The 5th of May in the Chinese calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival.

In recent days, the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival has been in the air in Jinjiang. The rich and colorful folk activities like zongzi-making, dragon boat racing, scented sachets making and duck-grabbing on water have attracted enthusiastic participation of citizens and tourists both at home and abroad to celebrate and enjoy the Dragon Boat Festival in Jinjiang.

A feast of colorful folk customs for Dragon Boat Festival celebration

At 2:00 p.m. on June 10, the Anping Bridge was bustling with people. Under the bright sun, the unique activity “duck-grabbing on water” was held in Anhai Town in full swing.

On the water, the participants walked barefoot on the swaying bamboo pole, cautiously approaching the cage at the end of the pole step by step. In the cage, a white duck was waiting for the successful duck grabber. “Wow, almost!” “What a pity, I fell into the water before I even walked there.” “Look, he caught it!” ... On the shore, the crowded audience erupted in cheers as participants took turns to grab the ducks.

“In the afternoon of the Dragon Boat Festival every year, Anhai Town carries out the ‘duck grabbing on water’ activity to commemorate Zheng Chenggong’s training of marines in Anhai.” Yan Chengzhi, president of Anhai Town Winter Swimming Association, said that this year, 50 ducks were prepared for the activity. Citizens and tourists can register for the activity on the spot.

On site, many international friends also immersed themselves in experiencing this unique folk activity. Tianbao from Germany is a local “foreign son-in-law”. Amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, he stood before the bamboo pole. Calmly walking a few steps on the pole, rushing to the cage, he dived into the water and successfully grabbed the duck. “I am happy, very happy!” After obtaining his trophy, Tianbao was extremely excited.

A feast of folk customs enhanced the festive atmosphere here. At around 9:00 a.m. on June 10, the traditional folk custom performance of “suoluolian” was carried out by three local performance teams in the Anping Bridge Scenic Area. Some performers waved flags, some rang gongs, and some danced in drunken steps, praying for good weather and national prosperity. Many viewers also participated in the interactive performance, filling the air with laughter and joy.

If this folk customs feast of Jinjiang was considered to reach its culmination on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the festive atmosphere in fact had already been gathering steam long before the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

On June 5, the Sea Dragon Boat Racing 2024 Jinjiang (Shenhu) Open kicked off in Shenhu. 12 dragon boat teams from Kazakhstan, Singapore and China, including that from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian and etc., raced against each other, creating a truly fast and furious scene on the water of the Shenhu Bay.

At the scene, the beating of drums and gongs, shouts, as well as the sound of waves stirred up by paddling were incessant. Teams on the dragon boats acted in unison, shouting and paddling to march through the waves with high spirits and sprint towards the finish line.

“I’m so happy! Quanzhou is my ancestral home. It’s so warm to hear people speak the dialect of my hometown when I come here!” Ye Fucai, the leader of the Singapore SG Dragon Boat Team, said excitedly that members of his team were basically Chinese and the team would travel across the globe to participate in the Dragon Boat Races in June every year. “We have a wonderful experience participating in the game in Shenhu this time!” He added.

Integration of tradition and modernity

While traditional folk activities for festival celebration were colorful and exciting, innovative activities such as the Dragon Boat Festival market, intangible cultural heritage flash mob, and Chinese style show also injected new vitality into the traditional festival.

On June 8, the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday as well as the eighth Cultural and Natural Heritage Day in China, marvelous folk parade performances of various kinds took place in the traditional village of Wulin in Jinjiang.

Citizens and tourists strolled around the Huaixu Market, made DIY Chinese mugwort bouquets, Chinese mugwort sachets, Chinese mugwort hammers, Minnan-styled meat zongzi, and enjoyed traditional Chinese dance. In the century-old village, they experienced the unique charm of Minnan intangible cultural heritage and savored the “cultural and tourism feast” of folk customs to the fullest.

“It’s such a fantastic experience! The trip to Wulin is truly worthwhile!” Said Zhang Yashi from Jiangxi Province who went to Jinjiang with her parents to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. After experiencing dressing up in Nyonya clothing and watching the performance of “couples with fire cauldron” up close, she exclaimed: “I’ve fallen in love with Jinjiang!”

On the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, a stunning Chinese style show presented by Dongshi Town, the umbrella capital of China, with the theme of “Umbrella · Brilliance” was launched in the Wulin Village, home to many overseas Chinese. 328 umbrellas produced in Dongshi Town were dotted around this century-old village. From grasslands, ponds, streets and alleys, courtyards to terraces-- all places were decorated with umbrellas of various unique designs, turning the entire village into a giant umbrella art museum. Many tourists, adorned with hairpin flowers on their heads or dressed in flamboyant Nyonya outfits, took photos happily in various art installation areas, capturing the captivating moments.

On Renmin Road in the traditional block of Wudianshi, a group of young people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival in diverse ways. At various stalls, young vendors sold items featuring special designs and creative ideas, shared stories and fun while street artists sang spontaneously by the side, adding to the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Lively activities across Jinjiang for festival celebration

A series of Dragon Boat Festival activities have been carried out across the communities, villages and towns in Jinjiang to meet the new needs and expectations of the masses for celebrating the traditional festival.

Shooting five poisons, making DIY Chinese mugwort sachet, weaving paper Dragon Boat, wrapping zongzi, eating zongzi... On the afternoon of June 10, a Dragon Boat Festival carnival in San’ou Village, Yinglin Town offered a fun festival experience for villagers.

With the beating of gongs and drums, a 99-meter-long dragon made an exciting debut. On the evening of June 10, the Meiling Street’s First Cultural Exchange Festival on Intangible Cultural Heritage (Jintang Dragon Dance) was held with a theme of “shared Chinese dragon dance and Chinese dream”. 8 dragon dance teams from Quanzhou and Xiamen performed on the stage and participated in the grand event, bringing a special festival experience to the citizens.

The interesting zongzi-making contest attracted the enthusiastic participation of the general public in Dongshi Ancient Village, Lishan Village of Neikeng Town and other places.

Reed leaves, rice, braised meat, mushrooms... At the competition site, the ingredients for making Minnan-styled zongzi were laid out and the players were busy folding reed leaves, adding stuffing and wrapping zongzi. “Come on! Come on!” On one side were the skillful and swift hand movements of the contestants while on the other side were the loud cheers of the onlookers. The atmosphere at the scene was tense and lively, with constant laughter and cheers.

“It’s so fun celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in a fancy way in Jinjiang!” Cai Danfeng, a 62-year-old from Jiangxi Province living in Jinjiang for more than 20 years, said joyfully. Various Dragon Boat Festival activities not only provided her with wonderful experience of traditional folk customs, but also brought her the warmth of home.