Dragon Boat Festival, Festival originated from Hubei
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of
the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has
been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed
leaves) and racing dragon boats.
The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces
where there are many rivers and lakes. This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, an
honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
Qu was a minister of the State ofChu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during
the Warring States Period (475-221BC). He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise
counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt
prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was
now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the
Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save
him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually
conquered by the State of Qin.
The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every
year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the
mourners that a huge reptile in the river had runescape moneystolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to
wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into
the river.
During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the
rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds, chestnuts, pork fat and the
golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then
wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body. A typical
dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two
paddlers seated side by side.
A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern. A banner hoisted
on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue
scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers,
gong beaters and cymbal players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men
positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be
looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement
for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages
and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.(rs accounts)
Source: chinadaily.com.cn
the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has
been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed
leaves) and racing dragon boats.
The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces
where there are many rivers and lakes. This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, an
honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
Qu was a minister of the State ofChu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during
the Warring States Period (475-221BC). He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise
counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt
prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was
now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the
Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save
him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually
conquered by the State of Qin.
The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every
year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the
mourners that a huge reptile in the river had runescape moneystolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to
wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into
the river.
During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the
rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds, chestnuts, pork fat and the
golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then
wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body. A typical
dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two
paddlers seated side by side.
A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern. A banner hoisted
on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue
scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers,
gong beaters and cymbal players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men
positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be
looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement
for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages
and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.(rs accounts)
Source: chinadaily.com.cn
