Revellers and rowers gathered at waterways across Hong Kong on Monday morning to soak in the fun and festivities of the Dragon Boat festival.
Amid mild and slightly breezy weather, boat races took place at locations including Stanley, Aberdeen and Sai Kung as part of a ritual that has roots stretching back more than 2,000 years.
“Dragon boat racing has a rich history here and you’ve got to visit this event if you’re a part of Hong Kong,” said local Ray Chan, 38, who turned up at the Sai Kung waterfront, in the eastern New Territories, to catch a glimpse of the celebrations.
A total of 157 teams turned out for this year’s Sai Kung competition, which ranged from corporate races to contests for participants with intellectual disabilities.
For the first time there was a race for teenagers, which organisers said was aimed at training new blood and introducing the traditional pastime to a younger generation.
“The best thing about these events is teamwork,” said Jacky Cheung Yat-leung, executive vice-president of the preparatory committee for the Sai Kung races.
“We can bring the entire district together, from the district council to community NGOs to locals, to work on the same thing with a common goal.”
The atmosphere in Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island was just as festive.
The former fishing town was due to host a total of 33 races, with 60 teams made up of everyone from local villagers and company employees to university students.
Crystal Kwok Chi-yu, a 32-year-old photographer, arrived just before 7am to secure a spot from which to capture the best shots.
“This is my fourth year here, and it has always been crowded,” she said.
“I love how lively and energised the photos of dragon boat races appear to be.”
Chan Chung, a fisherman in his 60s watching the races from the stands, used to take part in his younger years.
“Back in the old days, every fisherman took part,” Chan said. “The whole village would join the games and then have dinner all together at night.”
He described the events as something akin to a “holy ceremony”.
Nearby at Stanley Main Beach, the Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships got under way at 8am with 264 teams made up of more than 6,000 rowers and 140 companies.
The Stanley races were more of a break with tradition as many dressed up in costume to compete for the Most Outstanding Outfit Award. Pirates, clowns and spectators in face paint and colourful wigs crowded the beach.
The organiser set up workshops with interactive games to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the local environment, mindful of the impact of large sporting events.
Advocacy group The Green Earth collaborated with Sun Life to set up seven recycling points manned by 80 volunteers. They were expected to collect more than 10,000 plastic bottles and aluminium cans.
“We can see that the environmental awareness of the racers is pretty high. Some teams have their own recycling bags,” said Vivien Cheng Yu-wai, director of Green Earth’s community partnership.
In Aberdeen, Greeners Action was on hand to promote an environmental message.
Competitors were urged to bring their own water bottles and recycle lunch boxes and other items at temporary collection points.
Yip Chui-man, the NGO’s assistant project manager, said more than 50 volunteers had given up their time.
The group would monitor waste management for the Aberdeen event and provide the organiser with suggestions on how to improve next year, Yip said.
The annual festival, also known as the Tuen Ng festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar. Many Chinese also mark the occasion by eating rice dumplings and paying tribute to the ancient poet Qu Yuan from China’s Warring States period (475-221BC).
Legend has it that Qu, banished and disillusioned with the state of his government, threw himself into a river.
To stop the fish devouring his body, villagers took to their boats, splashing their paddles, beating drums and throwing rice, to ward off any and all in the water.
June 18th marks the 5th day of the 5th month on the lunar calendar: the start of Dragon Boat Festival! Today, communities around Greater China and Southeast Asia celebrate their culture and remember ancient stories and traditions. The festival began as a way to pay tribute to Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet whose acts of patriotism are commemorated by dragon boat races each year.
The ancient tradition of Dragon boat racing has been a part of Asian culture for thousands of years. Participants row canoes shaped like fierce dragons, painted in vibrant colors to pay homage to ancient war canoes. The team of dragon boat sailors row as fast as they can toward a finish line while one team member sits toward the front of the ship and beats a drum to maintain their pace and keep spirits high. Today’s Doodle lets you sit in the back of the boat and become part of the action!
There are ways for everyone to celebrate the festival (even if you aren’t handling an oar). Traditional Dragon Boat festival customs include preparing and eating zongzi, a traditional Chinese food made with rice and filled with various stuffings, and then wrapped in leaves of bamboo, banana, or lotus. Depending on where you’re celebrating, you may enjoy sweet dessert zongzi filled with fruit or nuts, or more savory zongzi stuffed with chicken or pork. These delicious treats are a symbol of luck and an essential part of celebrations.
Check out a few additional variations of today’s Doodle from the artist Cynthia Yuan Cheng. Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Early concepts of the Doodle below
Seated inside a canoe shaped like a giant mythical creature, rowers thrash their oars into the sea, racing to the beat of a drumming captain. Monday’s colorful Google Doodle celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival, a holiday observed across parts of Asia and beyond with elaborately decorated vessels, delicious dumplings and offerings.
Also known as Duanwu in Mandarin and Tuen Ng in Cantonese, the festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar and marking the summer solstice, ushering in a new season of health and well-being.
Why do people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?
As legend has it, the holiday commemorates an exiled Chinese poet-official named Qu Yuan who is believed to have committed suicide. During China’s Warring States period, an era of division and conflict more than 2,000 years ago, China was divided into several kingdoms. Qu, a royal adviser in the state of Chu, tried warn the king of impending danger, only to be exiled. When Qu heard of the eventual invasion into his country, he drowned himself in despair in the Miluo River. In a bid to save him, locals paddled frantically through the water, beating drums to warn fish away from his body and tossing rice dumplings into the water as spiritual offerings. These rituals inspired the most popular holiday traditions today.
June 18th marks the beginning of the Dragon Boat Festival. Google Doodle
How is the festival observed?
Rowers train for weeks, sometimes months, in the lead-up to the festival, when they load up on boats and race to a watery finish line. Others often sit on the sidelines and enjoy traditional sticky rice dumplings called zongzi. Wrapped in bamboo or lotus leaves, the rice is mixed with flavors that vary by region. In northern China, zongzi are typically sweet, filled with a red bean paste or taro. In the south, they’re usually made savory with cured pork belly, sausage and mushrooms. In Taiwan, some are made with salted eggs, peanuts, chestnuts and squid.
Where do people celebrate?
While the Dragon Boat race is a longstanding Chinese tradition, China only reintroduced the holiday in 2008 after a major hiatus following the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), when Chairman Mao Zedong banned many cultural traditions that predated his New China. Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in many parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, while traditions are also observed in Macao, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 21:06:17|Editor: Liangyu
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People take part in a dragon boat race in Donghai County of Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 17, 2018. People enjoy their holiday time during the Dragon Boat Festival. (Xinhua/Geng Yuhe)
