English
In the month of June, more specifically on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar Calendar (from the 10th to the 12th of June, 2013) marks the beginning of a party in Beijing with more than 2000 years of history: the Dragon Boat Festival. This is a tradition that gathers tourists from all over the world and that fills with magic one of the most highly populated cities in the world: Beijing. The festival is about sailing and eating; eating and sailing… a water adventure that takes us to the other side of the world. Fancy coming on?
Photo source: http://blog.beijingholiday.com/
The Dragon Boat Festival isn´t just any ordinary boat race. These are river races in which hundreds of colourful boats take place and each with a dragon head and one aim: arriving at the finish line before anyone else. Skill and expertise is required throughout the race that takes place amidst a firework display and, of course, to the rhythm of the drums that the team leader sets the pace with, an instrument that´s essential in this party. Oh, and best of all is that anyone can take part in this curious festival, from professionals to amateurs that just want to have a good time; you just need a boat. Legend says that this festival is carried out to entertain the gods but the truth is that, today, it´s a tourist attraction for thousands of people that go to Beijing every year to see it first hand.
With 20 rowers tops for each boat. the Dragon Boat Festival was originally a mythical celebration that just took place in the Southern China provinces. However, today, these river races take place in dozens of cities around the world; pure teamwork.
The zongzi cannot be missing from any Dragon Boat Festival. It is a rice dumpling filled with chicken, beef, vegetables or whatever they want to put in it, wrapped and fried with banana leaves or bamboo, depending on the chef. They are sold in any restaurant or at any food stall in the street, as its history is linked with the celebration of this ancestral festival.
The races, which last 3 days, take place in many other cities around the world, mostly Asian ones. For example, they are also very famous in Taipei and in Hong Kong.
This popular festival is celebrated to commemorate the death of the famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan. He belonged to the Kingdom of Chu and lived during the era of the Warring States and ended up drowning himself when his village was invaded by General Bai Qi, as he could not bare to see how his country was destroyed by people who were, in his eyes, incompetent. This poet was so beloved that, according to the legend, Chinese people mourned his loss by the Miluo river and threw rice in it so that the fishes wouldn´t eat the dead body of their idol but the rice instead. Hence the tradition of eating zongzi on these dates. It seems that the spirit of Qu Yuan came back and told them that the rice was actually eaten by the dragon who lived in the river, so he told them to wrap it in leaves to protect him, which is how these traditional rolls that are usually presented as small pyramids came to be. Delicious!
Are you going to miss it? Rent Beijing accommodation and attend this festival in the heart of Asia that has over 2000 years of history. Book here now.
