Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Festival is called Duanwu Jie in Mandarin. It is not only a festival but a sport and commeoration of a national holiday, falling on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunar Calendar (this year 6 April 2014).
The origin of the festival is controvertial as no one knows the true story legends accompany its appearance. Some believe that the festival began when the poet Qu Yuan comitted suicide after having a great military conquest (248 B.C). Qu supposedly drowned himself in a lake and it is said that local people who truely loved the poet wanted to protect his body from the fish – rushing their boats into teh water and throughing food into the lake so as to scare fish away from his body and offer them another food option – what is known today as Zongzi. (Today no one throws food into water, but they do enjoy eating them).
There are three main parts to the day’s festivities: 1) eating Zongzi; 2) drinking local wines; 3) dragon boat competitions. You may have seen it or heard of Dragon Boats in other countries. Many places where a large number of Chinese population reside will host the event.
Here are some picture from very popular Boat Festival from Taizhou, China
A decorated boat performs during the 2014 Qintong Boats Gathering Festival in Taizhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The festival, which lasts from April 5 to May 3, attracted more than 400 boats and over 10,000 participants. The Qintong Boats Gathering Festival was listed as the state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008. (Xinhua/Tang Dehong)
Participants strive to paddle during the 2014 Qintong Boats Gathering Festival in Taizhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Tang Dehong)
Female participants strive to paddle during the 2014 Qintong Boats Gathering Festival in Taizhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Tang Dehong)
Participants strive to paddle during the 2014 Qintong Boats Gathering Festival in Taizhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Tang Dehong)