Unit�3� � � Festivals�and�customs �话题阅读 背景导入：端 午 节 是 中 国 最 古 老 、最 受 欢 迎 的 传 统 节 日 之 一 。 关 于 端 午 节 你 了 解 多 少 ？端 午 节 为 什 么 有 吃 粽 子 和 赛 龙 舟 的 习 俗 ？ The Origin of the Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, is one of the oldest and most popular traditional Chinese festivals. This festival is in honour of Qu Yuan who is one of China's best poets. Tian Wen or Heavenly Questions is a piece contained in the classical Chinese poetry collection of Chu Ci, which is an anthology of Chinese poetry from the Warring States period. Tian Wen was the most beloved poem and was written by Qu Yuan. The poem posts over 170 questions to Heaven about Chinese my thology and religious beliefs, but the poet does not include the answers. While Qu Yuan was in exile in 278 BC, the state of Chu was conquered by the state of Qin. Seeing his beloved country ruined, he was left heartbroken and soon died. After news of Qu Yuan's death spread, the people of Chu, who admired Qu Yuan greatly , paddled their boats out and raced to save his body . They raced from Miluo River all the way to Dongting Lake. The people wished to stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body by disturbing the waters with their passage. This is said to be the origin of the y early dragon boat race. It is said that the people of Chu started throwing zongzi, (glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo) into the water in order to attract the fish so that they would not eat the poet's body . They also poured a big jar of strong liquor into ...
