The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Double Fifth Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar,which is one of the most important Chinese festivals. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named Chu Yuan/Qu Yuan. He was a good and respected man, however 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, in his sorrow Chu Yuan/Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Lo river. Due to their admiration for Chu Yuan/Qu Yuan, the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons. Although they did not succeed in finding Chu Yuan/Qu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated today during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Nowadays people eat tzung tzu during Dragon Boar Festival. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Mi Lo river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour Chu Yuan/Qu Yuan.
So! Have you ate tzung tzu yet? Happy Dragon Boat Festival to all !!!