Happy Zongzi 粽子 Festival, 5th day of 5th Lunar month
The 5th day of the 5th month in the Chinese calendar has been set as Duānwǔ jié 端午節 (Dragon Boat Festival). Although there were many versions of legends and stories that indicate Duānwǔ jié has existed way before the legendary Qu Yuan's death, the tradition still carries on.
One of the most enduring legends associated with this celebration tells the story of Qu Yuan, an incorruptible minister of state during the Warring States era of China. Once a trusted advisor, he was banished by his emperor due to political intrigue and in despair, threw himself into the river and ended his life.
Because he was well-loved by the common folk, fishermen started to beat their oars against the water in a desperate attempt to stop the man-eating fish in the river from devouring his body. Others threw cooked rice wrapped in leaves into the water, in the hope that the fish would eat them instead.
This resulted in today’s dragonboat races and the dumplings – two of the most distinctive aspects of the festival today. The stories have fused well with the tradition of Chinese fishermen using dragon-shaped boats to appease river ‘dragons’, which evolved into a sport during the Han dynasty.
Today, many features of the ancient races remain intact, from the long and narrow boat shapes to the prows painted with dragons’ heads to the drums which set the pace for the rowers.
In Singapore, a festive atmosphere rules as participants pull furiously on their oars, leaders beat their drums, flags are waved and spectators cheer on their favourite teams.
It is vigorous action, tragic history and thrilling camaraderie, blended into one compelling and exciting spectacle.
The rice dumplings (Zòngzi 粽子) are glutinous rice or sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, or other large leaves like the Pandan leaves or Lotus leaves. You can find all sorts of different fillings in the rice - pork, roast pork, chestnut, egg, salted egg, mushroom, red bean, or just simply without filling. They could be just white rice dumpling (not pre-fried), or brown (pre-fried with soya sauce).
Nowadays, you can buy Zòngzi almost everyday of the year, in restaurants or hawker stores in most oriental countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and other Asian countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos) where large amount of Chinese reside.
There’s A Lot More To Dragon Boat Festival Than Dumplings & Boats
Here's how to tell Singapore's most popular bazhang variations apart
Wet markets across the country will also begin hawking sticky rice dumplings wrapped snugly in bamboo leaves.
We call this event the “Dragon Boat Festival”, but it is somewhat of a misnomer.
- Dragon Boat or Duan Wu Festival? - The true meaning behind the festival belies its original Chinese name, 端午节 (duan wu jie), which refers to the summer solstice. To be precise, the Chinese commemorate the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which signifies the longest day of the year.
- Where do dumplings come in? - Like in all good Chinese festivals, delectable food will be usually be involved. However, everyone’s favourite glutinous rice dumplings have rather tragic origins. Beloved poet and outspoken statesman Qu Yuan, was falsely accused of treason after speaking out against corruption. He decided to drown himself in the Mi Luo River on this very day. Rice dumplings were wrapped in leaves were thrown into the river by villagers who loved the poet and wished to prevent fish from consuming his corpse. They also tied their offerings with auspicious five-coloured threads, which apparently stopped river dragons from eating them.
- How about dragon boats? - As for the dragons on boats, it’s somewhat related as well. Fishermen who attempted to save Qu Yuan from his tragic fate, rowed their boats to scour the waters. Beating their oars against the water surface was a technique to scare evil spirits away. This tradition endures today in the form of dragon boat racing.
- A global phenomenon - There are all sorts of iterations for these leaf-wrapped dumplings. From rectangular parcels, to pyramids and squares, they’re creatively shaped and have multiple names to boot.
- Here are just a few of the different popular variations in Singapore - Fondly known as “bazhang” to many Singaporeans, the name originates from the Hokkien term “meat dumpling”. Which refers to the pork and other creative fillings cooks have added, to reinvent the humble rice dumpling.
- Think twice - So do think twice before you bite into a delectable sticky rice dumpling at the dining table this year. If you’re unsure about how to go about eating it, simply ask around for answers. Most serious dragon boaters will be more than happy to tell you the true origins of what you’re eating, as well as how to best enjoy it.
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