Dragon Boat Festival and Making Zhongzi

 
Today my host family and I celebrated the Dragon Boat festival. It is a traditional holiday near the summer solstice to commemorate Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet. Two of the most popular traditions are eating zongzi and the dragon boat races. Zongzi are triangular shaped sticky rice dumplings that have different fillings inside. Since zongzi have become common, they can easily be found in the store, but some families still choose to make them. Dragon boats resemble a traditional Chinese dragon with the fore and stern. A team tries to beat the other teams by reaching the destination first and having a person beating a drum in order to maintain order.

My host parents invited family and friends to the house to have lunch together. People began arriving early in the morning in order to start preparing the food. While the kids were in the living room watching tv and playing games, the adults were in the kitchen taking care of all the food. After a while, they managed to put together a delicious lunch. At the table, we got to introduce ourselves and talk about what we liked. Once everyone finished eating, we began making zongzi with dates in the middle. Days like these are fun because I get to learn more about the culture while making a traditional food.

 

Written By: Linett Garcia  

Salinas, California (York School)