Located in Hohhot City, I would go back to my hometown to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival every year, mainly because I was greedy for the cold cakes made by my mother.

In the rural areas around Hohhot, and even in the city, some families still have the habit of making cold cakes by themselves.

Young people are too lazy to make it, or don't know how to make it, so most of them will buy a few cold cakes or a few rice dumplings. This is more from the inheritance of tradition, and it can also increase the atmosphere of the festival.

Therefore, this cold cake is one of the must-haves during the Dragon Boat Festival.

In the past, most traditional recipes used yellow rice, but now glutinous rice is added, and sometimes the two are mixed together.

The production process is actually not complicated, but it is time-consuming.

Usually my mother washes the yellow rice two days in advance, then soaks it in water. During the Dragon Boat Festival, put it in the pot and simmer it for more than an hour. Then add soaked red dates, raisins, and sometimes some preserved fruits, and then it will be cooked.

Let the pot cool down.

It tastes chewy, soft, glutinous and sweet, suitable for all ages!

In addition to cold cakes, stewing a pot of bones is a common practice in Inner Mongolia families.

Lamb bones, pork bones, depending on preference, of course home-cooked dishes are also indispensable.

Some families also eat dumplings, but personally I think stewed bones and deep-fried cakes are the perfect match.

The Dragon Boat Festival originated in China. It was originally a festival for ancient ancestors to worship the dragon ancestors in the form of dragon boat races.

Because it is said that Qu Yuan, a poet of the Chu State during the Warring States Period, committed suicide by bouldering in the Miluo River during the Dragon Boat Festival, later people also regarded the Dragon Boat Festival as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan; in some places, there are also commemorations of Wu Zixu, Cao E and Jie Zitui.

No matter what, this tradition has been passed down to this day, and it is also a festival with a sense of ritual.

On this day, my mother would always hang mugwort leaves picked in advance at the door, which are said to ward off plague and evil spirits.

Children will tie five-colored threads on their wrists and legs, and hang sachets on their backs. I’m not sure why. Anyone who knows can add some information.

The Dragon Boat Festival is coming, and I have a three-day holiday. I go home to see my parents, eat farm food, and personally participate in making cold cakes and making rice dumplings. I think this should be one of the good choices.