Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday originating in China that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar, Qu Yuan. The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the traditional Chinese calendar, which is lunisolar calendar. The official Chinese name of the festival is "Duanwu Festival".

There is a sad story regarding Dragon Boat Festival. Qu Yuan who is a famous Chinese scholar has committed suicide after the false rumours about him being spread and eventually ruining his reputation. Qu Yuan drowned himself by attaching a heavy stone to his chest and jumping into the river.

Although some of the fishermen tried to save him but they were too late. The local people then began the tradition of throwing the rice dumplings (zongzi) into the river to prevent the fishes in the river from eating Qu Yuan’s body. Qu Yuan became the inspiration of the festival that is now celebrated throughout the world.

Believe it or not, you can balance a raw egg on its end at midday on the day of Dragon Boat Festival. And yes, it does actually work. Being able to balance a raw egg on its end will bring good luck to you for the year. Apart from that, Dragon Boat races take place throughout the world during the festival. A traditional paddled long boat is used during the competition. Many of the countries would organize the International Dragon Boat Competition where the participants from different countries would compete against local teams.

Eat rice dumplings (zongzi) is a must during Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi s a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Zongzi falls into two categories which are sweet and savoury. The savoury variety is the most popular and usually contain nuts, egg, and meat. Both are triangular in shape, wrapped in bamboo leaves, tied together with string, and taste scrumptious.