The 'Dragon Boats', the Chinese festival with a spirit of unity, arrives in Puerto del Carmen on Saturday, August 31st, through an Asian gastronomic fair in the Plaza de las Naciones from 12.30 to 17.00 hours, the exhibition of two typical boats from the dragon boat race and the performance of the group 'Treintaytantos'.
The 'Dragon Boat' Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that has existed in various forms for thousands of years, has been organized by the Chinese Community Aid Foundation (FACC) with the collaboration of the Tías City Council and other entities on the island.
The mayor of Tías and head of the Tourism area, José Juan Cruz, and the president of FACC, Jaime Jiang, presented the promotional poster of the fair this Thursday in the Plaza de las Naciones. They were accompanied by the councilors of Culture, Festivities and Sports, Pepa González, Miriam Hernández and Ismael Cruz.
José Juan Cruz thanked the Chinese community for choosing the tourist area of Puerto del Carmen for the celebration of this great event and encouraged residents and visitors of Lanzarote to come to the Plaza de las Naciones on August 31st "to enjoy this great meeting of cultures and communities".
Jaime Jiang recalled that this event is the second most famous festival celebrated in China after the New Year and stated that "we do not cease in our efforts to share Chinese customs and festivities that have more in common with Lanzarote than is believed. This is the best way for both cultures to meet and mix, with cultural, social and gastronomic projects."
In addition to the Tías City Council, the Kokoxili sushi & Asian restaurant, the Suko Asian supermarket, the Servigolanz SVG company, Nakoya gourmet & food, the Marlines Lanzarote canoeing club, Mercedes-Benz Louzao and Vulcano Lanzarote winery collaborate in this festival, with free admission and with various drinks and food for ticket purchase.
Spirit of unity
According to the website of the Santo Tomás Confucius Institute www.confusioust.cl, the origin of this festival "is explained through legends, the most popular and well-known by the Chinese people being the one that commemorates the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. According to this, more than two thousand years ago, when the poet learned that his land would fall into the hands of the invaders, he took his own life by throwing himself into the Miluo River."
"Upon learning of the action of the great poet, the people who lived on both banks of the river boarded their dragon-shaped boats in the hope of rescuing him alive, but all efforts were in vain. Then, someone proposed the idea of throwing large quantities of rice into the river to satisfy the appetite of the fish and thus prevent them from devouring the body of the esteemed writer."
