The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

     Chinese  indeed has alot of traditions, cultures and festivals.   Their festivals are truly some of the asian's finest and are considered as the most intricate and colorful.  Alot of the festivals are celebrated yearly around the world since the chinese people are almost every where in almost all nations. You can actually see their majestic temples either Buddhist or Taoist but the festivals are usually celebrated by the members  of the taoist sector.
     Among the major chinese festivals that are celebrated yearly are the Chinese new year, Chinese lantern festival, Qing ming festival,  Moon cake festival,  Double seven festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. 

     I was able to witness and participate to this unique 'dragon boat festival. '  Chinese are known to be generous to their non-chinese friends and they are proud  to share their cultures with them.  I have been a family friend of the Tan family who actually owns a chinese temple here in our place. I was invited so many times to attend their yearly festivals and this is the only one and the first time that I have accepted.
     The dragon boat festival are celebrated in two ways,  the dragon boat race by sea and the dragon boat procession by land that is usually around and within the chinese temple complex. It was the dragon boat festival procession that I participated and every one was asked to wear red.  It was held last June 18, 2018.

     The dragon boat festival is also known as 'Duanwu festivals' Or 'Zhongxiao festival' among the chinese people. This is to commemorate the 'fealty' ( loyalty of social class to which Confucius' students belong)  and 'Fibial piety' ( virtue or respect for one's parents, elderly and ancestors.

     The dates of celebrating the dragon boat festival varies yearly because the chinese calendar comes in ' lunisolar ' so the dates may change on the Gregorian calendar.  It is every 5th day of the 5th month on the traditional  chinese calendar.


History and background:

-Photo courtesy of china travel-

     The festival was long marked as a cultural holiday in China,  however,  it wasn't  until 2008 that the dragon boat festival  was recognized  as a traditional and statutory public holiday  not only in china but also to other chinese communities who live in other countries.

-Photo courtesy of Pixels-

      The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous chinese scholar 'Qu Yuan' who was a loyal minister of the emperor of china in the 3rd century BCE.   Qu Yuan was accused of conspiracy by his antagonists, the court officials that at the same time envied him.   He was put into exile by the emperor.
     During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to express his frustrations and anger towards his emperor and the sovereign people.
     Qu Yuan drowned himself by attaching heavy rock to his chest and jumping into the Miluo river in 278 BCE at the age of 61.  The people of chu tried to save him believing he was an honorable man.  They searched desperately in their boats looking for him but was not able to find him.
     So every year, the dragon boat festival is celebrated to commemorate  the attempt to rescue the great scholar and as time went on the local people began throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan.   However,  the tradition  of wrapping the rice in bamboo leaves to make 'zang zi' began the following year; and as decades went by the boat were made into dragon boats and the tradition became a dragon boat race  and this was carried even on land by procession of dragon boat carriage around and within the chinese temple.


Symbols:

-Photo courtesy of Pixels-

      As the chinese people carried out this tradition,  they redesigned the boats into dragon boats.  Dragons are not considered as creatures of destruction or terror but are believed to be deities that bring fortunes and prosperity.

The chinese temple complex

The Dragon boats and in between is a rice granary symbolizing
ziang zi - the sacrificial rice for Qu Yuang

 

The procession of the dragon boat

The procession of the dragon boat with in the temple complex

The procession of the dragon boat outside the temple complex

Part of the complex where the procession concludes 

     The dragon festival that I participated lasted for two hours.   The procession was lead by a taoist priest followed by men carrying the dragon boat carriage and behind the carriage are also chosen men carrying bowls of coins and candies to be thrown by the presiding priest along the track as a replacement for Zang zi.
     Expectators are free to get coins and candies. Children and even elderly were carrying bags to place the collected candies and coins. Infact my pocket were filled with coins and candies.  It is said that the candies can be eaten but the coins should be kept and not to be used for trade.  The chinese belived that the coins collected can bring prosperity if kept.

     During the procession, participants must carry a red scented stick along the way and to be placed into the rice granary after each rotation and should carry another one to the next rotation.  The dragon boat is carried all through out procession around and with in the temple complex for ten times and concludes at the main complex.   The event is usually accompanied by a ceremonial play and loud music that can heard all through out the temple complex.  The last part of the event is usually the release of the caged birds which symbolises the freedom of Qu Yuang that was supposed to be given.

     I'm  glad that I was able to witness this colorful festival.  This is something that the chinese communities are very proud to show and share to other people specially to their friends.  It is very interesting to know more about the chinese cultures - something that the world need to see.

Sources:

www.timeanddate.com >the dragon boat festival
www.chinatravel.com> the dragon boat festival