My Heart Will Go On

“Happy New Year!” one of my friends who lives in China said excitedly and asked me through the cell phone, “How did you celebrate The Chinese New Year in the U.S?” I didn’t say anything because I didn’t celebrate it. I only had dinner with my family. Not only has the Chinese New Year been lost in translation since I arrived in the U.S., but also a lot of Chinese traditional festivals. For example, the Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated on May 5^th of the traditional Chinese calendar, cannot easily to be explained to the people here. There are three main characteristics of this event that have gotten lost in this new land.

First of all, the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is related to a true story from our Chinese history. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate a great governor whose name is Qu Yuan. He was a famous person who won respect from people of his generation. At that time, there were some governors who were jealous of and hated Qu Yuan, they ended up framing him. Qu Yuan was so sad for his dream that couldn’t come true. Therefore, he jumped into the Mi Luo River and died. Because of the respect from people, people created the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan by celebrating on May 5^th of the traditional Chinese calendar. In my hometown, it’s an important festival, and adults periodically celebrate the festival every year. However, now, May 5^th is kind of a normal day for us. There are not too many people to celebrate it here, so it is not easy to create and enjoy the atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival in my new home.

In addition, people also make some special food called Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Day. During the generation of Qu Yuan, people made Zongzi and threw them into the Mi Luo River. People hoped the fish in the river would eat Zongzi instead of Qu Yuan’s body. Once, a foreigner asked me that what Zongzi is when I was eating it during my lunch. I wanted to tell him what it is; however, I didn’t know how to answer this unexpected question. I just simply told him that Zongzi is a kind of food made of rice from China. Actually, Zongzi is a kind of dumpling mixed with rice, red date or pork and wrapped in bamboo leaves. When I lived in China, I ate different flavors of Zongzi which were made by my mother on the Dragon Boat Festival every year. After I moved here, I could buy Zongzi but always the same flavor normally which makes me feel that the real significance has lost.

Moreover, there is a dragon boat race during the Dragon Boat Festival. A dragon boat can fit a couple dozen people. There would be a person waving a flag to make the rowing keep stroke. The dragon boat race teaches people how important the unity is, and they can win the race only depending on unity. In my hometown, people always hold the dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival every year. On that day, whatever the old and the young people like to watch the race around the river. It is so mesmerizing that I cannot forget it at all. In Chicago’s Chinatown, people here also hold the dragon boat race. I watched the race which was held in 2007 in Chicago. There were many foreigners enjoying the race, and the audience cheered loudly and excitedly for their favorite team. Whoever wins the race, I hope they can real realize the significance of this activity.

In conclusion, the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival with Chinese characteristics. Even though the Dragon Boat Festival has lost its traditional meaning since I arrived in this country, many Chinese people still eat Zongzi and watch the dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival. Not only has the Dragon Boat Festival been lost in translation here, but also the other festivals, such as, Mid-autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival as well. However, the real significance of traditional Chinese festivals will remain enshrine in our hearts. As the influx of Chinese people increase, I am certain that the traditional festival will be celebrated in a better way in the future.