Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival is a yearly event that attracts 5500 paddlers and over 70,000 spectators in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Historically, it is part of a Chinese tradition dating back almost 2400 years. It began as a rite in the banks of southern China to guarantee abundant crops. In early times, the races were held on the 5th day of the lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The dragon is symbolic of the object of worship during this time. The day the races are held is also known as Poet's Day, which commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a minister and poet during the Zhou Dynasty. The race is a part of a historical re-enactment to save Yuan from the river. Since its inception in 1993, thousands of participants have gathered at Mooney's Bay Park on Riverside Drive in Ottawa to race.