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Will Your Dad enjoy Father's Day with a Dragon Boat Race Festival?
The word father in Chinese "ba ba" sounds like 8. Thus, Baba Day, or Father's Day is celebrated on the eighth day of the eight month.
Those in the Tacoma, Washington area may like to hang out with Dad on his special day by participating in the Dragon Boat Festival of the Asian American Dragon Boat Association (AADBA).
AADBA is holding their annual Dragon Boat Festival entitled "International Bon Om Tuk Festival," on August 8, 2009 at Thea's Park in Dock Street, Tacoma. Have dad drive the family (hee hee) and let him enjoy the day with watching the dragon boat races. There will also be lots of ethnic food, cultural performances and arts and crafts.
So go. Let the little ones wear their cheung sam-qi pao , bring them over to Thea's Park, and have fun on Chinese Father's Day. :-)
PS. Thank you Chanda for the heads-up.
Labels: dragon boat festival
A Dragon Boat Festival that Celebrates Women's Lives
We love all the dragon boat festivals, and a dragon boat festival dedicated for celebrating wellness is also warmly welcomed! Many thanks to Pam of Team Survivor Northwest for giving us the information of their organization's dragon boat festival this year. The event is entitled "Seattle Celebrating Life! Dragon Boat Festival" and will be held on August 22-23 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Magnuson Park in Seattle. Team Survivor Northwest is an organization dedicated to providing physical fitness and sports-related adventures to women recuperating from cancer. So for those in the Seattle area and like participating and watching dragon boat races, head on over to Magnuson Park on the dates above and celebrate with Team Survivor Northwest :-) For more information, please call their office at (206) 732-8350. We've already updated the ChildBook Dragon Boat Calendar, Pam. Thanks again. Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Festival Resources!
May you have your family have a Wonderful Dragon Boat Day and enjoy some Joong (sticky rice in bamboo leaves)! In the lunar calendar, today is the 5th day of the 5th Month. More Dragon Boat Resources: Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Festival Day!
Tomorrow is May 28 is the Fifth Day of the Fifth month in the Lunar Calendar, or dragon boat festival day. Apparently it's the unluckiest day of the entire year, or is it? What are your thoughts about this? All I know is my credit card is due tomorrow! My wife was not aware of the date till I mentioned it, so I guess in Taiwan it's not such a major holiday. Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Festival making you hungry? Try Joong or Zong Zi
During Dragon Boat Festivals, the food in demand is the Zong Zi, or Joong, a kind of Chinese rice tamale. It is said that after patriot-poet Qu Yuan perished in the water, fisher folk throw rice into the river to ensure that Qu Yuan's spirit will be well-fed and that the fish and River Dragon will not feed on his body. The story also goes that a little later, about 200 years after his death, the spirit of Qu Yuan told the fisher folk that the rice they are leaving for him are being eaten. To avoid this, the spirit advised the fishermen to wrap the rice intended for him in bamboo leaves and tie this in red, blue, white, yellow and black string. The Imperial colors will protect the rice from the River Dragon and make sure the rice goes to the designated spirit. I've been looking about for a nice, easy recipe for Zong Zi. While my favorite reference book on Chinese culture, The Good Luck Life has a nice Zong Zi/ Joong recipe, I still looked about for something that seems simpler to prepare, and ingredients easier to find. I found this from the eG Froum, this is hzrt8w's recipe, thanks so much. I am not copying the recipe word per word, but to give you an idea of how it is done and what it contains. For the cooking nuts who really want the recipe, you can ask around or try the recipe in The Good Luck Life. Day 1. - Soak the following the day before in separate bowls, making sure there is enough water for each : Sticky rice, mung beans, conpoy, black mushrooms, raw peanuts.
- Cut the pork, marinade into special sauce.
- Soak bamboo leaves, making sure they are weighed down into the water.
Day 2. - Soak dried shrimp for a short while only, drain. Drain all ingredients soaked the night before. Slice mushrooms, conpoy, also Chinese sausages, get yolk from salted eggs.
- Pan-fry soaked shrimp, add mushrooms, add cooking wine and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Get sticky rice, add soy sauce, some cooking oil and salt.
- Get soaked bamboo leaves. Pour some boiling water on it to sterilize and also soften.
- Wrap Joong by: Take 1-3 bamboo leaves this will be the rice's container. Add sticky rice, mung beans, pork, saled egg yolk, shredded conpoy, 1 or 2 chestnuts, then shrimp, mushroom and peanuts. Finish by adding mung beans again, then rice. Close with another leaf. Tie with string.
- The wrapped joongs are put in a pot and boiled for about 2 hours.
