The Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat

Dragon boat races are traditionally held as part of the annual Duanwu Festival observance in China. A dragon boat team consists of 20 paddlers sitting two abreast, plus a Cox who steers the dragon boat from the rear and a drummer who sits at the front.

The team of paddlers work in unison to propel the boat forwards from a standing start, the aim being to reach the finish line in the fastest time. Generally a race consists of between 4 and 6 boats.

The tradition of dragon boat racing was further embedded in Chinese culture by the tragedy of patriotic martyr Qu Yuan. The people of Chu loved and respected Qu Yuan. They mourned his death and devoted much of their time trying to deter the fish and water dragons away from Qu Yuan's body by rowing around the river in their fishing boats, splashing their paddles and beating their drums. To ensure that Qu Yuan never went hungry, rice wrapped in leaves was cast into the river. Rice cakes are still eaten today as part of dragon boat festival celebrations.

Some of the original rituals are still practiced today, like the "Awakening of the Dragon" by dotting the eyes of the dragon's head on each boat. This ceremony is conducted to cleanse and bless the area of competition, the competitors and their boats. It also gives the boats and their crew the strength of the Dragon and the blessing of the Goddess of the Sea.