The Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival
When my sons were two, telling them the Dragon Boat Festival legend was one of our favorite bed-time stories. Complete with sound effects, characters portrayal, and gesture re-enactment, I aimed to let my sons experience the story of the selfless legend Poet, Qu Yuan (pronounced “Chu Yu’an” in Mandarin), from 278 B.C. Then there were, of course, the famous and delicious Dragon Boat dumplings my mother made.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a prominent Chinese festival, celebrated on the fifth day of May in the Lunar calendar. It is a public holiday in China and Hong Kong. Families mark the day with a feast and make delicious dumplings, wrapped in bamboo leaves, to eat.
The Sacrifice of Qu Yuan
Once upon a time, during the Warring States period in the Chu State in China, there was a patriotic poet and government official named Qu Yuan. He grew dismayed at the corruption of the emperor and the suffering of the people. His attempt to persuade the emperor to relieve the misery of the subjects failed repeatedly. In a desperate protest, Qu Yuan threw himself in the river to sacrifice his own life.
The Dragon Boats
The village people immediately went out to the river but were unable to find their beloved poet. They went out in boats and banged on drums loudly to scare off the fish from the body of the poet. They threw rice dumplings wrapped in leaves from the boats into the river, with the hope that the fish will feast on the dumplings, instead of the poet’s body. The tradition of the dragon boat race and rice dumplings carried on until today, in memory of the beloved poet Qu Yuan.
The Dumplings (Zong Zi)
The glutinous, or sticky, rice dumplings are made with layers of glutinous rice, mung beans, marinated pork belly, and salted duck eggs. Wrapped in bamboo leaves and secured with twine, the dumpings are steamed for 1-2 hours, until cooked and soft.
The dumplings are carefully unwrapped, exposing the steamy hot, plump rice dumplings. They are enjoyed with a spinkle of sugar (my preference), or a splash of soy sauce for a savory finish. When little, my sons would help me make the dumpings at home. My now grown sons and I still love the dumplings and would be eating them for breakfast for a week. This year, I am too busy with work to make them myself, and instead purchased a few from a Chinese grocer in Rochester.
The Dragon Boat Race
Growing up in Hong Kong, I would get to the New Territories to watch dragon boat races. In the hot sweltering summer heat, large crowds from the shores cheered on the colorfully decorated long boats, all racing to the finish line, to the deafening drum beats from the drummers sitting high at the head the boats. The team members, ranging from 10 to 30, are assigned different positions on the boat, according to physical aptitude. The back paddlers provide the power and the front paddlers offer the synchronized strokes. The drummer on each boat sets the pace.
The races are carried out internationally, as well as in many cities in the States, in July or August. For many years, I took my sons to experience the Dragon Boat race in Flushing in Queens NY. They were interested in all the action and pageantry, but not as enthralled as I was.
I wonder when they become fathers, if they will tell the story of Qu Yuan to their kids. Or would they even remember the story? Would this become one of your bed-time stories? Love to hear your thoughts.
