On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people in China, and Chinese expats around the world, celebrate the Dumpling Festival.
The worldwide feast is in honor of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese scholar. It features feasts of zongzi, rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The day is a national holiday, with businesses and schools closing in its remembrance.
As legend has it, when Qu Yuan’s hometown was invaded he threw himself in a river. The villagers couldn’t save him, so they threw cooked rice into the river to prevent fish from eating his body. Over time, the holiday morphed into an event focused on eating rice dumplings and racing dragon boats on the river (a nod to locals racing in their boats to try to save Qu Yuan after he threw himself into the water). The event also goes by the name Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival.
More than 30 racing teams compete in Beijing at the National Dragon Boat Invitational Race, taking place at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. Other races occur in Beihai, Taoranting and Jingshan parks.
Given its global appeal, it’s hard to know exactly how many people celebrate this wonderful food festival.
