On Tuesday 30th May 2017 is Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. It’s well known as dragon boat race day but also known as 端午節 – Duanwu (Putonghua) in mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Macau, and Tuen Ng (Cantonese) in Hong Kong.
It’s been celebrated worldwide. In Hong Kong, Tuen Ng Festival is a national holiday, all Hong Kong people are granted a day off to celebrate the special day which originally a day to engrave one of the ancestors Qu Yuan, a well-loved poet, and minister of the Chu dynasty that was so disillusioned with his country’s government, after he was exiled by the king that he drowned himself in protest by jumping in the river.
The locals rushed to the site, paddling on their boats and banging drums, gongs and everything they could find to scare away anything that might harm Qu Yuan in hopes to find and rescue him but they were not successful. They also brought offerings of rice to calm the old man’s spirit.
“Wu” and “ng” refer to the sun’s position at the meridian, its highest point in the sky, and “duan” and “tuen” mean “extreme, upright”, together referring to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Falling on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in resulting of the name Double Fifth Festival.
Nowadays people make and share zòngzi (Putonghua), jung (Cantonese) with their family and friends and watch the dragon boat race on this special day. In some regions in China, people also wear a perfume pouch, tie five-color silk thread and hang mugwort leaves on their doors.
Dragon boats are thus named because the fore and stern of the boat are in a shape of a traditional Chinese dragon.
When and Where to See the Dragon Boat Races 2017
In 2017, the Dragon Boat Festival is on May 30, 2017. All events are free to the public:
Stanley, Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships 2017
- Date: 30th May 2017 (Tuesday)
- Time: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Venue: Stanley Main Beach
- Race Course: 270 meters
Aberdeen, 2017 Aberdeen Dragon Boat Race,
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Time: 8-30am to 4pm
- Venue: Aberdeen Promenade
Saikung, The Sai Kung Dragon Boat Race Festival
- 30th May 2017
- 8am to 1-30pm (and carnival 2pm to 5pm)
- Sai Kung Town Waterfront, Sai Kung, New Territories.
Cheung Chau, Cheung Chau Dragon Boat Races
- 30th May 2017
- 10 am to 4-30pm
- Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter, Cheung Chau
Tai O, Tai O Dragon Boat Racing Competition 2017
- 30th May 2017
- 10 am to 2 pm
- Tai O Promenade
- Includes the ancient “Gods Parade”
Sha Tin, Sha Tin Dragon Boat Race 2017
- 30th May 2017
- 8-30am to 1pm
- Shing Mun River, Sha Tin, New Territories (starting near Banyan Bridge)
Tai Po, Tai Po District Dragon Boat Race 2017,
- 30th May 2017
- 8-30am to 1pm
- Tai Po Waterfront Park Park Promenade, Tai Po, New Territories.
Tap Mun, Dragon Boat Competition 2017
- 30th May 2017,
- Tap Mun. Organised by Tap Mun Youth Club
DRAGON BOAT RACES ON OTHER DATES
STANLEY – Stanley Dragon Boat Short Course Races. 18th June 2017. 8am to 5pm. Stanley Main Beach, Stanley, Hong Kong Islands.. 26th June 2016. 9am to 3-30pm. Tai O Promenade. Admission free
SOK KWU WAN, LAMMA ISLAND – Dragon Boat Races in Sok Kwu Wan 2017. 1st July 2017. 10am to 2-30pm. Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island. Admission free
SAI KUNG – The 14th Sai Kung Summer Vigor. 10th September 2017. 8am to 4pm. Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Pier, Sai Kung Promenade, Sai Kung, New Territories. Admission free.
SHA TIN, Seiko 19th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Championships – Grand Dragon Boat Invitation Race. September 2017 (Date to be confirmed). 10am to 6pm. HKCDBA Training Centre, On King Street, Shek Mun, Sha Tin, New Territories. Admission free.
ALDRICH BAY – King of the World Dragon Boat Competition 2017, 8th October 2017. 8am to 5pm. The promenade at Aldrich Bay (Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter), Shau Kei Wan. Hong Kong Island. Admission free.
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