Duanwu Jie (Rice Dumpling Festival)

DuanWu Festival or also known as Dragon Boat Festival or the Bak Chang (Rice Dumplings) festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year which fall on 8th June this year (today).

The Duanwu Festival originated in ancient China. There are a number of theories about the origins of the festival. Today, the most commonly accepted version relates to the death of poet Qu Yuan in 278 BC....Qu Yuan was an important minister back in Chu Kingdom in ancient China. He had been known for his loyalty for the emperor of Chu, and loved his country greatly. However, His Majesty had not taken Qu Yuan's advice seriously, and he eventually got himself trapped and captured in a foreign land by his enemies, which then lead to his own death. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

The people then made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river. They believed this would stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. Some would even row down stream in a boat, beating drums and shouting out loud in the hope to scare the fish away (it was believed that it is how the Dragon Boat event is related to the festival which has became an international event in parts of the world such as Hong Kong and Penang.

Rice dumpling festival made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo/lotus leaves comes in different ingredients, shapes and sizes over the years...but the common main ingredients are mushroom, chestnut, shrimps or sambal udang, salted egg yolk, beans....etc. or simply in plain glutinous rice form where people would dip with sugar, syrup (gula melaka) or kaya....yummy...who could resist gula melaka?? :)

So, since it is DuanWu Jie today.....lunch makan rice dumpling....dinner also makan rice dumpling....muka dah jadi macam rice dumpling.....and I am sure tomorrow office would also got rice dumpling!

But think of it....ni macam karut lagi mengarut....fish eats human body??? Pirahna?? Fish eats rice??? So, next time teach your children...Cat eats what?? (fish) ....Fish eats what?? (human)...Human eats what?? (Cats)....that would complete the whole food chain nicely....wakakakaka. PEACE :)