Happy Dumpling Festival!!

Today is 五月初五(fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar), 端午节 （The Dumpling Festival/The Dragon Boat Festival). I believe everyone (chinese la) know this day, but do you know why we have this day?

I saw this tv program last sunday, they interviewed ppl asking them why we have this dumpling festival, apparently, a lot of ppl know that we going to eat dumpling on this day, but not much ppl know WHY!!

Some say, last time they made dumpling is to throw to the river and feed the fish ma...(^_^)
Then got some other ppl say, oh, is because that guy, forgot what's the name, so ppl throw dumpling into the river lor, forgot why throw la!! (^~^)

Among all the adults that they interviewed, all of them only know half or should i say, they know a bit, then add a bit of salt and pepper. Only this little boy who is able to tell the reporters the whole story about this dumpling festival!! GENG!!

So for those that knows a bit, or not very sure, or forgot why we have this festival, read the following:- (gotten from http://www.nhb.gov.sg )

It is a day to remember the poet Qu Yuan, who was a loyal official in the court of the Chu Kingdom in old China. Other officials told the emperor lies about Qu Yuan. The weak emperor believed the evil officials and asked Qu Yuan to leave his court. Over the next 20 years, the Chu kingdom got weaker. Qu Yuan was very sad that his beloved country was controlled by another country, the Qin Kingdom. He decided to end his life by jumping into the river. Fishermen who heard that Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river set sail on boats to look for his body. When they could not find it, they threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river so that the fish in the river would eat the rice instead of his body. The traditions of dragon boat races and eating rice dumplings on Duan Wu Jie thus began.

*_* ...... miss the nyonya dumplings made by my grandma...