On June 8th, a gentle breeze welcomed the arrival of summer in Upstate New York. The second annual Dragon Boat Festival organized by the “Hope Mountain Chinese Association” attracted local dignitaries and thousands of people. Participants expressed their appreciation for Chinese traditional festivals and the cultural values they represent, emphasizing the importance of preserving traditions.
This year’s Dragon Boat Festival, held at Hope Mountain Town Park, was organized by the Hope Mountain Chinese Association. The fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar marks the Dragon Boat Festival, which alongside Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the three major traditional holidays in China and a day to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States period. The organizers stated that the purpose of the event is to enrich the local community with Chinese traditional culture, expressing the patriotic spirit and love for the community among Chinese people.
At noon, the organizers held the highlight of the Dragon Boat Festival at the central lawn of the park: a dry-land dragon boat competition.
“The focus of this festival is to cherish our traditions, show loyalty to our country. We love America, and we also love traditional China,” said Mela Wu, head of the New York Hope Mountain Chinese Association. “We are grateful for the support we have received, allowing us to practice our faith here, live happily, and be a creative part of the community.”
According to Mela Wu, the Dragon Boat Festival featured 40 booths showcasing products related to the festival such as zongzi (traditional sticky rice dumplings), woven bracelets, mugwort products, jewelry, sachets, snacks from both northern and southern China, traditional clothing, as well as cultural learning booths for Chinese language, calligraphy, Clean World Network, Falun Dafa practice, and various colorful art performances and parent-child games.
Janet Sutherland, representative of the second community in Orange County, New York, expressed excitement and admiration for Chinese traditional values.
“We embrace the values of this community and Chinese culture together,” she said. “It’s an honor to be here, and we are delighted to witness the vibrant development of this community in recent years and to achieve all this together.”
Chris Furman, a councilor from Hope Mountain Town in New York, participated in the event for the second time. He stated that such activities are very beneficial to the local community.
“This event is larger in scale, with more people, cultural experiences, rich performances, children’s activities, and the cuisine here is amazing,” he remarked. “This event is great for our town of Hope Mountain, and I am pleased that they came here.”
Christine Woods, a booth owner living just two miles away, saw information about the event while driving and decided to showcase her designed products such as clothing and bags.
“I brought my grandchildren here so they can experience different cultures and they are happy,” Woods said. She emphasized the importance of preserving cultural traditions. “For example, my father is Italian, but I know nothing about Italy. This place is like a melting pot, and you slowly forget who you are, so it’s important to maintain your traditions and remember where you come from.”
The Dragon Boat Festival not only attracted local community residents but also visitors from New Jersey.
Chiris Strube, a project manager at an education company, and her husband took advantage of their weekends to celebrate this traditional Chinese festival in Upstate New York. Strube enthusiastically signed up for almost all cultural classes available at the event.
“I saw the opportunity to learn Chinese and painting, so I signed up for both, and I can’t wait,” Strube said. “This event is not like typical ones I’ve attended because they have unique cultural content.”
Strube purchased handicrafts and received a paper lotus flower as a gift. “This paper lotus flower might be my favorite. They just demonstrated how to make it for me,” she shared. “This weekend is so special for us, and we love it!”
Visitors found something they loved at the event, whether it was the music, the food, or the overall atmosphere that was both joyful and peaceful.