标题: the Dragonboat Festival 龙舟节 [打印本页] 作者: xuxiaolin 时间: 2011-6-4 12:27 标题: the Dragonboat Festival 龙舟节
The Dragonboat Festival takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month ,usually around the summer solstice .It probably started as a festival to celebrate the planting of the rice crop and to pray for a good rainfall .Long ago ,people believed that dragons controlled rivers and rain .They put offerings in thi river so that the dragons would bring rain for their crops .
The highlight of the festival today is the dragonboat race .Dragonboats are long ,narrow boats with a carved dragon's head at one end and a tail at the other .Up to 80 rowers paddle together .A coxswain sits in the front of the boat and shouts directions and sets the pace for the rowers using a large drum .The races are very noisy and exciting .Teams try to trick each other into making a wrong move .Teams often come to blows with each other .
