In the Spring and Autumn Period, it gradually turned into glutinous rice with horns, which was used to worship ancestors and gods and was called "corn". The reason why Zongzi is wrapped in horns is because ancient ancestors used horned animals as sacrifices when offering sacrifices, thinking that the horns of animals are the spiritual body for people to communicate with God, so as to harvest food and fill the warehouse with food.
During the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan, a doctor of the State of Chu, was patriotic and worried about the country, and later became a victim of Chen Ning. It is said that it entered the Miluo River on May 5th. People hurt their deaths, so they began to associate Qu Yuan's death with the Dragon Boat Festival. At first, dragon boat racing was a relic of ancient Vietnamese dragon totem worship, and later it became a dragon boat ride to save Qu Yuan. Throwing "corn" into the river is to prevent fish, turtles, shrimps and crabs from hurting Qu Yuan's body. Used to show respect and nostalgia for the hero. Since then, the Dragon Boat Festival has also been endowed with moral significance.
According to historical records, Zongzi was officially designated as the food of Dragon Boat Festival in Jin Dynasty. In the Tang dynasty, rice was regarded as "white as jade", and its shape appeared rhombic and conical, which became a festival or folk snack. In the Song Dynasty, "preserved zongzi" appeared, that is, fruit was added to zongzi. After Yuan Dynasty, Zongzi was no longer confined to Zongzi leaves, but changed to bamboo leaves and reed leaves. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zongzi was endowed with auspicious meaning. According to legend, at that time, everyone who took the imperial examination had to eat a kind of zongzi as slender as a writing brush before the examination. This kind of zongzi is called "pen container zongzi", which is homophonic "must be in the middle". Another way of saying it is that after eating this kind of "wrapping zongzi with a pen", you will have a great pen in your chest and get good grades.
Luo said that Zongzi bears the feelings of home and country, has gone out of the long river of history, and is still loved by people today. It has become an important symbol of inheriting China folk culture and food culture.