While ‘Kung Fu Panda’ was kicking up a storm at the box office, June 8 this year was a special day for many Asians- especially the Chinese. 2008 marks the first time that China has declared a public holiday for the annual Dragon Boat Festival, unofficially celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month (lunar calendar), and is also known as the “Duan Wu” festival or Rice Dumpling Festival. True to its name, Asians traditionally celebrate by preparing and eating pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings (‘zong zi‘) and watching dragon boat races.

This day commemorates the death of the famous Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan more than 2000 years ago during the Warring States Period (475-221BC), who drowned himself in Hunan province’s Miluo River after being devastated by news that the capital had been conquered by the enemy’s army. In despair, the common folks scoured the river in boats hoping to rescue Qu Yuan and threw zongzi to the fish as distraction from devouring his body. Henceforth the Dragon Boat Festival lives on often serving as a reminder of the importance of loyalty and commitment to the community.