The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so the date of the festival varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar.

What is the meaning of dragon boat racing?

Dragon boat racing is one of Hong Kong's most colourful, competitive summer events. ... Originating among fishing communities along the Yangtze River in Southern-Central China, it was initially a folk ritual designed to appease the rain gods, encourage rainfall and celebrate the summer rice planting.

What is dragon boat Race to China?

The renowned Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and who eventually became a national hero.

Why do Chinese people race dragon boats?

The local people were said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. The dragon boat races represent the attempts to rescue and recover the body of Qu Yuan. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

How long is dragon boat racing?

Dragon boat racing involves boats that seat either 10 or 20 paddlers in a crew, with a drummer on the front and a sweep (someone who steers) on the back. Boats usually race distances of between 200 metres and 2000 metres.

Dragon Boat Races Celebrate China's Ancient Past | National Geographic

17 related questions found

Is dragon boating difficult?

Dragon boat is a very tough sport, let alone the training hours. There's water training (actual paddling), land or circuit training, and some do have pool paddle training. ... It's a sport where you will be trained to be physically and mentally tough and then become as tough like everyone in the team.

Is dragon boat racing good exercise?

It's a whole-body workout — your legs are the anchor, while the muscles in your arms, shoulders and back drag the paddle through the water. Great for strengthening your abs and core. Cardiovascular fitness — your endurance and stamina will quickly build from training several times a week.

What is the difference between rowing and dragon boating?

Rowing has its history in the West, while Dragon boating is based on traditions from the East. Rowers sit in single file in boats referred to as 'shells' with their backs to the direction of travel and row with oars. Dragon boaters sit in two rows of 10 and face forward using paddles to propel forward.

What is the difference between a canoe and a dragon boat?

Difference between Canoeing and Dragon Boating

In Canoeing, the boat or canoe is pointed on both sides whereas in dragon boating, one end has the face of a dragon. Canoeing can be played individually or with a few partners, whereas dragon boating is a team game only.

Why did yuan drown himself?

Though heartbroken to see his country being intruded, Qu Yuan never abandoned his faith and country. On May 5th(in Chinese lunar calendar), after writing down his last poem, Qu Yuan drowned himself in Miluo River(a branch of Yangtze River) as a gesture of dying along with his motherland.

Why is it called Duan Wu Jie?

The Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie), is also known as Duan Yang, which means “Upright Sun” or “Double Fifth”. ... The festival had evolved from the practice of revering the river dragon, to the commemoration of Qu Yuan, a third-century poet and political figure of the state of Chu in ancient China.

How long has dragon boat racing been a Chinese tradition?

Ancient Chinese Traditions

Dragon Boat racing has its roots in ancient myths and legends. It began more than 2,000 years ago in the valleys of southern China as a fertility rite held during the Summer Solstice to ensure plentiful crops and to avert misfortune.

What does the drummer do in dragon boat racing?

The drummer serves a vital role on a dragon boat team. He or she is the 'pulse' or 'drumbeat' of the team. The drummer's role is functional. The drummer sits at the front of the boat and helps the steersperson/coach communicate with the crew by relaying commands to the front of the boat.

Who wins the dragon boat race?

The Boston Taiwanese Boat Club's Bo Ba Tea team edged out the Dragonheart Vermont Youth team by just over one tenth of a second to win the Dragon Braggin' Cup race with a time of 00:58.49 seconds. Congratulations to both teams of young paddlers!

How many rowers are on a dragon boat?

The crew of a standard dragon boat typically consists of 22 team members: 20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers, and 1 steerer standing at the rear of the boat.

What are the health benefits of paddling?

Paddling helps improve mental health and helps lower stress levels. It helps improve core strength and stability. Some benefits of a stronger core are it helps prevent or reduce back pain, helps improve balance, and enhances mobility. Even the most leisurely paddle will give you a good aerobic work-out.

Is dragon boating a sport?

Dragon boating is a fun-filled, adrenaline pumping, water sports activity. Teams compete in Dragon Boats, which are large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. Crews of up to 16 people sit in pairs and paddle to compete in races over distances of around 250m.

How many calories do you burn dragon boat paddling?

Paddling hard can burn between 350-to-450 calories an hour. Our boat full of newbies only paddled for short bursts of time, topping out at about a three and a half minute stretch.

What muscles does dragon boating work?

Dragon boating engages several major muscles in your torso, including your deltoids (anterior, posterior and lateral), rhomboids, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, and abdominals.

How big is a dragon boat?

FMG Dragon Boat - Dragon Boat Facts and Information. The traditional boats used in most modern day events are 12 meters in length, constructed of solid teak and weigh approximately 1500 lbs.

What are the benefits of dragon boating?

Dragon boating has a variety of benefits from social inclusion, physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Dragon boating is open to all fitness levels and can help you to gradually increase your fitness. It is a whole body workout which is can improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, stamina and coordination.

How do you store a dragon boat?

Dragon boats are recommended to be stored in the following way: The boats have sandwich carbon fibre structure, which means that they should be protected from harmful weather effects (moisture, sun). Consequently, the best solution for storing the boats is to place them in an indoor and lockable boathouse.

Is dragon boat racing popular?

Dragon boat racing has taken over the world

The only sport celebrated with a public holiday in Hong Kong, dragon boat racing is now an internationally recognized sport. Today, it is practised in more than 50 countries, with an estimated 50 million active dragon boat paddlers in the world!