Once a trusted advisor, he was banished by his emperor due to political intrigue and in despair, threw himself into the river and ended his life. [2] It is also referred to in some English sources as Double Fifth Festival which alludes to the date as in the original Chinese name. A well-loved aspect of the festival, glutinous rice dumplings ('zhang' in Chinese) are triangular, wrapped in pandan leaves and have a wide variety of fillings. Singapore: Virtual dragon boat challenges amid pandemic, Most of the races for this year's festival have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but paddlers can still compete via the Virtual Dragon Boat Challenge 2020, a charity event organized by Dragon Boat Innovate. In the early years of the Republic of China, Duanwu was celebrated as the "Poets' Day" due to Qu Yuan's status as China's first known poet. One of the most enduring legends associated with this celebration tells the story of Qu Yuan, an incorruptible minister of state during the Warring States era of China. In some regions of China, parents braid silk threads of 5 colors and put them on their children's wrists, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. The food may have originally represented an offering to the dragon king, while dragon boat racing naturally reflects a reverence for the dragon and the active yang energy associated with it. Decorating doors by hanging wormwood and calamus plants is an important ritual of the Dragon Boat Festival. Did you know that each Full Moon has a different name in some cultures? The people of China generally receive a three-day break from work in order to celebrate with friends and family. A dragon boat racing in San Francisco, 2008. Rowers disturb normally calm waters of the Bedok Reservoir every year. Dragon Boat Festival does not occur in 2020. It was adopted during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) in ancient Korea. Some 800 blue carp streamers fly in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on May 5, 2019, in memory of children killed in the March 2011 tsunami that devastated the region.
It has also been introduced to countries in Europe and the Americas by Chinese immigrants, and is mainly celebrated with dragon boat races. Chinese New Year, the Mid-Fall Moon Festival and the Dragon Boat Day are three major festivals in China. Despite most of the races for this year's festival being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, paddlers can still compete in cyberspace via the Virtual Dragon Boat Challenge 2020, a charity event organized by Dragon Boat Innovate. For example, people paste pictures of the five poisonous creatures on the wall and stick needles in them. ), the fifth month of the lunar calendar was regarded as a bad month and the fifth day of the month like a bad day, and known as the Dragon Boat festival nowadays. On this day dragon boat races are organised and in Singapore, you can become a part of this race at Bedok Reservoir. Create your own Singapore guide with up to 12 of your Favourites.

Although dragon boat racing is the climax of Dragon Boat Festival, the festivities also involve traditional ritual performances and traditional Chinese food like dumplings (zhang). All of these activities, together with the drinking of realgar wine or water, were regarded by the ancients and some today as effective in preventing disease or evil while promoting health and well-being. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so the date of the festival varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar.In 2017, it occurred on 30 May; in 2018, on 18 June; in 2019, on 7 June; and in 2020, on 25 June. People believed that natural disasters and illnesses are common in the fifth month.

Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional and important celebration in China. As you browse through our site, add pages to your Favourites by clicking on the star button within every article. 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. After five days, she and her father were both found dead in the river from drowning. The reason why the Chinese eat zongzi on this special day has many statements. 2020 Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 25. [16] A cadet member of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. U.S., Canada and Germany: Dragon boat racing enjoys great popularity, More than a showcase of athleticism and teamwork, dragon boat racing has a legacy that's over 2,500 years old. ", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, "Photos of the Chinese Traditional Festivals - Dragon Boat Festival", "The river in which she jumped was renamed as Cao's River", "The Legends Behind the Dragon Boat Festival", First day-off for China's Dragon Boat Festival helps revive tradition, Dragon Boat Festival: Time to Balance an Egg, Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon, Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival, Association of International Paddle Sport Federations, Sir Alexander Mackenzie Canada Sea-to-Sea Bicentennial Expeditions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dragon_Boat_Festival&oldid=979399020, Articles with Chinese-language sources (zh), Articles with Portuguese-language sources (pt), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "The very mid point of the year Festival", This page was last edited on 20 September 2020, at 14:30.
The common people rushed to the water and tried to recover his body. [23], The sun is considered to be at its strongest around the time of summer solstice, as the daylight in the northern hemisphere is the longest. Support is drawn from two key traditions of the festival: the tradition of dragon boat racing and zongzi. In Cantonese, it is romanized as Tuen1 Ng5 Jit3 on Hong Kong and Tung1 Ng5 Jit3 on Macao. In order to get rid of the misfortune, people would put calamus, Artemisia, pomegranate flowers, Chinese ixora and garlic above the doors on the fifth day of the fifth month. The event was then moved to Frankfurt in 1991 and named the Frankfurt International Dragonboat Festival. [16] During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. 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. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3. Dragon boat racing is a traditional Chinese sport and has been held in Singapore since 1978 within Dragon Boat Festival in the Bedok Reservoir Park. Okay! Singapore holidays 2021. Another suggestion is that the festival celebrates a widespread feature of east Asian agrarian societies: the harvest of winter wheat. You can even give the sport a go yourself–there’s nothing like a hands-on experience. traditional Chinese holiday whose origins. Okay. Clocks in New Zealand spring forward 1 hour to Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time) in September. China's Duanwu Festival and its culture were introduced to Japan after the Heian period (794–1185). Share with us. One of China's major traditional festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar for millennia. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so the date of the festival varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar.

Simple Facts to Understand Dragon Boat Festival Duan means beginning. In addition to competitive races, the festival also includes various cultural activities such as concerts and has become a massive event in the city's social calendar that both locals and tourists flock to each year.

Choices of fillings vary depending on regions. [17], Some modern research suggests that the stories of Qu Yuan or Wu Zixu were superimposed onto a pre-existing holiday tradition. Watch as dragon boat racing clubs engage in competitive practice sessions here on the weekends. People traditionally wrap zongzi in leaves of reed, bamboo, forming a pyramid shape. Other traditional activities include a game of making an egg stand at noon (this "game" implies that if someone succeeds in making the egg stand at exactly 12:00 noon, that person will receive luck for the next year), and writing spells.