Why is the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated?
The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan (c. BC) of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou dynasty. A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft that originated in the Pearl River Delta region of southern China’s Guangdong Province.Upon receiving the news that his country was conquered by a foreign army, Qu Yuan, in despair, drowned himself in the Miluo River. Those local people who admired him rushed out in their boats trying to save him or at least retrieve his body. This is believed to be the origin of dragon boat races.The Dragon Boat Festival ( 端午节 Duān Wǔ Jié ) is a traditional festival in China to commemorate the life and death of Qu Yuan. The legend goes that Qu Yuan served in high offices and wrote a lot of poetry about China while banished from the country.The first people to participate were superstitious Chinese villagers who celebrated the 5th day of the 5th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Dragon boating was held to avert misfortune and encourage rains for prosperity. The main object of their worship was the dragon, hence the name ‘dragon boat racing’.Fun facts. Dragon boating in China dates back more than 2,500 years – it has a rich background in ceremonial and religious traditions. Boats are often decorated to look like Chinese dragons with beautiful heads and tails.
Is Dragon Boat Festival Chinese or Korean?
The Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat Festival) commemorates a well-respected historical figure, Qu Yuan (pronounced Chu Ywan), and his story that took place over 2000 years ago in ancient China. Dragon boating is an exciting water sport that originated in Southern China and has spread worldwide. Traditionally made of teak wood, the boat is called a Chinese Dragon Boat because it has a mythical Asian-style dragon head at the front and a stylized dragon tail at the rear.Originating from China, dragon boat racing is a human-powered boat sport. For competitive events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative and colorful Chinese dragon heads and tails. In races, there are 20 people in a standard boat and 10 in a small boat, excluding the steersperson and drummer.The use of dragon boats for racing and dragon ceremonies is believed by scholars, sinologists, and anthropologists to have originated in southern central China more than 2500 years ago, in Dongting Lake and along the banks of the Chang Jiang (now called the Yangtze) during the same era when the games of ancient Greece .People in China always carry out many cultural activities in celebration of the festival, such as racing dragon boat and making zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings). The dragon boat races held across China during the festival are the most popular competitions.People in China and from some of the neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Japan do celebrate this festival for popular customs such as the dragon boat racing and eating Zongzi (Chinese: 粽子; pinyin: zòngzi).
Is Dragon Boat Festival a holiday in China?
The Dragon Boat Festival is a prominent Chinese festival, celebrated on the fifth day of May in the Lunar calendar. It is a public holiday in China and Hong Kong. Families mark the day with a feast and make delicious dumplings, wrapped in bamboo leaves, to eat. Usually, Chinese people enjoy a 7-day public holiday from Oct. Golden Week. There are usually many activities held around the country, especially in Beijing. It is a peak time for Chinese people to travel at home and abroad.Every year the Chinese celebrate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1. For this occasion, there is a week-long holiday extended from October 1 to October 7. Traditionally, Chinese people used to take the opportunity to travel for leisure and visit their families in other parts of China.The New Year’s Day, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays will each last three days.Good to know: The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in China. This vibrant and remarkable celebration extends over two weeks, encompassing what is famously referred to as the Golden Week.
What is the most important thing about the Dragon Boat Festival?
The most popular one is that the holiday is for honoring Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet and loyal politician who drowned in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Qu Yuan was so loved that people quickly paddled boats on the river to rescue/recover him. Origins of Dragon Boat/Dumplings Festival (端午节) Dragon Boat/Dumplings Festival is said to commemorates the sacrifice of Qu Yuan, a legendary Chinese poet. In Mi Lo River around 2000 years ago, he drowned himself to protest against the rulers and to stop corruption.
What is the purpose of the dragon boat?
In ancient China, the Dragon Boat with ornately carved dragon’s head and tail, was used for religious purposes as a way of appeasing the rain gods. In Chinese culture, the classic Dragon rides the clouds in the sky and commands the wind, mist and rain . In ancient China, the Dragon Boat with ornately carved dragon’s head and tail, was used for religious purposes as a way of appeasing the rain gods.Dragons in Chinese culture symbolize good luck, protection, intelligence, masculine traits, and yang energy. The dragon was also used to symbolize the position of Emperor.