這個節日的由來是古代中國有一位博學多聞的官吏屈原，他是一位愛民而且又受到尊崇的官吏，但是由於一位充滿嫉妒的官吏陷害，從此在朝廷中被皇帝所冷落。由於無法獲得皇帝的重視，屈原在憂郁的情況下投汨羅江自盡。
由於對屈原的愛戴，汨羅江畔的居民匆忙的劃船在江內尋找屈原，并且將米丟入汨羅江中，以平息汨羅江中的蛟龍。即使他們當時并沒有找到屈原，但是他們的行為，直到今天在端午節的時候，仍然被人們傳頌紀念著。
The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named Chu Yuan. He was a good and respected man，but because of the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventually fell into disfavor in the emperor's court.
Unable to regain the respect of the emperor，in his sorrow Chu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Low river. Because of their admiration for Chu Yuan， the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons.
Although they were unable to find Chu Yuan，their efforts are still commemorated today during the Dragon Boat Festival.