A Prayer a Day for East Asian Peoples

Much of East Asia celebrates Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is today. This holiday’s commonly-believed origin relates to the death of Qu Yuan in 278 BC. Qu Yuan was a poet and statesman, as well as a loyal minister to the king. When the king allied with another kingdom, people jealous of Qu Yuan’s wisdom and intellect accused him of conspiracy and exiled him. Due to his sorrow over the state of his people, Qu Yuan drowned himself at the age of sixty-one. People searched desperately for him and threw rice into the water to keep fish from eating him. Today they celebrate by having dragon boat races and eating rice dumplings, or zongzi.

Pray Chinese people will hear the truth of Jesus who also sorrowed over his people and died for them that they might live.