19/06/2026

Duān Wǔ Jié 端午节 Dumpling Festival 2026


The Dumpling Festival (端午节 “Duan Wu Jie” ), or Dragon Boat Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar
Zong Zi” (糯米) Bak Chang
Duān Wǔ Jié 端午节 Festival

Zongzi is a must-have food during Duanwu Festival. In ancient China, these traditional rice dumplings were used as an offering to pay tribute to ancestors and deities. Later, according to legend, after poet Qu Yuan plunged himself into the Miluo River, people threw zongzi into the water to divert fish away from his body. Zongzi are pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves and tied with colored thread. They are prepared with a wide range of fillings, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, ham and egg yolk.

Duanwu Festival is also called the Dragon Boat Festival. It's said that the festival may originate from dragon worship and that dragon boat racing reflects a reverence for the dragon deity. Folk tales also suggest that dragon boat racing is connected with the ancient poet Qu Yuan. After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river to mourn the fall of his motherland, local people raced out in their boats to try and save him. Later, dragon boat racing became an indispensable part of the festival. Nowadays, it has developed into a sport which combines both Chinese tradition and the modern sporting spirit.

Realgar wine is a kind of Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar. Legend has it that an old doctor poured a jug of realgar wine into the water where poet Qu Yuan drowned himself, hoping to make all the creatures in the river drunk and prevent them from eating the poet's body. Past generations also used realgar as a pesticide against mosquitoes in the hot summer, and as an antidote against poison in ancient times. Now, drinking realgar wine has become a tradition during Duanwu Festival. Chinese people often hang mugwort above their doors to deter insects. In ancient times, people believed that hanging mugwort, calamus or pomegranate flowers could get rid of misfortune or drive away evil spirits. Also, venomous animals — such as snakes, centipedes and scorpions — were said to appear starting from the fifth day of the fifth month, and so people would hang mugwort or calamus, take long walks, and wear perfumed medicine pouches to keep venomous animals away and prevent diseases while promoting health and well-being.


Dragon Boat Festival: Names, Origins, Traditions, Greetings

Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is in late May or June on the Gregorian calendar.

Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four top traditional Chinese festivals, along with the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival. It is called Dragon Boat Festival, or Longzhou Jie (龙舟节) in Chinese, because of its close association with dragon boats. Chinese people attach great cultural significance to dragons. The two main activities during the festival are eating zongzi (rice dumplings) and boat races, and both are related to dragons. Zongzi have long been thrown into rivers as offerings and sacrifices to the Dragon God on lunar month 5 day 5, while dragon boats are used in races traditionally held on this day. So, it is also called the Dragon Boat Festival.

In addition to China, many other Asian countries also celebrate this festival. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, it is known as Bak Chang Festival (‘Dumpling Festival'). Learn more facts about the Dragon Boat Festival:
  • The Festival Date Varies Each Year!
  • It Is an Important Public Holiday
  • It Is One of the National/UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Items
  • It Is a Traditional Festival to Worship an Ancient Chinese Poet — Qu Yuan
  • The Most Ceremonial Activity Is Held — Dragon Boat Racing
  • Eating Zongzi is the Most Popular Custom
  • Special Plants are Hung on Doors to Discourage Diseases

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05/06/2026

World Environment Day 2026


The foods we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet habitable all come from nature.

Yet, these are exceptional times in which nature is sending us a message:
  • To care for ourselves we must care for nature.
  • It’s time to wake up. To take notice. To raise our voices.
  • It’s time to build back better for People and Planet.
  • This World Environment Day, it’s Time for Nature.

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 World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June every year, and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on environmental issues emerging from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. World Environment Day has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, WED has provided a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and all celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes.

World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth". Even though WED celebration have been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the idea for rotating the centre of these activities through selecting different host countries began.

For almost five decades, World Environment Day has been raising awareness, supporting action, and driving changes for the environment

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31/05/2026

Blue Moon 2026

WHAT IS A BLUE MOON?

The modern day definition of a Blue Moon is when there are 2 Full Moons in one Month. A Full Moon occurs roughly every 29.5 days and on the rare occasions when the Full Moon falls at the very beginning of a month there is a good chance a Blue Moon will occur at the end of the month. According to this definition the next Blue Moon will occur on January 31, 2018.

ORIGINAL BLUE MOON DEFINITION:
  • The modern definition of a Blue Moon was derived from an earlier idea of what a Blue Moon was. This earlier definition says a Blue Moon is when there are 4 Full Moons in a season rather than the usual 3. The Blue moon is the 3rd Full Moon out of the 4. This definition gets a bit complicated and it's origins are murky. One school of thought has to do with the naming of the Full Moons. Many cultures named the Full Moons each month to reflected the times for planting, harvesting or seasonal conditions. When an extra Full Moon was thrown in it was referred to as a Blue Moon to keep the Full Moon names constant throughout the year.
  • Another origin could be from the Christian ecclesiastical calendar. This one gets even more tricky but basically has to do with the idea that there are usually 12 Full Moons in a year. The Full Moons on this calendar were important markers for determining curtain dates such as Easter. When a 13th Full moon was thrown into the year it made things messy so giving it a name allowed the calendar to stay on track.
  • The idea of a Blue Moon being the extra full moon in a season (or when there were 13 in a year) was widely used in 19th and early 20th center Farmers Almanacs and the more modern version seems to have come from an article written in the 1930's that misinterpreted the Farmers Almanac definition. The article was names "Once in a Blue Moon" and from that point on the term became part of popular culture.

