Bak Chang /_\

Tomorrow is the dumpling festival, also known as “ Duan Wu Jie”( translated in Chinese).

The symbolic item for this festival would be the dumpling, preferably to be called “Bak Chang”.( translated in Hokkien)

Just to share with my blog’s viewers who are still uncertain of the origin of the festival. It started by a loyal and patriotic poet in China long ago, back to the period when China was broken into seven states and had their own King in each state, known as Warring States Period(战国时代). The poet was named Qu Yuan (屈原) and he was one of the principle ministers in the administrative system in Chu state in China. Qu Yuan is said to have written the lengthy poem of lamentation called "Lament of Ying”（哀郢 ） and later to have waded into the Miluo river（ 汨罗江 ）,holding a great rock in order to commit ritual suicide as a form of protest against the corruption of the era. 

It was then the villagers carried their dumplings and boats to the middle of the river and desperately tried to save him, but were unsuccessful. In order to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body, they beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles. They threw rice into the water as a food offering to Qu Yuan and to distract the fish away from his body. However, late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that he died because of a river dragon. He asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages to ward off the dragon. These packages became a traditional food known as zongzi (粽子), although the lumps of rice are now wrapped in reed leaves instead of silk. The act of racing to search for his body in boats gradually became the cultural tradition of dragon racing, which is held on the anniversary of his death every year.

Every year my grandma will make a few of bak chang for us and personally, I feel that Nyonya dumpling is the nicest and the other types of dumpling, for instance, meat dumpling do not suit me at all.

The price of dumpling is almost the same in Singapore and Malaysia (1 for $2 and 1 for RM 5, for the same type of dumpling). Heard for Simon that the dumpling in Australia is much dearer, with one cost Aus$ 3.5.

Anyway, we all must eat bak chang so as to support the traditional practice in order to keep the practice everlasting.