To celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with residents and their families and to promote traditional culture, the Mother’s Association Xiahuang Elderly Comprehensive Service Centre organised a series of events entitled ‘Dragon Boat Festival: A Joyful Gathering’ in June. The events took place over three days and featured a rich programme of activities in a warm and lively atmosphere.

The event comprised three main parts. The first part was ‘Dragon Boat Festival with Zongzi’ – a scented pouch workshop, held over two sessions. During the workshop, residents, under the guidance of staff, handmade Dragon Boat Festival scented pouches, infusing their festive blessings with every stitch. This not only helped to improve the elderly residents’ hand-eye coordination but also allowed them to revisit traditional customs and experience the rich festive atmosphere.

The second part was ‘Dragon Boat Festival with Zongzi’ – the Fragrant Zongzi Workshop, for which the centre specially invited residents and their families to participate together in making traditional rice zongzi. The elderly residents demonstrated their skilful craftsmanship, working seamlessly with their families and sharing zongzi-wrapping techniques with one another. The air was filled with the fragrance of zongzi leaves and constant laughter and cheerful chatter, creating a warm and harmonious scene that fully embodied the joy of intergenerational bonding.

The third part saw the centre distributing the zongzi and scented pouches—which had been made together during the earlier activities—to residents and their families, allowing the elderly to share the fruits of their labour with their loved ones and take the festive blessings and warmth home with them. Residents and their families beamed with joy upon receiving the gifts, and the atmosphere was delightful.

The Mother’s Association Xiahuang Integrated Elderly Services Centre hopes that by organising this series of Dragon Boat Festival activities, the elderly residents will feel loved and supported during the festivities, whilst also fostering emotional bonds between residents and their families and preserving the cultural values of this traditional festival.