IS THE MOON EVER THE COLOR BLUE?
  • This is a very rare event but it does happen. There are a few recorded events when forest fires or ash volcanic eruptions have given the moon a bluish color. The moon can also has a blueish color on very cold winter nights when ice crystals in the air form a ring around the moon. Of course the idea of the moon being blue is very subjective and left up to ones own interpretation.
  • An interesting twist to the idea of a Blue Moon is the idea of Dark Moon. Sometimes the reference of a Dark Moon is given when there are 2 new moons is a calendar month, the opposite of a Blue Moon. Other definitions say it is when there is no Full moon is a calendar month. Neither of these definitions or the term Dark Moon is used very often. Neither has any scientific bases and is more a part of popular culture.
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Happy Vesak Day 卫塞节 2026


Vesak Day

Vesak Day is a major event on the Buddhist calendar. It is a public holiday in Singapore which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Buddha. In Singapore this day is celebrated every year with the faithful visiting their nearest temple, preparing their offerings and then engaging in a number of rituals.

Each year, monks lead the way by chanting the sutras and the local people flock to the temples to make offerings to Buddha. During this religious holiday, local people will engage in a ritual known as Dana, which is an opportunity to show generosity. The Dana celebration involves releasing caged animals and birds. The day is also marked by visiting the poor and young people will often go to hospitals where they will donate blood. On Vesak Day, there are also candlelight processions through the city and visitors will be able to view these processions at Phor Kark See Temple on Bright Hill Road. As the devotees walk in procession, they will pray for peace and ask for personal blessings and repentance.

Some of the most interesting locations to visit during this day include Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery which is Singapore’s largest temple which offers tours of the museum; the Vesak Carnival which is run by the Buddhist Fellowship and has food stalls, games, music and blessings; and the Amitabha Buddhist Centre hosts an event beside Aljunied MRT Station. Alternatively, visitors can go from temple to temple to view the many varied celebrations hosted on this day as there will be activities running from dawn till dusk, and well into the night. Vesak Day is a public holiday in Singapore, so many government buildings and banks will close, but most restaurants and malls will remain open.


Vesak Day

Vesak Day (Wesak Day) is an annual religious festival celebrated by the major Buddhist denominations in Singapore. While it is often referred to as “Buddha’s Birthday”, its actual significance is to mark the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Gautama Buddha, and is considered one of the most significant occasions in Buddhism. Vesak Day is usually celebrated on the first full-moon day of the Vaisakha month in the lunar calendar and typically lasts for a full day. This translates to April or May in the Gregorian calendar.

Vesak Day is celebrated in countries such as Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar where there are sizable Buddhist communities. Most Buddhist temples and monasteries in Singapore celebrate this festival, though the scale of the celebrations may vary. Theravada Buddhists in Singapore may visit temples such as the Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple in St Michael’s Road and Wat Ananda Metyarama temple in Jalan Bukit Merah, and members of the Mahayana tradition may congregate in temples such as the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Bright Hill Road.

The festival is celebrated by the major Buddhist groups in Singapore, including Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. The various temples and monasteries organise their own events and celebrations, with help from volunteers and professional suppliers and coordinators. Temples may often form a separate committee of volunteers to manage the Vesak Day celebrations. For example, in the Wat Ananda Metyarama temple, the committee includes Thai volunteers, volunteers from the temple’s youth division, and those from the community service groups of institutes of higher learning. Small temples may work with the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF) or with their larger counterparts to hold joint celebrations.

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30/05/2026

The Teochew 潮州 Chaozhou Culture

祖父祖母来自中国 Zǔfù zǔmǔ láizì zhōngguó
潮州古城7分钟The ancient city of Chaozhou

A Shout-out to the Gaginan

Residing in South China for about 1,700 years, the Teochew (Chaoshan in Mandarin) people are one of three ethnic groups who have lived in these lands for generations. Though they have long shared the region with the Cantonese and Hakka, they still maintain their own language and have inherited a unique culture.

According to modern Chinese geography, the Chaoshan region generally refers to the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou, Jieyang and Shanwei, located in the southeastern part of Guangdong province. People from this area refer to each other as gaginan (Teochew transliteration), or ‘my own people’ in English. 

One of the foremost characteristics ascribed to the Teochew is an instinct for trade and business, no matter if it’s a neighborhood grocery store or a global corporation. Amongst a long list of well-known Teochew entrepreneurs, the most notable are Li Ka-shing, formerly the richest man in China, and Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent, the company that created the almighty WeChat and QQ.


Teochews in Singapore
Teochews in Singapore 1997年電視系列片

The 20th century produced many successful overseas Teochew businessmen, who always devoted their energy and wealth towards the education and other fields of philanthropy. Watch the late Lien Ying Chow of Overseas Union Bank and other Teochews in Singapore share their stories and the philosophy behind their selfless contributions towards the larger society in this documentary produced by Shantou Television in 1997.


Singaporean woman on how she found her way back to her Teochew roots
Her then-three-year-old daughter’s fixation on Teochew opera led Eileen Hair on a path to rediscovering her roots

For younger Chinese Singaporeans, joining a clan association is something not many would consider. Especially taking into account that many of us can barely hold a conversation in our dialect.

But for Eileen Hair, who is the section head of the event management course at ITE College Central, joining the Teochew clan association in 2018 was like fulfilling her calling. However, what prompted the 43-year-old’s quest for membership at Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan wasn’t because she was encouraged to do so by her grandparents, nor was it out of a need to network with other businessmen in the clan.

It was her then-three-year-old daughter’s unexpected interest in Teochew opera at the 2016 Teochew Festival that encouraged Hair to dig deeper into her roots.

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