observation

Duanwu Festival is associated with rice dumplings and dragon boat races. Most families would make it a point to have dumplings on the day itself. Those who practise ancestral worship might offer rice dumplings to their ancestors.

Besides eating dumplings and participating in dragon boat races, it’s also an occasion to commemorate patriots and emphasise the importance of loyalty to the nation. 

Schools also make the festival meaningful by organising literary activities such as essay or poetry competitions based on the theme of patriotism.

Info source: Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, Chinese Customs and Festivals in Singapore, p. 55

In Singapore

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Singaporeans are known for their love for food and the varieties of food, which reflects the country’s multi-cultural heritage. We’re fortunate to be able to enjoy different flavours of rice dumplings from various dialect groups and Peranakan Chinese in Singapore! This is mainly due to Singapore’s unique historical developments when many early Chinese migrants from Fujian and Guangdong settled down in Singapore. Hence, it’s common to find dumplings from different southern Chinese dialect groups here. This is more unlikely to be the case in other parts of the world. As our culture evolves, we also find rice dumplings adapting to the local environment and modern trends, such as plant-based and other fancy flavours! This is also why many of our food dishes are unique to Singapore.

combine cake
unique rice dumpling