The 42nd Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival will take place virtually this year. /VCG. People believed that natural disasters and illnesses are common in the fifth month. Live dragon boat races can be seen on most major bodies of water in China during the festival. looks like the four stripeson a tigers forehead. It is a significant international Dragon Boat Festival. Epic Trips Mini Trips Sailing Trips . Sacramento, CA 95822-8306. For example, the Guangdong and Hong Kong regions have the tradition of having congee made from 5 different beans. The use of the lunar calendar to set the festivals date means that it is celebrated at a different time every year. The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four main festivals celebrated by the Chinese. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. A dragon boat racing in San Francisco, 2008. Xi Shi, a beautiful woman sent by King Goujian of the state of Yue, was much loved by King Fuchai of Wu. China Highlights tailor-makes China tours to help travelers discover Savory zngzi might be stuffed with salted egg yolks, pork or mushrooms. After five days, she and her father were both found dead in the river from drowning. The Taiwanese also sometimes conflate the spring practice of egg-balancing with Duanwu. Eating zongzi is said to be a way to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan. Theyre eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival in reference to glutinous rice balls villagers tossed into the Miluo River while searching for the poet Qu Yuan. During the festival, people often wear these pouches around their necks or hang them from their clothing. [citation needed] Calamus is believed to be able to remove evil spirits because of its sword-like shape and strong garlic smell. The Dragon Boat Festivals traditional food, known as zongzi in Mandarin and joong in Cantonese, is a glutinous rice dumpling filled with savory or sweet fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Zhngyu. Many Asian countries, such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, also celebrate the festival with various activities and customs influenced by traditional Chinese culture. By Natalie Gale. We know the ins and outs of all of your favorite products. Besides for Asian countries, the United States, Canada and European countries like Germany also celebrate the Duanwu Festival, mainly with dragon boat races. There are also various zongzion sale in supermarkets. In some areas, people participate in dragon boat races by taking part in other activities like dragon boat drumming or by eating traditional foods like zongzi (a type of dumpling) during the races. Another suggestion is that the festival celebrates a widespread feature of east Asian agrarian societies: the harvest of winter wheat. The Dragon Boat Festival ( or Dunwji in pnyn) is an official public holiday in Mainland China. China Travel is one of Chinas leading touring specialists. The origin of this festival dates many centuries back and is based on activities in remembrance of a great Chinese poet, Qu Yuan. People eat zongzi, race dragon boats, and exchange greetings such as Wishing you good health. Giving small gifts such as jewelry, sweets, or flowers is also customary as tokens of appreciation. Making a toy dragon boat is a terrific way to introduce younger children to the Dragon Boat Festival story. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, people try to avoid this bad luck. As the word "calamus" and the phrase meaning "advocate strength" are homophones in the Japanese language, the festival was widely regarded as a festival for boys and celebrated as Boy's Day in Japan. The origin of the festival is said to be when locals paddled out on boats to scare the fish away and retrieve Qu Yuan's body (the patriotic poet who drowned himself in the Miluo River when the Chu State fell in 278 BC).See the story behind the Dragon Boat Festival. Follow along with this tutorial and learn to make a classic rice dumpling filled with pork, peanuts, sausage and mung beans. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. But why is the dragon boat festival so important? Another possible explanation for the origins of the festival is linked to superstitions surrounding the date on which it falls. In some regions of China, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, parents braid silk threads of five colors and put them on their children's wrists. Legend has it that when they realized he was attempting to drown himself, the citizenry rushed in boats to the middle of the river in an attempt to save him or at least retrieve his body. If you continue browsing, you agree to the The Dragon Boat Festival focuses on the themes of patriotism and sacrifice. People usually gather with their families and friends to celebrate the festival while wearing traditional Chinese clothes such as red shirts and skirts. Established in 1979, the celebration is the first and oldest dragon boat festival in North America. Eight years later, in 151, a temple was built in Shangyu dedicated to the memory of Cao E and her sacrifice for filial piety. On the annual Dragon Boat Festival, Singaporeans also have the custom of racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings (bakzhang). Your tour will be tailor-made by your personal travel advisor a destination expert. Two prevailing stories are often cited to explain the origin of this age-old holiday. As well as the forehead, realgar wine is also smeared on the nose, ears, or other parts of the body. The Story Behind Denver's Annual Dragon Boat Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth lunar month fifth day. [14] Big ceremonies and performances developed from these practices in many areas, making the Dragon Boat Festival a day for getting rid of disease and bad luck. South Korea In South Korea, Gangneung Danoje Festival is another version of the Dragon Boat Festival. 