news of his drowning reached the villages, the local fishermen raced out in their boats to try to save their beloved statesman. But it was all to no avail. Beating drums and splashing their paddles on the water, they made every attempt to scare away the fish from eating his body. Dragon boat races are said to re-enact the villagers paddling to Qu Yuan’s rescue.
To this day in China, many shrines can be found in his memory. The largest one, Qu Yuan Memorial Hall, was built during the Tang dynasty, and was recently relocated during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River. International dragon boat races have been held annually since 1991 in Qu Yuan’s hometown of Yueyang, located in what is known today as Hunan Province.
Less known are other legends associated with the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, stories that share the theme of individuals whose deaths resulted in cult status like Qu Yuan’s. Death by drowning or suicide has been linked to the ancient custom of human sacrifice. Some say that the Dragon Boat Festival is held in honour of a young girl, Cao E. After the drowning of her father, Cao E searched for his body along the riverbank. After many days without any success, she threw herself into the river out of grief and despair. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the bodies of the father and daughter arose together to the water’s surface. People were so moved by her filial piety that they commemorate her life and death every year on that day.
Another story, set in the Spring and Autumn period, relates how Wu Zixu, a great military hero and courtier, advised the king of Wu to destroy the defeated state of Yue to prevent a future uprising. Blinded by the veiled obedience of the fallen state, the king did not heed this advice and, instead, ordered Wu Zixu to commit suicide for his dishonourable proposal. On the fifth day of the fifth month, 484 B.C., his body was thrown into the river by order of the king. Ten years later, the state of Yue defeated the state of Wu.
The origin of dragon boats and the Dragon Boat Festival is tied to the rituals and customs associated with an ancient agricultural society, deeply entrenched in ceremonies with dragon-shaped boats well before Qu Yuan’s death. The passage of time was marked by the cycles of ploughing the fields, sowing seeds, nurturing the crops, and harvesting. The Dragon Boat Festival, falling on the fifth day of the fifth month, is more accurately represented by its Chinese name, Duan Wu Jie, meaning Double Fifth Festival. On this day, the spring season ends and the summer begins. Celebrations honouring this benefactor of rain were held at this time. A contented River Dragon would bring enough rain for prosperous crops. A displeased River Dragon would unleash its wrath by withholding rain and causing droughts, or by dispensing too much rain and prompting storms and floods. Capsized boats and drowning during races were considered misfortunes governed by the will of the River Dragon. Casualties were not rescued and those who drowned were considered as sacrifices to venerate the River Dragon. Archaeological excavations show that sacrificial ceremonies were once practised as an important element of many ancient festivals in China. Proof that dragon boating may be the world’s oldest, continuing, competitive activity, pre-dating the Olympic Games of ancient Greece by 1,000 years,4 lies in Hubei Province. There, a drawing of dragon boat races that were depicted on a spinning wheel, 4,000 to 5,000 years old, was excavated from ruins in Qujialing.5
Flag pullers at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, grab the flags at the finish line. Missing the flag results in disqualification or time penalty.
Historical records show the existence of dragon boats outside of China in Cambodia and Vietnam in the third century A.D., and also in Japan, Borneo, Thailand, and Burma. Taiwan started holding dragon boat races in 1736 and developed them into major sporting events. A popular and unique feature of the Taiwan dragon boat race crews is the flag puller or flag catcher who is positioned at the front of the dragon boat. Nearing the end of the race, this person assumes the critical task of leaning over the dragonhead and pulling the flag positioned at the finish line of the race lane. The first flag puller to grab the flag wins the race for the team.
The yin yang symbol represents an ancient Chinese understanding of how the yin and yang energies are mutually arising, interdependent, and continuously transforming one into the other. It is also a depiction of the celestial phenomenon of the cycle of the sun, four seasons, and the Chinese calendar.
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
The fifth day of the fifth month was considered the most evil and poisonous day of the year, the beginning of the summer when disease, illness, and death were rampant. Many traditions developed to harmonize the two opposing but complementary forces of yin and yang that were most strongly unbalanced at the onset of the summer. Without the harmony of these dual forces that permeated all life and the universe, the powers of nature wreaked havoc. The symbol of yin yang evokes the harmonious interplay of opposites.
Precautions were taken against the presiding evils of the season, a time for preventive activities in old China. The “Five Poisons” that were prevalent in the fifth month were represented by the snake, liz–ard, toad, centipede, and scorpion. These poisonous and harmful creatures contributed to calamities and the spread of diseases. To combat these evils, their images were prominently incorporated on clothing, cakes, and lucky charms with the belief that the ac–cumulated effect of these five poisons would success–fully combat all other ones. The lucky charms, in the form of “fragrant pouches” or xiangbao, were filled with aromatic herbs and worn by children as protec–tion. Five-coloured threads were given as gifts to avert evil. The five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water were repre– sented by the five colours of azure, red, yellow, white, and black, all working in harmony to banish bad luck. Another defence against evil was the fierce-looking ghost of Zhong Kui always shown brandishing his sword. His portrait was prominently displayed in homes during the festival to guard families from evil ghosts and demons. Branches of calamus, mugwort, and moxa were also hung around the home to ward off misfortune and prevent disease. Many of these precautionary measures remain popular today during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Fragrant pouches are made with cotton or silk and filled with aromatic herbs to prevent illness. These are given to children during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Dotting the eye of the dragon is the ceremonial rite that brings life to the dragon boat and ends its slumber in storage. A local dignitary in Thunder Bay, Ontario, is given this honorary task.
An ancient ritual that continues to be practised, though without its deep religious roots, is the “awakening of the dragon” after the long sleep in storage. Typically, a Daoist priest conducts the ceremony with chanting to ward off evil spirits. Blessing the boats and the burning of paper money and incense makes the boats strong and fierce for the races to follow. The traditional “dotting the eye” ceremony in modern times involves community dignitaries awakening the dragon by dabbing red paint on the dragon’s eye. Red is the colour that symbolizes heat, summer, and fire and represents good fortune and prosperity.
When we get out on the water, I leave it all on the dock, secure in the knowledge that I am surrounded by a strong group of like-minded women who share the same issues, who care deeply about each other and who will work their hardest to reach a common goal …
— Nancy Jones, Toronto
Women were not allowed in dragon boats until modern times. Rather, they paddled in phoenix boats.6 In Chinese mythology, the dragon exemplified the masculine principle of yang and the phoenix, the feminine principle of yin in the Chinese ideology