Dumpling Festival is an unusual parade, but it is considered one of the most important and famous in Singapore. It is also one of the most colorful festivals in the country where its citizens gather to consume thousands of dumplings all in one mega event.
Locals and tourists alike enjoy the Dumpling Festival which is held annually. This important national festival is related to an interesting ancient Chinese legend. Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet and statesman, is believed to have thrown himself into the Milo River to show his strong disapproval of the injustice and corruption inflicted on the fishermen. It is also believed that the local fishing community went to great lengths to save his body from demons. As a result, they began to throw rice into the river as offerings and began to beat drums and gongs.
So over time this became an annual event. The Chinese community living in Singapore celebrates the Dumpling Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of each year. They celebrate it by organizing colorful dragon boat races and consume hundreds and hundreds of dumplings. They relate the races of dragons to the search for the body of their beloved Qu Yuan.
Zongzi or dumplings are small packets of rice encased in bamboo leaves. To prevent dragons from eating the rice packets, people tied them with brightly colored silk threads.
Since recent times, many new items have added more color and excitement to the Dumpling Festival. These new elements include lion dances, Chinese opera and orchestral shows and karaoke nights. The highlight of the festival occurs when the people from the parade gather at the Albert Mall.