There you go, a very general way to make Zong Zi. I hope you'll be interested to make some for the family, and if you do, please tell us about it :-) (If not, maybe a nearby chinese deli has some? heehee.) Happy Dragon Boat Fest eating! Labels: dragon boat festival
Types of Chinese Dragons - they have hierarchy too
Since we’re in Dragon Boat Festival mode anyway (it’s coming soon, May 28, 2009!) let’s talk about the mythical creature that is the focus of this festival – The Chinese Dragon. Dragons in Western culture are fearsome beasts. In Chinese culture, however, dragons are deeply respected, even revered. The Chinese believe that dragons symbolize fertility, vitality and strength. Even if you look at pictures, the Western dragon is scary, while Chinese dragons are beautiful to look at, even cute sometimes. The usual kinds of Chinese dragon is the Long, Li, Jiao and Mang. Long Dragon. The supreme dragon, symbol of the Imperial Court. Among all kinds of Chinese dragons, Long is the Ruling Class dragon. It is very powerful and is said to have 5 claws. It is also believed to be a combination of different animals. The Long dragon has the head of a camel, horns of a deer, ears of a cow, neck of a snake, stomach of a frog, scales of a fish, eyes of a rabbit, claws of a hawk and footprints of a tiger. Li Dragon. The water dragon, ruler of the rivers, seas rain and directions of the compass. The Li breathes water and sea foam. It is believed to have no horns. Jiao Dragon. The earth dragon. It is believed that hills and mountains are the Jiao dragon’s back. Mang Dragon. The Mang dragon is the dragon of the masses. It is ordinary and has 3 or 4 claws. There they are, all 4 Chinese dragons. Next time you see a depiction of a Chinese dragon, especially this Dragon Boat Festival, see ifyou can identify which dragon you are looking at. Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Racing in China
A Gift Bowl Serves Victories to a Village - NY Times. Interesting article about a village that was gifted a bowl and believes that helps them win a lot of Dragon Boat races in their area. The area is just North of Laos and near Burma and the village is of ethnic Dai. They have a festival of Water Splashing. References: Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Vocabulary!
I am working on more content for the Dragon Boat Festival Pages... Dragon Boat VocabularyFestival - Day of celebration paddle - Used to propell the boat boat - Used for racing. drum - Used to scare the fish away from Qu Yuan, now used in the Dragon Boat. Qu Yuan - Chinese Poet zhong kui - Demon Slayer, his image is put up on the Double Fifth to ward away bad spirits. river dragon - Most powerful of Chinese Dragons zongzi - Also known as Joong, glutinous/sticky rice in bamboo leaves. rice dumpling - Another name for Zongzi. double fifth - Fifth day of the fifth month, Dragon Festival Day. Unluckiest day of the year. xiangbao - Fragrant pouches to protect the wearer against evil spirits. races - a contest of speed warring states - Period of time Qu Yuan lived in. five poisons - Centipede, Lizard, Scorpion, Snake, and Toad are decorated on clothing, bags, cakes, etc. for protection against bites. kui - Wandering Ghost taoism - Chinese Religion pacers - First three row of paddlers engine - Middle row of paddlers rockets - Paddlers at the back of the boat team - Group of people flag - Each lane has one stroke - using a paddle to move a boat charm - Worn on a person to ward off evil Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Festival Calendar
Dragon Boat Festival Race Event Calendar has been updated - thanks everybody who sent in corrections!. Dragon Boating is much bigger than I thought it was. For some reason I had this picture of each team building their boats. Nope, their are actually manufacturers who focus on this area. Some Dragon Boat Manufacturers I found in the US:
Labels: dragon boat festival
Dragon Boat Festival & Racing
I am in the process of updating my information on Dragon Boat Festival Event and Information . This section on Dragon Boats includes: - Dragon Boat Calendar of Events for the US and Canada for 2008.
- Customs, Foods, and Background on the Dragon Boat Festival
- I am going to create a page of links for the 40 or so associations in the US.
Good books that have information about Dragon Boat racing are:
Good Luck Life: The Essential Guide To Chinese American Celebrations And Culture
Our Price: $14.95
It has a large section on the Dragon Boat Festival and Racing. 10+ pages if I remember. Best resource for learning about the Dragon Boat Festival A-Z I have seen. Provides a readable introduction to the legends, customs, traditions, festivals, and celebrations of Chinese culture and heritage, complete with trivia, drawings, charts, tables, recipes, and informative sidebars.
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
Our Price: $21.00 Sale Price: $19.95 You Save $1.05!
Has a couple pages on the Dragon Boat Festival, more for kids. Filled with delectable recipes, hands-on family activities and traditional tales to read aloud, this extraordinary collection will inspire families everywhere to re-create the magic of Chinese holidays in their own homes.
Awakening the Dragon - The Dragon Boat Festival
Our Price: $9.95
Only book I have seen 100% focused on the Dragon Boat Festival. By Arlene Chan, a respected librarian and an experienced dragon boat racer, explores the origins of the festival, customs, and the races themselves. Beautifully detailed illustrations by Song Nan Zhang let you experience the beauty and energy of this ancient festival. Labels: Chinese Festivals, dragon boat festival
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