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July 8-10 2011 is the Dragon Boat Festival in Nanaimo, and the Painted Turtle Guesthouse is pleased to be hosting a few teams from out of town.
The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is pleased to be hosting two teams for the 2011 Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival. As of now, the guesthouse is alive with team chatter, camaraderie and dragon boaters talking strategy and preparing for the big races this weekend! We are proud to be hosting two teams - the Castaways (new to the guesthouse and the festival this year!) and Shibumi (here with us for their THIRD straight season) Dragon Boat Teams.
It is a big event in Nanaimo, BC and teams come from all over the world to compete and of course, to celebrate the Spirit of Dragon Boat Racing on the most beautiful waterfront harbour of Maffeo Sutton Park.
The Save On Foods Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival brings together and gives back to our diverse community through team building, charitable fund raising and a cross cultural experience that is fun for everyone. This is three days of passion, pleasure and pain that brings all of Nanaimo to the Centre of town to witness our cities finest compete against teams from all over North America.
This is Nanaimo's finest festival....paddlers united in the fight to beat cancer.
The History of Dragon Boat Racing (compliments of the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival website)
The origin of dragon boat racing can be traced to events that happened in southern China over 2,000 years ago. Originally, boats adorned with dragon heads were part of a fertility rite as a way to encourage plentiful rains and a good harvest.
Dragon boat racing, within the context of a festival, became much more important in Chinese culture with the tragic events surrounding Qu Yuan (pronounced Chu Yuan) around 277 B.C. Qu was a senior minister, diplomat, and poet in the Ch'u feudal kingdom. As a man of integrity and wisdom, he gave truthful advice to the king, advice that angered his political rivals. These rivals persuaded the king to banish Qu Yuan. Despondent over his exile and the subsequent decline of the government, Qu put stones in his pocket and drowned himself in the Mi Lo River. When local fishermen raced out to rescue him, they beat their drums and splashed with their paddles to scare the fish and water dragons away from Qu Yuan's body. They also threw rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the water, hoping that the fish would eat the dumplings and leave the body alone.
To commemorate their beloved Qu Yuan, the people of southern China staged dragon boat races to remember the day when they raced into the river in an attempt to save him. The dragon boat races, and the serving of rice dumplings or rice cakes, became an annual event on the fifth day of the fifth month, believed to be the day that Qu Yuan drowned in the Mi Lo River.
Preceding the actual races, some festivals still practice the ancient ritual of "Awakening the Dragon." An eye-dotting ceremony awakens the dragon and brings out its fire, which gives the boats and their crews the strength of the dragon.
For more information and to see the event map, visit the official website of the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival.
Plan ahead now for 2011 - Come for the weekend and make it a family affair! The Painted Turtle Guesthouse has private, dorm and family rooms available.
The Save On Foods Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival brings together and gives back to our diverse community through team building, charitable fund raising and a cross cultural experience that is fun for everyone. This is three days of passion, pleasure and pain that brings all of Nanaimo to the Centre of town to witness our cities finest compete against teams from all over North America.
This is Nanaimo's finest festival....paddlers united in the fight to beat cancer.
The History of Dragon Boat Racing (compliments of the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival website)
The origin of dragon boat racing can be traced to events that happened in southern China over 2,000 years ago. Originally, boats adorned with dragon heads were part of a fertility rite as a way to encourage plentiful rains and a good harvest.
Dragon boat racing, within the context of a festival, became much more important in Chinese culture with the tragic events surrounding Qu Yuan (pronounced Chu Yuan) around 277 B.C. Qu was a senior minister, diplomat, and poet in the Ch'u feudal kingdom. As a man of integrity and wisdom, he gave truthful advice to the king, advice that angered his political rivals. These rivals persuaded the king to banish Qu Yuan. Despondent over his exile and the subsequent decline of the government, Qu put stones in his pocket and drowned himself in the Mi Lo River. When local fishermen raced out to rescue him, they beat their drums and splashed with their paddles to scare the fish and water dragons away from Qu Yuan's body. They also threw rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the water, hoping that the fish would eat the dumplings and leave the body alone.
To commemorate their beloved Qu Yuan, the people of southern China staged dragon boat races to remember the day when they raced into the river in an attempt to save him. The dragon boat races, and the serving of rice dumplings or rice cakes, became an annual event on the fifth day of the fifth month, believed to be the day that Qu Yuan drowned in the Mi Lo River.
Preceding the actual races, some festivals still practice the ancient ritual of "Awakening the Dragon." An eye-dotting ceremony awakens the dragon and brings out its fire, which gives the boats and their crews the strength of the dragon.
For more information and to see the event map, visit the official website of the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival.
Plan ahead now for 2011 - Come for the weekend and make it a family affair! The Painted Turtle Guesthouse has private, dorm and family rooms available.- admin's blog
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