Food has deep meaning in Chinese culture and it is of great significance towards the colorful and grandiose festivals celebrated by people of East Asian descent around the globe. Each of the major and minor holidays in the past year is intrinsically associated with special dishes which are essential to eat throughout the celebrations.
Perhaps the renowned of these holidays is Chinese Year which is celebrated during January or February every year depending on the lunar calendar. It may be quite noisy at the moment of year as anyone that has lived near any East or East Asian community knows due to the abundant number of firecrackers trigger during this time to which are viewed to drive away evil spirits.
Many foods eaten throughout the New Year are said to create good luck, symbolise togetherness and longevity and always should be presented whole up for grabs, such as whole chicken and fish. Noodles are also eaten during Year celebrations and should be produced as long as possible because they represent a long and prosperous life.
The following big celebration may be the Dragon Boat festival, which marks time for Dragon Boat races whose participants vary from amateurs to professional teams that compete in big cities all over the world. The must-have delicacy in this festival is 'songs', a glutinous rice dumpling flavoured with various ingredients depending on the local custom prior to being wrapped and cooked inside a banana leaf.
The dumpling eating good reputation for this festival involves a famous poet named Que Yuan. It is stated he ended his life by jumping right into a river because of great sorrow and disillusionment he felt in reaction to the corruption he saw happening throughout him. After his death legend says all of the villagers threw rice in to the river to tempt the forest dragons to eat the rice and save his spirit from being devoured. His sacrifice caused the nation to begin a period of reflection along with a long period of peace followed. To commemorate his death, villagers began making the rice dumplings or 'songs' during the anniversary of Que Yuan's sacrifice, which later became referred to as Dragon Boat festival which is why 'songs' are still eaten even today.
Booking flights and accommodation during either of those major festivals can be tough due to their popularity, but when you can make it out there, the knowledge is extremely rewarding. Going to a city like Hmong Kong, Beijing, Taipei, or other cities in the far-east during one of these simple festivals is really worth doing as the sights, sounds, food and mingling using the local people is sure to offer an authentic experience.
In order to find a hotel in Hmong Kong or accommodation elsewhere it is advisable to book early if you are contemplating a visit to the far-east during festival-time. Lots of people in the region will also be travelling around festival time but when bookings are arranged ahead of time it is possible to find cheap flights and accommodation and notice a true taste from the Orient.
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