save him, but it was too late.

To scare away any evil spirits that might harm Qu Yuan, they banged their drums loudly. They also threw special rice dumplings wrapped in leaves, called zongzi, into the river. They hoped the fish would eat the dumplings and leave Qu Yuan alone.

Even though they couldn’t bring Qu Yuan back, the people never forgot him. Every year, on the same day that Qu Yuan jumped into the river, they started a special tradition. They held dragon boat races! These long, colorful boats decorated with fierce dragon heads were just like the ones they used to try and save Qu Yuan.

The races were a way to honor Qu Yuan’s memory and show their love for their country. And of course, they still ate zongzi – a delicious reminder of their brave attempt to save their friend.

So, every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, people come together to celebrate with races, yummy food, and the memory of a kind and wise man named Qu Yuan.