The dragon boat festival (端午节 Duānwǔjié) is a fun, boisterous holiday. In most parts of China, the weather is quite good at this time of year, and people congregate outside on the banks of rivers and lakes to enjoy the fine weather while watching traditional dragon boat races. Participating in or attending dragon boat races These days, the most well-known aspect of the Dragon Boat Festival is the tradition of racing dragon boats (赛龙舟, sàilóngzhōu). The story of Qu Yuan’s suicide is often used to explain the dragon boat racing tradition. In line with this explanation, racing dragon boats mimics the actions of the villagers who rowed out into the river to try to save their beloved poet. Qu Yuan’s suicide is only one of the explanations that have been advanced, however. Dragon boat racing has a history of over 2,000 years and some scholars believe the practice most likely began as a way to worship the Dragon God. According to this explanation, the custom is thought to have originated in southern China’s Guangdong Province along the Pearl River Delta. Even before the modern era, dragon boat racing was popular among ethnic Chinese people living throughout Asia. Originally, dragon boats were made of teak. Today, however, most dragon boats are made of modern materials such as fiberglass. During races, the boats are fitted out with a colorful dragon head and tail. During a race, the drummer leads the paddlers by beating rhythmically on a drum. In addition to the drummer, there is also a steerer who sits in the back of the boat and helps to steer it using a long steering oar. Eating zòngzi Almost every Chinese holiday has a specific food or foods associated with it, and Dragon Boat Festival is no different. On this holiday, the food of choice is zòngzi (粽子). Zòngzi are a type of pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and stuffed with various sweet or savory fillings. Common fillings for sweet zòngzi include sweet red bean paste or jujube (Chinese dates). Savory zòngzi might be stuffed with salted egg yolks, pork or mushrooms. The dumplings themselves are wrapped in bamboo leaves, tied with a string, and either steamed or boiled. Legend has it that people eat zòngzi on the Dragon Boat Festival as a way to remember the poet Qu Yuan. This is because zòngzi are thought to resemble the rice dumplings thrown into the water by villagers to stop the fish from eating his body after his suicide. |
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