The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival 2016 in Pictures

Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional and important celebration in China. Dragon Boat Festival 2016 falls on June 9 (Thursday). China will have 3 days of holiday from Thursday (June 9) to Saturday (June 11), and we will be back at work on Sunday, June 12.

What Is China's Dragon Boat Festival? The Dragon Boats:

It's a folk festival full of traditions and superstitions, maybe originating from dragon worship; an event on the sporting calendar; and a day of remembrance/worship for Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, and Cao E. The festival has long been a traditional holiday in China. On May 20th 2006 it was selected into the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage items. In 2008 it was first celebrated as a public holiday in China. And on October 30th 2009 it was added to the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Dragon Boat Racing — from legend to sporting event!

Dragon boat racing is said to originate from the legend of people paddling out on boats to seek the body of patriotic poet Qu Yuan (343–278 BC), who drowned himself in the Miluo River.

Dragon boat racing is the most important activity during the Dragon Boat Festival. The wooden boats are shaped and decorated in the form of a Chinese dragon. The boat size varies by region. Generally it is about 20–35 meters in length and needs 30–60 people to paddle it. During the races, dragon boat teams paddle harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by the sound of beating drums. It is said that the winning team will have good luck and a happy life in the following year. Dragon boat races are a major sporting event in many places, which competitors train hard for.

Villagers row boat for an exercise ahead the dragon boat competition of the 5th Longjie Terraced Fields Culture Festival in Rong'an County on June 14, 2016 in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Longji Terraced Fields Culture Festival aims to enrich the spiritual life of the locals and carry forward China's ethnic minority culture.