Before the 19th century, Okinawa was not called Okinawa; it was known as Ryukyu. Ryukyu was an independent country with its own unique culture.
Because the Ryukyu Kingdom had strong trade relations with China at the time, many of its traditional customs and festivals are quite similar to those of Chinese culture.
The Onna Sea God Festival is quite similar to our Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong and China. During the festival, they pay homage to the sea god, and people also race dragon boats, though I didn’t seem to see any zongzi—maybe I just missed them.
More travel information: DreamTravelworld & SKY Photography
