Dragon Boat Festival? Some say it's a "patent" of the people in Hubei.

Other places celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival just for the fun of it. People in Hubei celebrate it as a deeply rooted family affair.
Where is the root? Qu Yuan.
Where is Qu Yuan from? Zigui, Hubei.
In Zigui, the Dragon Boat Festival isn't just one day; it's an entire month.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, "First Dragon Boat Day";
on the fifteenth, "Great Dragon Boat Day";
on the twenty-fifth, "Last Dragon Boat Day,"
more grand than the New Year.
Unique in the whole country.
Why is this festival so closely tied to Hubei?
Because others commemorate Qu Yuan by listening to stories.
Hubei people commemorate Qu Yuan by sending their own family members.
Zigui people still call Qu Yuan "Master Qu," not by his name, as a form of respect from juniors to elders.
This closeness cannot be faked elsewhere.
And then there's the dragon boat.
In other places, dragon boat racing is a sports competition; in Hubei, it's a "soul calling."
Zigui's dragon boats, before launching, first paddle across the river, to the section of the Miluo River where Qu Yuan threw himself in.
They don't shout "Go!", but "My brother, return—".
They've been shouting this for over a thousand years.
They truly regard Qu Yuan as their elder brother, calling him to return his soul home.
Such a heart-wrenching folk ritual, besides Hubei, where else exists?
As for zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), there's even more to say.
Zigui people wrap a red silk thread inside the zongzi, symbolizing their loyal and brave hearts.
After cooking the zongzi, they first throw a few into the river to honor Master Qu, then they start eating.
This tradition is passed down through generations, not for show, but out of genuine belief and practice.
So don't ask what the Dragon Boat Festival has to do with Hubei.
Ask what remains of the festival if Hubei is taken out of the picture.
Everyone celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival, but the soul of it is in Hubei.
Because Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River, but the blood that flows is the blood of the Chu State.
He is buried at the bottom of the river, and his home is still in Zigui.
Zigui people have been shouting "My brother, return" for over two thousand years—
this festival is their echo.