Us Awards Dragon Boat 2000 June marks the beginning of many dragon boat races around the world. This international sports event has its origin in China. The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Tuen Ng Festival, is the celebration of the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. B.C. Background May brings violent storms to the land of China. The unpredictable weather condition is considered dangerous to many poor farmers.
Storms bring unwanted insects and bugs that carry contagious diseases.
To protect themselves from the evil spirits of May, farmers pray to the water dragon who lives in the river. They paddle boats along the river and pound drums to wake up the sleepy dragon. Then they make sacrifices by offing the dragon rice dumplings called zongzi. Children also wear sachets called to ward off evil spirits from taking their young lives. Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is a combination of ancient traditions and modern sports marketing.