Memories about Duan Wu

There are lots of wonderful memories associated with Duan Wu. My grandmother used to hang moxa stick and calamus on the door, and as a kid, I got the incense bag to hang around my neck. Sometimes, we got an egg, which was put into a nicely knited little bag made of 5 colour silk threads. I still remember my childhood friends who proudly hang it on their neck...

The Auspicious Leaves

Duan comes in 5th, May, Lunar month. Because the gem, insect, fly, mosquito, and pest are active in this summer month and people is easy to catch infectious disease. On the Dragon Boat Day, Chinese hang moxa stick and calamus leaves on the doors or windows to repel insect, fly, and moth away from the house. Those leaves have anti-poison function and can prevent an epidemic.

The incense bag

The incense bags are made by hand. We put the powder of Moxa and Artemisia with some other fragrance stuff into different kind of sewing bags. Therefore it can prevent an epidemic.

The Standup Egg

The Dragon Boat Day is usually in June, which is Horse month. Horse hour in astrology is from 11:00 AM to 13:00 PM. It's said that you will be lucky for the coming year if you can make an egg standing up during Horse hour on the Dragon Boat Day. Parents like to let their children to try to make the egg standing up on the Dragon Boat Day. Certainly, the standing up egg competition will be held at noon in many places. It's said that it's will be easier to make a standing up egg at noon.

The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, (Duan Wu), is celebrated on the fifth of May in lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals. This years it falls on May 28th.

While many stories regarding its origin abound, the most popular and widely accepted version regards Qu Yuan, a minister of the Zhou Emperor during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC) He was a wise and articulate man, who was loved by the common people.He did much to fight against the rampent corruption that plagued the court, thereby earning the envy and fear of the other officals. Finally, those officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River.

Starting from that time, people commemorate Qu Yuan through Dragon Boat Races, eating zong zi, and several other activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Dragon Boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawing crowds of spectators. Dragon Boats are generally brightly painted and decorated canoes. Ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their heads are shaped like open-mouthed dragons, while the sterns end with a scaly tail. Depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. A drummer and flagcatcher stand at the front of the boat. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be "brought to life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony.

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi, is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in bulrush leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed.

'River Stone' Glutinous Rice Balls

Have you ever seen a floating stone that is tender, glutinous and really melts in your mouth? Try this sweet and savoury dessert.


It's called River Stone Glutinous Rice Ball, as it resembles the beautiful natural river stone, which a specialty of Nanjing, my hometown.

Recipe:
Dough:
200 g Glutinous rice powder
50 g Short grain Rice powder,
210 ml Water, warm
1 tsp Matcha tea powder
1 tsp Cacao powder
Filling:
160 g black sesame powder
50 g Caster sugar
60 g Peanut butter
Some water

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom's smiles can brighten any moment,

Mom's voice can calm all my fears.

Mother is a word

that means the world to me.


-- May all the mothers of the world happy and healthy!

Excerpts from Stray Birds (By Rabindranath Tagore)

Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sign.
夏天的飞鸟，飞到我的窗前唱歌，又飞去了。
秋天的黄叶，它们没有什么可唱，只叹息一声，飞落在那里。


Sorrow is hushed into peace in my heart like the evening among the silent trees.
忧思在我的心里平静下去，正如暮色降临在寂静的山林中。



Some unseen fingers, like an idle breeze, are playing upon my heart the music of the ripples.
有些看不见的手，如懒懒的微风，正在我的心上奏着
潺潺的乐声。


I sit at my window this morning where the world like a passer-by stops for a moment, nods to me and goes.
我今晨坐在窗前，世界如一个路人似的，停留了一会，向我点点头又走过去了。


Man is a born child, his power is the power of growth.
人是一个初生的孩子，他的力量，就是生长的力量。


You smiled and talked to me of nothing and I felt that for this I had been waiting long.
你微微地笑着，不同我说什么话。而我觉得，为此，我已等侯了许久。


We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.
我们把世界看错了，反说它欺骗我们。　　


How far are you from me, O Fruit? I am hidden in your heart, O Flower.
“你离我有多远呢，果实呀？”
“我藏在你心里呢，花呀。”　


The evening sky to me is like a window, and a lighted lamp, and a waiting behind it.
黄昏的天空，在我看来，象一扇窗户，一盏灯火，灯火背后的一次等待。


Sit still, my heart, do not raise your dust. Let the world find its way to you.
静静地坐着吧，我的心，不要扬起你的尘土。 让世界自己寻路向你走来。