DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL TANTALIZES THE TASTE BUDS

Grandpa Zhang was pleasantly surprised that his favorite zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings) shop in Shanghai reopened for business on May 16, when the city announced a phased plan to return to normal after a resurgence of COVID-19.

He was greeted with tantalizing aromas of meat and fresh reed leaves wafting from Auntie Cheng's Zongzi Shop in Fengjing ancient town, Jinshan district.

Fengjing, which originated as a village in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581), officially became a town during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

At this time every year, Zhang buys freshly made pork zongzi, the staple food for Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, which this year fell on Friday.

His routine has become more meaningful this time, with local residents involved in a concerted effort to fight the pandemic.

In previous years, tourists from Shanghai and neighboring Zhejiang province flocked to Fengjing to sample freshly made zongzi.

Shanghai news outlet The Paper quoted Zhu Xiaoling, who is in charge of Auntie Cheng's Zongzi Shop, as saying that 10,000 orders for zongzi were placed in a single day last year, and reservations had to be made up to three days in advance.

Zhu is happy that offline sales have been good this year, despite the pandemic.

In the Chinese lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

In the past, farmers used to harvest wheat, while the elderly and children stayed at home to prepare zongzi, which are simple to make, but require an eye for detail.

The first step is to wash the reed leaves. The fillings, which according to preference consist of glutinous rice, bean paste, red dates, pork or salted egg yolks, are then prepared.

Then comes the most important part－the wrapping. Two reed leaves are placed end to end and rolled into a cylindrical shape, with just a "tail" protruding. Two tablespoons of filling are poured into the cylinder, and the end is sealed with the exposed leaves. After wrapping the zongzi in circles and tying it with thread, the dumplings are ready for boiling in hot water.

Although most families eat zongzi during the festival, the different flavors mark a distinct divide between the north of China and the south.

In the north, zongzi are sweet and usually made from glutinous rice, rhubarb rice, red dates and preserved fruit. The shape of the wrapped zongzi is generally a large triangle or small rectangle. Northerners prefer eating them with a sprinkling of sugar, whereas in the south, the most popular flavor is mainly salty, with glutinous rice, pork belly, salted egg yolk, mushrooms, dried shrimps and mung bean fillings.

Due to the pandemic, dragon boat races and large gatherings of people have been prohibited in many areas of China this year.

As volunteers clad in protective clothing fight COVID-19 on the front line, a taste of zongzi during Dragon Boat Festival is a reminder of home for many.

With people's livelihoods improved, and increased health awareness, the past decade has seen a series of changes in folk customs at the festival.

The pandemic has highlighted the special significance of the festival, which signifies people's good wishes for health and safety.

Traditional customs such as warding off mosquitoes by burning wormwood, sprinkling realgar wine (a traditional Chinese drink containing fermented cereals) in the house, and hanging amulets on doors have disappeared.

However, in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, people have enjoyed "the five yellows"－realgar wine, eel, yellow croaker, cucumber and salted egg yolk. Recently, they have abandoned the realgar wine, as it contains arsenic, and is not good for health.

Symposium report

Yang Xiu, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Folklore Society and associate researcher at the China Academy of Arts' Institute of Art Studies, reported his observations about the festival at a symposium in Jiaxing on May 13 last year.

He said the traditional customs of eating zongzi and wearing small packets containing scented grass are continuing, with different types of packets and zongzi appearing every year.

In 2008, the State Council revised the national observances of annual holidays and commemorative days, officially including Dragon Boat Festival as a national statutory holiday. The custom of wearing a small packet during the festival became popular again during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, due to heightened awareness of the need to eradicate diseases.

Taking a bath during Dragon Boat Festival is also popular. According to folklore, noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the best yang moment of the year. Taking a bath in the sun at noon on this day is said to prevent the arrival of an epidemic for the next 12 months.

In Guangdong province, children are still bathed with mugwort water at noon on this day. In rural areas, scenes of mothers placing a wooden basin in a courtyard, with the water infused with mugwort, cypress, hyacinth and magnolia, are childhood memories for many.

Zheng Tuyou, vice-president of the Chinese Folklore Society and professor in the department of Chinese at Fudan University, believes that traditional Chinese festivals often have three functions: gratitude for nature and the blessings of ancestors; coordination between humankind and nature; and guidance for daily production and cultural activities.

"For Dragon Boat Festival, coordination is especially evident," Zheng said.

Important role

After the festival, temperatures rise, humidity gradually increases, various fungi and bacteria multiply, people are prone to illness, and disease is more likely to spread. Numerous types of insects are active, with mosquitoes and flies breeding in large numbers, Zheng added.

"Mugwort is hung on doors, while small packets are worn to repel insects. The fresh mugwort leaves purify the air, keep rooms hygienic, and in ancient times they played an important role in disinfection and warding off evil spirits," Zhang said.

He added that these folk customs signify people's awareness of the relationship between the environment and their health.

Villagers in Shandong province used to clean their eyes during Dragon Boat Festival. On the day, the villagers went to a field before the sun rose, collected the dew on mugwort, and washed their eyes. According to folklore, this custom gave them immunity against eye diseases for a year.

The custom arose after an outbreak of pink eye disease in rural areas in old times due to the mutual use of soap and towels among family members at a time when supplies of fresh water were scarce.

Zhang Congjun, a professor at Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, said that in ancient times, people believed that mugwort could ward off evil spirits and exorcisms, as the dew on the plant had a sacred component.

Yang, from the Chinese Folklore Society, said that due to increased scientific knowledge about hygiene, such beliefs are gradually disappearing.

However, epidemic prevention methods and hygiene concepts during Dragon Boat Festival still have cultural significance today, Yang added.