The Dragon Boat Festival is widely known as the Dumpling Festival in Malaysia. The festival is celebrated by the Chinese community to commemorate the life and death of the famous poet and scholar, Qu Yuan.
Dragon Boat Festival
What is it about?
The Dragon Boat Festival is widely known as the Dumpling Festival in Malaysia. The festival is celebrated by the Chinese community to commemorate the life and death of the famous poet and scholar, Qu Yuan.
When is it?
The Dragon Boat Festival is traditionally celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
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History
Did you know that the history of the Dragon Boat Festival dates all the way back to 2000 years ago? Qu Yuan was a trusted counsellor in the Kingdom of Chu and he dedicated his life in building the State of Chu. During the Warring States period, China was divided into seven warring states; namely Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhou, Wei and Qin. The kingdom of Qin was the strongest among all and was ruled by Qin Shu Huang. People of Chu adored and admired Qu Yuan for being a patriotic, wise and honourable advisor. However, his outstanding talents were antagonised by the corrupt officials in the court and as a result he was exiled by the emperor for proposing a strategic alliance with the State of Qi in anticipation of fending off the threat from the State of Qin.
Soon, the State of Chu was captured and surrendered to the State of Qin. Qu Yuan was despaired by the news and ended his life by drowning himself in the Miluo River.
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Upon hearing news of this tragic attempt, villagers took boats and carried dumplings to the middle of the river to try and save Qu Yuan, but their efforts were in vain. They turned to beating drums, splashing water with their paddles and throwing the rice dumplings into the water – serving as both an offering to Qu Yuan’s spirit, as well as a means to keep fishes and evil spirits away from his body. These rice dumplings became the zongzi we know today, while the search for Qu Yuan’s body became the intense dragon boat races.
Tradition and how is it celebrated?
Dragon boat racing is the highlight and the main activity during the Dragon Boat Festival. Wooden boats are ornately carved with fierce painted ‘dragon’ heads and tails.
A typical dragon boat competitive racing team consists of either 12 or 22 paddlers, who are divided into three roles — the pacers, the engines and the rockets.
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The pacers sit close to the front of the boat and they are responsible for creating the pace. In the centre of the boat are the engines who help the boat to go as far as it can and in the rear are the rockets, who are often the heavyweights of the team who boost the boat’s speed when needed.
It is a vibrant spectacle that consists of heavy drumming and intense racers as they race to reach the finish line. In Malaysia, popular spots for this festival are Penang and Sabah. Outside of Malaysia, are Hong Kong and China.
The popular rice dumplings
“Zongzi” or sticky glutinous rice dumplings is one of the main festive food during Dragon Boat Festival. The dumplings are wrapped in bamboo leaves into pyramid shapes and steamed before serving.
In Malaysia, “zongzi” is called bakchang, bacang or zang, mostly due to the Hokkien influence. In Thailand, they are known as ba-chang. They consist of rice, beans, salted eggs, mushrooms and meat. Their taste even ranges from sweet to savoury ones.
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The most popular type of the dumplings is called “bak chang” with mushroom and meat as the main ingredient while the savoury type is called “puah kiam ti chang”.
With this festival fast approaching, do visit FaveKad for some mouth-watering “zongzi” ecards to wish your loved ones and friends a very Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Click below for our full collection of Dragon Boat Festival ecards.