Beginning this year, for all people in China, the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) will mean free days between June 7 – 9. (Cool! 3 days holiday! It means lazy morning and basketball fun for me! )
Officially falling on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Double Fifth Day. While many stories regarding its origin abound, the most popular and widely accepted version regards Qu Yuan, a minister during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC)
Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival’s Origin:
At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the area we now know as
Qu Yuan (屈原)served as minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the
Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair,
Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time.
I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
And waited for the wind to come,
to sour up on my journey
As he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water to feed braver fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan’s body.
Zong Zi (粽子)
The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in corn leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed. By the way, you can buy best-quality Zongzi in a shop named Yu Fangzhai in
MAY EVERYONE HAVE A HAPPY
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