Pdbausa.org
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Qu Yuan, a beloved Chinese statesman, warrior, and poet, was banished by a corrupt government after being falsely accused of treason. Despondent and displaying a final act of protest against the government, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Lo River and drowned. Fishermen rushed to him in their boats. Arriving too late, they recovered his body to protect it from being devoured by fish. They beat their drums and threw rice dumplings into the river to distract the fish, a tradition which continues today, over 2,000 years later.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year, usually in June, crews of paddlers re-enact the frantic rush to save Qu Yuan by powering long boats through the water with heads of dragons mounted on the bow. It might be that the dragon head was added over the years to ward off evil water spirits, as the combination of the two fives that designate the date for the occassion is thought to be a bad omen. The dragon head is thought to ward off evil spirits, protect the health of the people, and ensure a good crop.
Today dragon boat racing is done during the summer season all over the world. There are over 20 million paddlers, and the sport continues to grow.
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