Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan who live at Zoo Taipei in Taiwan, enjoy a special treat that is part of the Dragon Boat Festival that takes place today in China. A little of what this festival is about, follows the video that was captured from the CCTV.com website. Thanks, hugwildlife for finding this video for us.
"The Dragon Boat Festival derives from around 300 B.C., when Qu Yuan, a famous minister and poet from the state of Chu, drowned himself in the Miluo River in what is now Hubei province of China. Qu is remembered as a wise and scholarly man who opposed corruption at court, thereby antagonizing other officials, who influenced the emperor to banish him to a remote area.
Qu Yuan continued to try to influence the kingdom, traveling, teaching and writing poetry – works that are now considered masterpieces of ancient Chinese culture. Eventually, when he heard that the Chu state had been defeated by the stronger Qin state, in despair he decided to end his life by flinging himself into the river.
According to popular legend, when local fishermen heard what had happened they raced their boats to the spot he had last been seen, to search for his body. People threw dumplings, eggs and other food into the river for the fish, to prevent them from feeding on the scholar. Thus dragon boats and dumplings became part of commemorative celebrations on the anniversary of his death, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month." This story was taken from an article titled "Squabbles over the Dragon Boat Festival", on the UPIAsia.com website.
