Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong ― Date, History, and Details
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Let's dive deeper into learning more about the history of Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong and why people celebrate or observe it.
History of Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous poet and minister Qu Yuan. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and is also known as Duanwu, Duen Ng or Tuen Ng. The festival is celebrated with dragon boat races, eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and drinking realgar wine.
Dragon boat racing is the main event of the holiday. Teams of paddlers race against each other in long boats shaped like dragons. The races are traditionally held on rivers, but nowadays they can also be held on lakes or even in swimming pools.
Eating zongzi is another important part of the Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi are pyramid-shaped dumplings made of sticky rice and filled with meat or vegetables. They are usually wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked by steaming or boiling.
Drinking realgar wine is also a popular way to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. Realgar is a type of arsenic, and it was once used as an insecticide. Nowadays, it is only used for making wine, which is thought to have medicinal properties.