Celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival (龙舟节), also known as the Duanwu Festival (端午节), is a beloved holiday across China and Southeast Asia. 龙舟 (lóng zhōu) – Dragon Boat As the name implies, dragon boats (龙舟; lóng zhōu) are designed to look like dragons, the formidable rulers of the river in traditional Chinese culture. In honor of these auspicious creatures, the boats are typically ornamented with a carved dragon head at the prow and a carved dragon tail at the stern, as well as colorfully painted dragon scales along each side. For the annual race on the Dragon Boat Festival, most dragon boat teams train year-round. On an individual level, the challenge lies in learning how to paddle properly. Each rower must lean forward to cut the water with their oar and then lean back and twist as they draw their oars back and out of the water. Plus, the whole team must be in sync, moving through the motions at the same time and with the exact same rhythm. 米 (mǐ) – Rice The character 米 (mǐ) originally represented a scattering of uncooked rice grains in the different compartments of a storage shelf. 米 generally refers to husked, uncooked rice, which happens to be the main ingredient of zongzi (粽子; zòng zi). And if you look closely at the character 粽 (zòng), you can see its 米 (rice) component. A friendly word of caution: Even if you love rice-heavy dishes, make sure to pace yourself with zongzi. They are not made with white rice but instead with glutinous rice, which takes far longer to digest. So, if you eat them too quickly, you could easily upset your stomach! 竹 (zhú) – Bamboo The character 竹 (zhú) resembles two stalks of bamboo with leaves at the top. The leaves are referred to in Chinese as 竹叶 (zhú yè; bamboo + leaf) and are commonly used to wrap zongzi (粽子). Fresh bamboo leaves are typically preferred for culinary purposes because they are more pliable and aromatic. 猪肉 (zhū ròu) – Pork In addition to rice, the bamboo leaves of zongzi encase numerous exquisite fillings. The go-to choice for most meat-eaters is 猪肉 (zhū ròu), or pork belly in particular, which requires a certain amount of prep work. Before the pork can be wrapped in rice, it must be marinated overnight. 酒 (jiǔ) – Alcohol The character 酒 (jiǔ) is made up of the radical 氵(the water radical) and the character 酉 (wine vessel). And what other liquid would you serve from a wine vessel other than wine? Nevertheless, the Chinese character 酒 is much broader in meaning than the English word “wine.” It is used as a general term for alcoholic beverages, including wines, liquors, and spirits. In the olden days, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese people would often imbibe a concoction known as realgar wine (雄黄酒; xióng huáng jiǔ). The yellow-orange drink was considered a magical antidote for different afflictions—from disease to evil spirits—that were thought to crop up during the hot summer months. But since it’s blended with arsenic sulfide, realgar wine is usually no longer on the festival menu. |
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