Cultural Corner: May | Dragon Boat Festival
You might know quite a bit about Spring Festival but perhaps you know a bit less about Duan Wu Festival (Dragon Boat Festival)? If that’s the case, today is your chance to learn more about one of the most important festivals in China.
Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month which this year falls on 14th June. The festival has been marked as a cultural occasion with particular ceremonies in China for thousands of years. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that the Dragon Boat Festival was recognised as a statutory public holiday in the People's Republic of China. On this day, dragon boat races are held with people racing each other in contests to see who is the fastest. People also throw parcels of sticky rice (zongzi) and bang drums in memory of a national poet hero (more on him later). Well, not all people will waste the beautifully wrapped sticky rice parcels as they are delicious and really appreciated by people. In some areas, people drink realgar wine (an alcoholic beverage made with yellow wine). Wearing perfume pouches is also a popular thing to do.
The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese statesman and poet, Qu Yuan, who was a loyal minister of the King of Chu in the third century BCE. Qu Yuan’s wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they falsely accused him of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to express his anger and sorrow towards his sovereign and people. When Qu Yuan discovered that Qin Shi Huang had invaded his beloved kingdom of Chu and there was no chance for this country to win the war, he became so saddened by the news that he walked into the Miluo River where he drowned in 278 BCE at the age of 61.
The people of Chu tried to save him believing that Qu Yuan did not deserve to die; they searched desperately in their boats looking for Qu Yuan but were unable to save him. Every year the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate this attempt at rescuing Qu Yuan.
The local people began the tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan. Some believed that the rice would prevent the fishes in the river from eating Qu Yuan’s body. At first, the locals decided to make zongzi in hopes that it would sink into the river and reach Qu Yuan's body. The tradition of wrapping the rice in bamboo leaves to make zongzi began the following year. At first zongzi was a regional food, but now it is widely accepted across China and also in Korea, Japan and other countries in Southeast Asia. People in the north of China enjoy zongzi with dates, while people in the south China prefer mixed ingredients, such as meat, sausages, and eggs.
We look forward to seeing your zongzi pictures on the Bureau’s social media channels! Enjoy