Sunday, May 06, 2007

Dispelling Evil

"Dispelling evil and pestilence and seeking peace": The Dragon Boat Festival, lunar 5/5

Dragon Boat racing is a sport that is growing around the world. Most Americans teams have a competitive teams as well as teams as youth or "fun" teams. In addition, there are quite a few teams that focus on fund-raising for charity or that are "survivor teams".

Redrawing the eyes on the boats brings them to life. While it is done at the start of the season, not everyone is clear about whether it is for all boats, or only the new ones. If I got to vote, I'd say to (re-)paint them all, why take a chance?

If you are interested and want to try and see a race near you, a full list of dragon boat races in the USA are available at www.dragon-boats.com/dbnet/dragon_boat_races_usa.htm. I thnk there were about 60 in 2006!

In some regions, balancing an egg on end at noon will ensure a lucky year. (So much for this being solely a equinox practice.)

All this came from Appeasing the Water God?!?
Certainly more insects are out and biting at the start of summer, and this is the only Chinese Festival I've heard of where reminding family members to take care of their health is a component.

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