3000 Youngfield Street, Suite 140Wheat Ridge, CO. 80215. The original tradition has grown to be a popular sport in the U.S. with more than 400 professional dragon boat teams nationwide, according to the United States Dragon Boat Federation. Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar for over 2,000 years. Duanwu (Chinese: ; pinyin: dunw), as the festival is called in . Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is a great way to explore traditional Chinese culture. Experience local culture by practicing it. I appreciate your web site. Members of Boulder's Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu organization participate in a dragon dance during the opening ceremony for the 18th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival at Sloan's Lake Park on July 28, 2018. Chinese people call the Dragon Boat Festival - Dun W Ji | . Dunw nkng., Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in Hong Kong. The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar and this year will be held on June 22. Read on to find out more about this festival. The top places to celebrate the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival are Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Foshan, and Yueyang., Xixi Wetland Parkis the most famous place to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival in Hangzhou City. They are believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to those who wear them. Yue Lan or Hungry Ghost Festival - August 30, 2023. China, as the place of origin, is abundant in celebrations and traditions, with diverse festivities that vary from region to region throughout the country, with zongzi rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and dragon boat races being two of the most distinctive and representative elements of the festival. Qu Yuan remains a popular figure in modern China. The focus of most Dragon Boat Festival celebrations involves eating zhongzi, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats. Copyright 2022 Chinaler| All Rights Reserved, celebrated annually in China on the fifth day, Chinese poet and official who committed suicide by drowning himself in the Yi River as a form of protest against corruption and tyranny by the emperor of China, traditional Chinese event is known as the Dragon Boat Festival, symbolizes noon, but also identifies the fifth month of the traditional Chinese, festival is an important Chinese traditional, Dragon boat racing is the central activity of the festival and is often held in large bodies of water such as rivers or lakes, The third way to celebrate the Dragon boat festival is to hang Chinese, Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth lunar month fifth day. Time for Dragon Boat Race Contact us via WeChat: chinahighlightstour, the story behind the Dragon Boat Festival, The Hong Kong Tuen Ng Dragon Boat Festival 2023. It's possible that the practice of dragon boat racing started out as a way to worship an ancient dragon god. This festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Lunar Calendar. The festival is a time to reflect on theimportance of loyalty and commitment to the community. A bodice worn by kids with symbols of the Five Poisonous Insects on it to deter poisonous insects, and reptiles such as frogs, lizards, snakes. 1. /VCG. In China, the Dragon Boat Festival is referred to as Duan Wu Jie. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body. OCA Sacramento in partnership with MayorDarrell Steinberg , (formerly State Senate President pro Tem)founded the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Tolerance in November 2010. Celebrate Ancient Asian Traditions at Dragon Boat Festivals Around the U.S. 2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Canceled, Dragon Boat Regatta Comes to Riverdale Regional Park. The stories of both Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu were recorded in Sima Qian's Shiji, completed 187 and 393 years after the events, respectively, because historians wanted to praise both characters. Proving the power of storytelling has been part of the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival since its inception and this year it is taking the time to celebrate all the voices that share their stories. This 20th celebration. Southern regions in China prefer savory zongzi, with a variety of fillings including marinated pork belly, sausage, and salted duck eggs. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Over the years, dragon boat racing has developed into a sport with a variety of rules and regulations. The most renowned is in observance of Qu Yuan. 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