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Dear Friends,
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month there is another important festival in China, called the Dragon Boat Festival.
We went to the New Territories and visit the festival at the Waterfront of Sai Kung. Like every Chinese Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival also has it's own special food. During the festival everybody eats 'zongzi', a kind of sticky (glucious) rice filled with all kind of things and wrapped in special leaves.
Look at the pictures and you can see how it looks.
The weather is rather good today, cloudy but the temperture is around 27 Celcius.
We arrived at 9.00 am at the Waterfront (the dragonboat races start at 8.00 am) and we we were already late because tons of people arrived before us.
Due to the thousands of people it was very difficult to make good pictures. Anyway we hope you enjoy the pictures. We have had a great time at the festival.
If you want to know more about the legends and the background of the Dragon Boat Festival, please read the articles below.
The information about the Dragon Boat Festival is provided by http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/dragon_e/dragon.htm Thanks a lot for the information
Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and together with Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival forms one of the three major Chinese holidays. Since the summer is a time when diseases most easily spread, Dragon Boat Festival began as an occasion for driving off evil spirits and pestilence and for finding peace in one's life. The festival was later enriched by the legend of the patriot Chu Yuan.
Dragon Boat Festival is highlighted by the dragon boat races, in which competing teams drive their boats forward rowing to the rhythm of pounding drums. This lively and colorful tradition has continued unbroken for centuries to the present day.
The festival's significance as a time for warding off evil and disease is symbolized by a number of customary practices such as hanging calamus and moxa on the front door, and pasting up pictures of Chung Kuei (a nemesis of evil spirits). Adults drink hsiung huang wine and children are given fragrant sachets, both of which are said to possess qualities for preventing evil and bringing peace.
Another custom practiced in Taiwan is "fetching noon water," in which people draw well water on the afternoon of the festival in the belief that it will cure illness. And if you can successfully stand an egg on its end exactly at 12:00 noon, then the coming year will be a lucky one.
The most popular dish during Dragon Boat Festival is tzung tzu, originally eaten in memory of the patriot Chu Yuan, but gradually evolving into a snack eaten during normal occasions as well.
Of all the major holidays celebrated in China, Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history. Occurring at the beginning of summer when insects thrive, the festival was distinguished from other occasions in earlier days as a time for reminding family members to take care of their health. The Chinese continue to heed this wisdom, however, by replacing the traditional customs of hanging calamus and moxa, drinking hsiung huang wine, and giving sachets, with more advanced methods for protecting one's health.
Chu Yuan Chu Yuan was a patriotic statesman who lived in the state of Chu over 2,200 years ago during the Warring States period. He remonstrated
with the King of Chu on many occasions, expounding on the state of the nation. When he could nothing about the fact that the King of Chu believed accounts of lesser officials, and feeling that he could no longer save the nation from the turbulence into which it had fallen, Chu Yuan took his life by jumping into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. His patriotism is remembered every year on this day by eating tsung tzu and holding dragon boat races. Since Chu Yuan was also a famous poet, the day is also known as Poet's Day.
Tsung Tzu It is said that after the poet-statesman Chu Yuan ended his life by drowning, people began throwing balls of sweet rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the Miluo River to keep the fish from eating the patriot's body. Over time these rice balls became more elaborate and varied with the addition of pork, peanuts, salted eggs, and other fillings, gradually evolving into the modern day tsung tzu.
The Chinese are lovers of food and drink, and nowhere is this more apparent than the plethora of different types of
tsung tzu. Large or small, sweet or savory, with meat or vegetarian, tsung tzu come in almost every size and flavor imaginable. One week prior to Dragon Boat Festival, families and stores begin preparing the ingredients for stuffing tsung tzu. When cooked, the tsung tzu releases a mouth-watering aroma.
In Taiwan, it is very convenient to buy ready-to-eat tzung tzu. However, many families still prefer to make their own. This is especially true of families with children preparing for the once-a-year college entrance exams held after Dragon Boat Festival, since it is believed that eating homemade tsung tzu before the test will help bring high scores.
Dragon Boat Racing Rowing dragon boats began as a ceremony for supplicating the God of Water to prevent disaster and bring fortune and was later attached the custom of commemorating the poet-statesman Chu Yuan. With the melding of these traditions, dragon boat racing has today become the highlight of all the festivities held during Dragon Boat Festival.
Before a dragon boat may enter competition, it must first undergo a ceremony to "bring it to life." Local leaders officiate over the ceremony, held
on the first day of the fifth lunar month, offering prayer to the Daffodil King and the eyes of the dragon are painted on the boat. On the fifth day of the month, the boats are carried to the shore amidst the clamor of gongs and drums and a ceremony is held involving incense, prayers, and the lighting of fireworks. Finally, after thorough inspection, the boats enter the water for the competition.
When the race begins, all one can see is the rowers of each team driving their boats forward in unison to the beat of drums. The winning team is the one that first grabs the flag at the end of the river course and the difference between victory and defeat may be only a few fractions of a second. The energy and excitement of the race attracts thousands of spectators, who watch from the river bank cheering on their favorite team.
Unlike so many other traditions that have declined with modernization, dragon boat racing has retained its vibrancy in modern society, becoming increasingly popular with each passing year both as a sport for physical training and as a favorite spectacle enjoyed by the
whole family.
We hope you enjoyed the story about the Dragon Boat Festival and the pictures.
Stay tuned for more adventures.
From Sai Kung with love.
Monkey and Bear.
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sylvia
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amazing fisher life...