Sweet Zongzi or Salty Zongzi? Every Dragon Boat Festival, the battle of sweet and salty dumplings always occupies a place in the hot topic of the Internet. This seemingly simple little debate reflects the great difference between the traditional customs of the North and the South during the Dragon Boat Festival. Let’s count down together today, the different forms of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in the north and the south of our country.
Dragon Boat Race VS Outing
Dragon boat racing is an important custom of the Southern Dragon Boat Festival. Legend has it that the dragon boat originated in the ancient state of Chu. People were reluctant to abandon Qu Yuan and threw himself into the river to die. They used dragon boats to disperse the fish in the river so that the fish would not eat Qu Yuan's body. Since then, the custom of dragon boats to commemorate Qu Yuan has been formed in many places in the south.
In ancient times in the north, local officials would go to the south of the city to hold gatherings, and invited the city's literati and officials to feast and write poems, which was called "treading the willows". Now, everyone is a family outing together.
Salty dumplings VS Sweet rice dumplings
The salty taste is the mainstay of the southern zongzi, with various shapes, such as triangle, torch, cone, and square.
Bean Paste Dumplings
Small jujube dumplings
There are roughly three types of northern sweet dumplings: one is white dumplings made of pure glutinous rice. The other is jujube dumplings, which are filled with jujubes and preserved fruits. The third is bean paste dumplings.
white rice dumplings
Moxa calamus VS Money to remove five poisons
moxa calamus
money to remove five poisons
During the Southern Dragon Boat Festival, every household will put calamus and moxa sticks on the lintel to ward off evil spirits. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival also has the custom of wearing sachets.
On the Dragon Boat Festival in the north, there is a custom of wearing Zhong Kui's copper coins to remove the five poisons to ward off evil spirits, but now it is gradually replaced by the five poisons belly pockets. Five-color silk threads are also a way to ward off evil spirits during the Northern Dragon Boat Festival. Red, yellow, blue and green silk threads are braided together and worn on the wrist and ankle, which is exquisite and beautiful.