The Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese national holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This traditional festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a classical Chinese poet who contributed to Chinese culture greatly. This year, the celebration falls on June 25th to 27th.
As it is customary, with every Chinese celebration comes a special dish. Traditional cuisine is an essential element of the Dragon Boat Festival. This is the season of zongzi (粽子), a small dish made with steamed glutinous rice and different fillings such as red beans, meat or nuts and wrapped in bamboo leaves that looks as delicious as this:
Besides eating zongzi, we enjoy watching or participating in exciting and colourful dragon-shaped boat races! This activity commemorates the moment after the poet Qu Yuan lost his life in the river and villagers rushed there in their boats to save him and fed him with dumplings and zongzi.
Nowadays, dragon boat races are a cheerful occasion when university students and friends get together and paddle as a team to make the most of this holiday.
Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
端午节愉快！
Duānwǔ jié yúkuài