8 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 10, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
The legend of the dragon boat
Dragon boat racing is based on a legend
his concerns for his homeland and its
of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan, who
people. In 278 B.C., when Qu Yuan
lived from 340 to 278 B.C. He was a court
heard that his home had been invaded,
minister who advocated reforms for his
he jumped into the Mi Lo River and
home state of Chu.
drowned himself.
Th e King of Chu, however, disliked
According to legend, local fi shermen
him for it and banished him from the
raced out into the river to same him, but
state.
they were unsuccessful. To prevent his
While in excile, Yuan wandered the
body from being eaten by the fi sh, they
country, writing poetry expressing
threw rice dumplings into the water as an
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival: Music and Food
If the excitement of the Dragon Boat
Festival at Flushing Meadows Corona
park works up your appetite, you won’t
have to travel very far to fi nd some amazing
eats from all over the world.
Some of the treats you’ll fi nd at the festival’s
food court are the following:
Chokola
- BBQ - Corn on the cob, shish kabobs,
grilled meats, cut fruits and juices.
T-Bar
- Steamed dumplings, zongs, fi sh balls,
fresh fruit smoothie, cut fruits.
Bruce Cost Ginger Ale
- Unfi ltered ginger ale made with 100%
fresh ginger (no extracts) and pure cane
sugar.
- 6 Flavors: Original, Pomegranate,
Jasmine Tea, Passion Fruit, Blood Orange
& Low Calorie with Monk Fruit
Encore
- Pork Chop Bao
- Pork Belly Bun
- Soy Sauce Drum Sticks
- Yangzhou Fried Rice
- Chrysanthemum Tea
- Soda and Water
Rolling Smoke Grill
- Pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage
and more.
Lemonade Stand
- Freshly squeezed lemonade with the
fi nest ingredients and fresh lemons
Ice Delights Concessions
- Sno-Biz Shave Ice
Segarra Group
- Sweet corn
- Horchata - Traditional Ecuadorian
herbal tea
- Chuzos- Shishkabab
- Mozzarepa - Patty with mozzarella
cheese
- Lemonade
- Water
- Watermelon
off ering to his heroic spirit. Th is was the
beginning of dragon boat racing.
Today, rice dumplings are eaten on the
day of the Dragon Boat Festival, which
is commemorated on the fi ft h day of the
fi ft h lunar month. Four days prior to the
festival, the dragon boats are taking from
their resting places, and their heads and
tails are attached. Th ey are then ritually
blessed by a Buddhist monk and later
brought to life before the races by having
their eyes dotted in red paint.
In Hong Kong, the fi shermen of the
outlying islands such as Lantau, Lamma
and Cheung Chau observe these rituals.
Following the races, it is customary to
spend the remainder of the day observing
street theater, traditional Chinese dance
performances, martial arts and cother
cultural demonstrations.
dragon boat festival 2017