Why was it said that eating dumplings was to commemorate Qu Yuan? What did it have to do with him?
Eating zongzi is to commemorate Qu Yuan. It is related to him because zongzi was originally a kind of food invented by the people of Chu State after Qu Yuan died to commemorate him. In the Records of the Historian, there was a saying that "King Huai of Chu, because of Qu Yuan's illness, sent people to mix orange pomelo, red dates and other things into a small box to contain it." records that after Qu Yuan's death, people began to use Zeng rice and other fruit ingredients to make zongzi to commemorate him. Zongzi was a traditional Dragon Boat Festival food. It was usually made of glutinous rice, meat, eggs, beans, and other ingredients. It was mostly round or oval in shape. In the Chu State where Qu Yuan died, Zongzi became an important traditional food. People hoped to remember Qu Yuan's moral character and spirit by eating Zongzi. In addition, eating zongzi was also a cultural tradition. Different regions and ethnic groups had their own unique practices and characteristics. In China, zongzi was usually wrapped in red dates, wolfberries, zongzi leaves and other ingredients to symbolize Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit and care for the people.
