Charleston Dragon Boat Festival
By: Alyssa Yang and Sophia Yao
Edited by: Aubrey Groves
Charleston Dragon Boat started with the mission of promoting
physical and mental wellness among cancer survivors and their community. May 3rd, 2014 marked
the seventh annual Charleston Dragon Boat Festival. All the different boats must have enjoyed a memorable time with their teammates as they learned to row, steer and drum as one. Not only did boat team members train physically for the races, but they also raised the money to support their friends who are struggling with cancer and going through cancer treatment. Ashley Hall students formed teams and helped to fund-raise several hundred dollars for the cause under the supervision of Sallie Vee Zervos.
Charleston Dragon Boat Festival stems from one of the most
important Chinese holidays that is called the Dragon Boat Festival. This holiday takes place
on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Therefore,
the Charleston Dragon Boat Festival is highlighted not only by the competition of the different dragon boats for a good cause but also by a celebration of the traditional Chinese
Dragon Boat Festival.
History of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history among
the other Chinese holidays in China. The most popular folk tale of this
festival is the legend of Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was a Chinese patriotic poet and
served as a minister of state of Chu in China’s first dynasty,
the Warring States Period (340-278 BC). He advocated that his country should fight
against one of most powerful states, the state of Qin, but he was slandered and discredited by the aristocrat
Zi Lan. Consequently, the King punished Qu Yuan by exiling him to a distant
village. During the long journey to exile, Qu Yuan expressed his feelings in his
poems. These poems showed how he suffered from mental and physical devastation. In 278 BC, he
drowned himself in the river rather than see his country conquered by the
State of Qin.
Because Qu Yuan died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month,
people decided to commemorate him on that day every year. Dragon boat racing
and eating zongzi (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo) have become the customs of the festival.
Additionally, Qu Yuan’s masterpiece poems, such as, Li Sao
and Tian Wen, which show his strong spirit as well as his passion and love
to his country, are read to honor him. Today, Qu Yuan has been described as a patriotic poet and his
poems are also studied as part of literature in middle schools in China.
People around the world also promote the dragon
boating to be a great activity for team sport and to foster team spirit.
Dragon boating has spread beyond China to be an internationally recognized sport. Teams everywhere can compete and learn the culture of China, including here in Charleston on the Ashley River.
Credit: Culture Taiwan
No comments:
Post a Comment