Rice?
Check. Fatty pork filling? Check. Bamboo Leaves? Check. Is it the fifth day of
the fifth month? Yep. We have all the ingredients to make the Chinese Dragon
Boat Festival’s favorite food, The Zongzi. The zongzi is a glutinous rice dumpling
which is boiled and served hand-held for easy carry to watch the festival. The
story behind the famous dish was circled around a Qu Yuan, known for his
patriotism, tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the
expansionism of their Qin neighbors. Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned
himself in the Miluo river. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown
into the river to prevent the fish from eating the poet's body. Although a sad
story, the same site where Qu Yuan killed himself, the annual national Dragon
Boat Festival is held. The Boat Festival is a time and place where Chinese
people gather around and celebrate by racing their dragon boats, wearing
incense bags to ward off bad spirits, and of course EATING! The Chinese Dragon
Boat Festival is so important to Chinese culture, that it is a national holiday
where working is prohibited. Festivals and Holidays are fun, and food makes
these events even more special to celebrate.
I think this is the first time I have heard of a national holiday around eating food besides Thanksgiving. It is interesting to read that China has a holiday that, although celebrating a different topic, focuses on eating too.
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