The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese folk festival. It is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called Duanwu, Duanyang. In addition, there are many other names for the Dragon Boat Festival, such as Wuri Festival, Chongwu Festival, May Festival, Bath Orchid Festival, Girl’s Festival, Tianzhong Festival, Dila, Poet’s Festival, Dragon Day, and so on. Although the names are different, generally speaking, the customs of people everywhere are more the same than different.
The Dragon Boat Festival has been a traditional Chinese custom for more than two thousand years. Due to the vast area, numerous ethnic groups, and many stories and legends, not only many different festival names have been produced, but there are also different customs in different places.
Affected by Chinese culture, many countries in Asia also have their own Dragon Boat Festival activities. Moreover, as the charm of Chinese culture has increasingly penetrated the world, the ancient Dragon Boat Festival has also stepped into the sights of all countries in the world. Dragon boat racing is very popular and popular in the West. There are also some countries even though they are not the Dragon Boat Festival. Have a soft spot for eating zongzi. Asian countries have different customs for the Dragon Boat Festival. For many years, under the influence of Chinese culture, many Asian countries have also celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. However, due to the historical changes of different regions and the differences in cultural inheritance, the activities held during the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival in different regions are not all the same, and each has its own merits. Let me share which countries have the Dragon Boat Festival.
South Korea has a Dragon Boat Festival:
South Korea’s Dragon Boat Festival activities are rich and colorful, usually lasting more than 20 days. When the Dragon Boat Festival is held, there will be masquerade dances, pot throwing, wrestling, swinging, taekwondo competitions, college football matches and other activities. These are very local characteristics of Korea. . The “Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival” is a large-scale folk event in Gangneung City, South Korea to pray for a good harvest and well-being. According to research by Korean scholars, the origin of the Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival can be traced back more than 1,000 years ago.
Japan has a Dragon Boat Festival:
The Dragon Boat Festival in Japan was introduced from China after the Heian era. The main activities of the Japanese during the Dragon Boat Festival are to eat rice dumplings and cypress cakes, and drink calamus wine in order to avoid evil. In Japanese, “Changpu” and “Shangwu” are homophonic, so the Dragon Boat Festival has gradually become a festival for boys. In order for the boys to thrive and grow up healthily, and to succeed in their future careers, people put up carp streamers at the door of their homes, put on samurai idols, armors and battle caps, hopefully they will become a dragon.
Singapore has a Dragon Boat Festival:
Chinese in Singapore know the Dragon Boat Festival. Whenever the Dragon Boat Festival comes on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people will never forget to eat rice dumplings and race dragon boats. Around the Dragon Boat Festival, Singapore’s East Coast Park will hold a wonderful dragon boat invitational race. Dragon boat teams from all over the world gather here.
There is a Dragon Boat Festival in Vietnam:
Vietnam also celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Their main content is eating rice dumplings and deworming on the Dragon Boat Festival. Parents will prepare a lot of fruits for the children and wear auspicious charms woven with colorful threads. Adults will drink realgar wine and apply realgar wine on children to repel insects. Moreover, the Vietnamese believe that eating rice dumplings can lead to good weather and good harvests.
As more and more people are conquered by the charm of Chinese culture, some Western countries have begun to “enthusiastically embrace” the dragon boat race, which is the iconic dragon boat festival, even though they are not at the Dragon Boat Festival. This fun sport is even very popular in some countries!
The United States has a Dragon Boat Festival:
Probably from the 1980s, through participating in dragon boat races held in China and other places, Americans gradually learned about this event. Today, the traditional Chinese dragon boat race has quietly penetrated into the sports habits of some Americans and has become one of the fastest-growing popular sports and entertainment projects in the United States.
The German country has a Dragon Boat Festival:
The Dragon Boat Race in the Dragon Boat Festival has taken root in Germany for 20 years. In 1989, the dragon boat event was introduced to Germany, and the first “Dragon Boat Festival” was held in Hamburg. After 1991, the dragon boat race was held in Frankfurt, the German financial center, and has continued to this day.