Duan Wu Jie

Happy Duan Wu Jie, everyone. I know you're all familiar with all the Chinese holidays, so I don't need to explain too much. Just suffice it to say that Duan Wu Jie is Chinese for the Duanwu Festival. You're welcome.

We don't have any dragon boats to race, and I'm not even sure what a dragon boat is. But we did eat some zongzi, or sticky-rice filled dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. I love zongzi! I could practically eat them every day. Naomi actually liked to eat them, too, which is a breakthrough for her. She rarely enjoys eating anything, so I was thrilled that she liked them so much. I wasn't so thrilled finding sticky rice smeared all over stuff afterwards, though. Sticky rice, in case you were wondering, is the exact same consistency as boogers. Zongzi, anyone?

Another tradition I learned about this year is that kids are supposed to wear their 5-colored strings. I'm not sure why (although I'm sure it's for good luck or something), but 5 days before Duan Wu Jie (or Duanwu Festival, if you will) is the 1st day of the 5th lunar month. You tie a bracelet on the kids' arms and legs. Then the first time it rains after Duan Wu Jie, you take them off and throw them out. Or throw them in a fire. Or toss them in a puddle. I forget what you're supposed to do.

My Chinese tutor got some bracelets for my girls, and then she asked me if I'd tied them on. Um.... no. But I told her I had (because I lie sometimes). So after class, I ran upstairs and tied the bracelets on the girls. Then I took pictures so I'd have photographic evidence, knowing they wouldn't last long. Most fell off within about an hour. But Meimei kept a couple on for a whole day. And today, 3 days later, she still sports one of her anklets. 

Penny and her accessories

Anklets up close

Naomi's cute anklet

Naomi modeling her braclets

  

Both of them were absolutely thrilled to pose for the camera

Especially Naomi

I'm adding this one more as evidence of theft as anything else. I think this is the last time anyone ever saw the remote control for the A/C. She's heading into the kitchen. I have no idea where it ended up. But this is photographic proof that she took off with it.