During the Warring States period, Chu and Qin fought for hegemony, and the poet Qu Yuan was highly valued by the King of Chu. However, Qu Yuan's ideas were opposed by the old school headed by the above officials, doctors and Shanxi merchants, and he constantly vilified Qu Yuan in front of Chu Huaiwang. Chu Huaiwang gradually alienated Qu Yuan, and Qu Yuan, who had great ambitions, was deeply distressed. With uncontrollable sadness and indignation, he wrote immortal poems such as Li Sao and Tianxiang. In 229 BC, the State of Qin captured eight cities of Chu, and then sent envoys to invite Chu Huaiwang to make peace with the State of Qin. Qu yuan saw through the plot of the king of Qin and risked his life to enter the palace to state his interests. Chu Huaiwang did not listen, but expelled Qu Yuan from the capital. Chu Huaiwang attended the meeting as scheduled and was imprisoned as soon as he arrived in Qin. Chu Huaiwang was filled with remorse and died in the state of Qin three years later. Shortly after the King of Chu ascended the throne, the King of Qin sent troops to attack the State of Chu. The King of Chu retreated hastily and Qin Jun captured Ying City. On the way to exile, Qu Yuan heard the bad news of sudden death and the attack on Tancheng, but he was so desperate that he sighed and jumped into the turbulent Guluo River.
The fishermen on the river and the people on the shore heard that Dr. Qu Yuan threw himself into the river and came to the river to salvage Qu Yuan's body. This custom later evolved into dragon boat racing. People take zongzi and eggs from home and throw them into the river so that the fish won't bite the body of Dr. Qu Yuan. There are doctors who pour realgar wine into the river, so that the medicine can stun the dragon water beast and prevent Dr. Qu Yuan from being hurt. Soon, a dizzy dragon floated on the water, with a skirt of Dr. Qu on his beard. People pull dragons ashore, remove tendons, then wrap tendons around children's hands and necks and wipe their brains with realgar wine. Some even write the word "Wang" on the children's foreheads, so that those poisonous snakes and pests dare not hurt them. From then on, at the beginning of May every year, Qu Yuan was martyred in the river, and Chu people went to the river to row dragon boats, throw zongzi and drink realgar wine to commemorate the poet, and the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival was handed down.
Another legend is that during the reign of Tang Xizong, Huang Chao led the troops to revolt, killing countless people everywhere, and the blood became a river. When people heard that Huang Chao was coming, they all ran away for fear of avoiding him. In May of this year, Huang Chao's army invaded Henan and arrived at the gates of Dengzhou. Huang Chao rode outside the city to survey the terrain. I saw a woman carrying a bag and holding a boy in her hand, as if she had escaped from the desert. I thought it was strange, so I asked. The woman said, "I heard that Huang Chao will attack Dengzhou in a few days without even blinking an eye. All the men in the city were called to guard the city, so I had to take my children and run for my life. " Hearing this, Huang Chao sympathized with the woman and said, Go back and leave Acorus calamus and wormwood at the door, so that Huang Chao's army won't hurt your family. The woman was dubious, but she returned to the city and told the villagers the news. The next day was Duanyang in May. Huang Chao's army stormed into the city, only to find calamus and wormwood hanging on the doors of every household. In order to keep his promise to women, Huang Chao had no choice but to lead the troops to leave, so the whole city was spared.
To commemorate this event, every time after the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone will put calamus and wormwood on the door. This custom has been passed down to this day.