Dragon Boat Festival

Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the memory of the ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan, a native of the State of Chu during the warring States Period (480 – 221 B.C.). Qu Yuan opposed political corruption and constantly advised the king against it. In 278 B.C., the State of Chu was conquered by the Qin. In despair Qu Yuan drowned himself into the Milou river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Hearing of this, the local people went out in their boats beating drums to scare the fish away from Qu Yuan’s body. They also threw dumplings into the water so the fish would not eat his body.

Current Festivities
To commemorate the attempted rescue of Qu Yuan, on this day Chinese people race long narrow boats made of wood. The front of each boat is carved with a dragon’s head. Each boat has a drummer to spur the rowers on to victory. Races can have any number of boats competing. The winner is the first team to capture a flag at the end of the course. These commemorative races take place across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and in many overseas Chinese communities.

Zong Zi Food
The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival is Zong Zi which is a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and wrapped in a bamboo or reed leaf to give it special flavor. The filling varies greatly across China. In Northern China it is often made of rice mixed with dates; Eastern China’s Jiaxing County is famous for pork-stuffed Zong Zi; In Guangdong Province Zong Zi is often stuffed with pork, ham or chestnuts; in Sichuan Province, Zong Zi usually is served with a sugar dressing. Zong Zi has become so popular that in many places is can be purchased year round.