Houston Community News >> Malaysia Celebrates Dragon Boat Festival
6/17/2007 KUALA LUMPUR (Xinhua)
-- Malaysia held Dragon Boat race and rice dumpling wrapping race on Sunday to
celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, one of the Chinese traditional festivals.
About 25,000 people gathered Likas Bay as early as 7 a.m. to watch the 22nd
Sabah Dragon Boat race on Sunday in East Malaysia's Sabah State.
The annual event attracted 31 national and international participants. Followed
by the beating of 24 Chinese drums, the invited guests tossed rice dumpling into
the sea to mark the beginning of the event.
Shangri'La Rasa Ria Resort B emerged champion for the Sabah Tourism Trophy
category while the Tawau Confederation of Chinese Associations won the Sabah
Chinese Cultural Association (SCCA) Chinese Men's Trophy and the Oriental
Dolphin won the Sabah Dragon Trophy, according to Malaysia's national news
agency Bernama.
Sabah's local team Terayung won the Sabah Minister's Trophy while the Brunei
Darussalam National Boat Race Team A won the Sabah Head of State Trophy,
reported by Bernama.
The Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association of Malaysia also held rice
dumpling wrapping race to celebrate the festival on Sunday morning in Kuala
Lumpur.
The youngest participant is only 10 years old, and the oldest is 77 years old,
who has insisted to take part in the event for 17years and won the Best Spirit
Award.
The Dragon Boat Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the
Chinese lunar calendar, or June 19 this year. It is for commemorating a
patriotic Chinese poet over 2,000 years ago.
During the festival, boat races are held and people eat rice dumplings. Wrapped
up with bamboo leaves and with glutinous rice inside, rice dumpling has various
fillings ranging from meaty to confectionery.
(Contributed by Xinhua)