Dragon boat racing held with sachets made to mark Duanwu Festival
People in central China's Hubei and Hunan provinces held dragon boat races and made sachets to mark the Duanwu Festival that falls on Monday this year.
In Xiangyang City of Hubei Province, where the Hanjiang River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, goes through, the grandest activity for the Duanwu Festival since the Song Dynasty (960-1279) has been the dragon boat race held in tributaries of the Hanjiang River. More than 30 teams from across the country participated in the race that was divided into general group and competition group.
In Daoxian County of Hunan's Yongzhou City, the dragon boat race has been a tradition of nearly 1,000 years. Each year over 100 dragon boats compete in the Xiaoshui River.
The Duanwu Festival is the second largest festival after the Spring Festival in Daoxian. Local residents used to compete fiercely for a chance to participate in the dragon boat race. Locals call it the "Dragon Boat Spirit."
All of the dragon boats in Daoxian County are handmade. One of the most popular craftsmen is Zhou Chengyun. The nearly 70-year-old man has made more than 2,000 dragon heads since he started to learn the craft from his father when he was 14 years old.
"In the days of the dragon boat races, I'd go to the riverside everyday to see if there are any new designs of dragon heads and which ones look better, so that I can improve my works," said Zhou.
Making and wearing sachets is another tradition of the Duanwu Festival for people in Xiangyang City. "The tradition of making sachets for the Duanwu Festival dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It has a standing history of more than 1,000 years, symbolizing people's longing for a good life. The sachets stand for counteracting of evils and praying for blessing and safety," said a local resident.
The Duanwu Festival comes on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Usually featuring the eating of Zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, and dragon boat racing, the holiday commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan (around 340-278 BC).
(Source: Reuters)
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