端午节 Dragon Boat Festival With 粽子 Zongzi (Ba Zhang)

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10th June, 2024 [update]

Thanks to all readers, viewers and friends. Happy Dragon Boat Festival Day. Teresa sings it well... Sio Bah Chang!

14th June, 2021 [update]

Thanking everyone who's reading this post. This Covid year and month have been very taxing for everyone. I hope you will enjoy some time eating your bah-chang and remember the festivities of dragon boats and clanging cymbals, gongs and drums. 

18th June, 2018

Huge festivities these few days: (1) the Trump/Kim Summit (2) Hari Raya Puasa (3) Father's Day (4) FIFA World Cup and of course, (5) the Dragon Boat Festival. Anything else guys?

The Festival:

On 18 June 2018, Chinese Singaporeans celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. It originated in China and the actual date varies from year to year. The festival occurs during the Summer solstice i.e. on the 5th-day in the 5th month of the Chinese calendar.

On our island, Dragon Boat races are a regular yearly affair when the famous Singapore River is filled with colourful dragon boats of drums, gongs, flags and paddlers ready to beat their challengers to win the race.

Rice dumplings or bah-chang are sold everywhere in the country. There are huge ones, middle-sized ones and even baby ones, mostly wrapped in different shades of green. The insides too are of different colours and taste and meat and content.

The Legend:

During this period, glutinous rice-dumplings (sticky rice) filled with meat are eaten to celebrate the occasion. Legend has it that an incorruptible minister, Qu Yuan, during the Warring States in China took his own life and drowned himself in the river because of political intrigue.

To keep him intact, faithful followers and town folks paddled boats loudly in the river to distract flesh-eating fish from eating his body. Others threw cooked rice wrapped in leaves in the hope that the fish would eat the dumplings instead.

鄧麗君-燒肉粽 (Sio Ba-zang) Teresa Teng - Rice Dumplings. Video: Mr Sirtea.

The Song:

This particular song has no relevance to the legend at all but explains about street hawkers who sell their wares by singing to attract. The rice-dumplings or bah-chang are obviously popular during the festival.

Sung by legendary Chinese pop star Teresa Teng, the song describes the plight of poor parents whose daughter, a university graduate, has to sell rice dumplings because she is facing unemployment problems. It is a temporary job and she is selling roast meat stew (rice dumplings filled with meat). The composition is sung in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect used often in Taiwan.

A Happy *Sio Bah Chang Festival To All.

*Hot
The term has been so used in a sensual and comedic term to mean sizzling hot breasts among the naughty boys. This sexy phrase also has a song to boot. 😅

Rice dumplings with meat within. For lunch or dinner. One is sufficient.

An original piece with information from the Internet. 

Check out the songs. Click connection below:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2021/09/mid-autumn-festival-international.html

If there is misinformation regarding this article, do write in to comment and it will be amended.

Images/Video: Google and YouTube

The sweet version of the rice dumplings for dessert or tea, drinking them with coffee. Again one dumpling is more than sufficient for the average guy.