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Victoria Dragon Boat Race
Commemorates Poet Qu Yuan
Legend has it that a dragon boat festival brings prosperity and
health to a host community, which might explain Victoria’s
reputation as one of British Columbia’s healthiest cities.
SIMPLE WAYS TO PACK A BAG
Here are a few tips to save
space while packing.
• Use refillable bottles to store all of
your favorite products.
• Purchase multi-purpose products,
such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic 18-In-One
Soaps, which promise 18 different uses
(including shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, etc.).
• Pack non-liquid alternatives to your
regular toiletries.
• Choose outfits with a similar color palette, so you can mix and match items.
• Roll your clothes to save space.
• Use vacuum travel bags to compress
your clothing and keep it wrinkle-free.
• Travel with only one pair of shoes that
double as a good walking shoe as well as
one that is suited for more formal events.
• Wear bulkier items on the plane, such
as boots or a heavier jacket.
• Keep all items organized and easily
accessible in case of a security check.
SHOWCASING VICTORIA’S WORLDRENOWNED INNER Harbour, the annual
Dragon Boat Festival is one of the city’s
most popular summer events attracting
paddlers and spectators from across
North America. Held in mid-August
every year, this three-day celebration
is the only dragon boat festival to take
place in a working harbor.
Popular legend has it that villagers
carried their dumplings and boats to
the middle of the river and desperately
tried to save a well-respected poet,
Qu Yuan, from drowning, but were
unsuccessful. In order to keep fish and
evil spirits away from the poet’s body,
they beat drums and splashed the
water with their paddles. They threw
rice into the water as a food offering
to Qu Yuan and to distract the fish
away from his body. However, late one
night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared
before his friends and told them that
he had died because of a river dragon.
He asked his friends to wrap their rice
24
into three-cornered silk packages to
ward off the dragon. These packages
became a traditional food known as
zongzi, although the lumps of rice are
now wrapped in reed leaves instead
of silk. The act of racing to search for
his body in boats gradually became the
cultural tradition of dragon boat races,
which are held on the anniversary of
the poet’s death every year.
Today, people still eat zongzi and
participate in dragon boat races to
commemorate Qu Yuan’s sacrifice at the
Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu festival)
on the fifth day of the fifth month of
the Chinese lunar calendar.
VICTORIA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL’S
22ND FESTIVAL
VICTORIA’S INNER HARBOUR SHIPS POINT
FRIDAY AUGUST 12: Registration Noon to 8pm
SATURDAY AUGUST 13: 8am – 10pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 14: 8am – 6pm
victoriadragonboat.com
explore:NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Summer 2016
Or You Can Always Fold and Roll.
1. Roll up garments that don’t wrinkle
as easily. These include t-shirts, underwear, jeans, and cotton slacks.
2. Fold garments like dress slacks, dress
shirts, and dress coats.
3. Place the rolled up garments on the
bottom of the bag. Then place the folded
garments on top.
4. Place shoes, socks, and your Dopp kit
along the sides of the bag.
ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ON PAGE 64.