On Monday we celebrated Dragon Boat Festival, the third most important Chinese festival after the Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year. Our Chinese teacher shared with us the story:
The origin of this festival centers around a scholarly government official named Chu Yuan. He was a good and respected man, but because of the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventually fell into disfavor in the emperor's court. Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, sorrowful Chu Yuan clutched a huge stone to his chest and threw himself into the Milo River. Because of their admiration for Chu Yuan, the local people rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons. Although they weren't able to find Chu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated each year with Dragon Boat races and Tzung Tzu (special rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves).
We started our Monday holiday with Tzung Tzu for breakfast:
And then took the MRT (subway) to Xindian for a local Dragon Boat Race:
Pre-Race stretching and snacks
Heading to the boats
Some kids beat the 95+ degree heat by taking a dip in the river. I wanted to join them!
Go go go!
Several friends from church joined us, as well as one of Kalan's co-workers and his girlfriend. We concluded our morning together with traditional shaved ice covered in taro balls, tapioca pearls, sweet potatoes, and red beans. Yum!
Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
No comments:
Post a Comment