Chinese festival going global with dragon boats
BEIJING (Xinhua) — The Dragon Boat Festival — not necessarily the dragon boat race — was recently celebrated among overseas Chinese communities worldwide.
Dragon boat racing is officially a competitive sport played under rules set by the International Dragon Boat Federation.
This is something beyond what the Chinese people could imagine some 2,500 years ago, when they took boats to distribute feed in a river, trying to keep fish from disturbing the permanent rest of patriotic and beloved poet Qu Yuan, who chose to die along with his doomed country.
The move inspired the water sport and a rice food — zongzi — and has been known abroad as a Chinese festival focusing on health and epidemic prevention. This is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar Year, which coincidentally marks the death anniversary of Qu.
A SPORT GONE GLOBAL
The Dragon Boat Festival fell on June 18 this year. However, a dragon boat race nowadays can take place any time of the year in several countries.
It is one of Britain’s fastest-growing water sport as well as a highlight in London’s cultural calendar. Last June 3, the 23rd edition of the annual London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival entertained 10,000 visitors.
Hundreds of players, among them teenagers, elders, amateurs and corporate employees, of 33 teams from across Britain paddled vigorously to the beat of each team’s own drum and amid stormy cheers from the bank, competing for six cups at London’s Regatta Center.
“I have never, ever experienced anything like it. I think it is amazing. I found it really interesting, but honestly, I do not know much about it,” Stephanie Ann, a local visitor coming with her family, told Xinhua.
On the sidelines, live music, traditional Chinese lion dances, and an Asian food market are among the diverse cultural activities contributing to the biggest dragon boat races in Europe.
In the US, dragon boat racing is popular in cities like San Francisco, Kansas City and Boston. In New York City, it has become the largest local summer event.
The 28th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York is scheduled on Aug. 11-12, and more than 200 welltrained teams will participate.
“I’m the captain and drummer. We have a new steerer this year and we are moving into using the fiber glass boats instead of the timber boats for the race,” Julia Chesler told Xinhua after a three-hour team training on the Meadow Lake, the race venue.
A FESTIVAL GOES FURTHER WITH DRAGON BOATS
Still, somewhere, the old-fashioned dragon-headed boats strongly suggest a cultural background, indicating a close link of the sport with China.
“It was quite a good experience... I will remember it because it is something we associate with Chinese culture,” said Din Musovic, a high school student of the champion team from the June 9 race held in Croatia’s capital Zagreb.
At least, the dragon boat’s unique shape is eye-catching. A dragon boat sailed in a canal running through downtown Aveiro in northern Portugal, picquing the interest of many people.
The sailing proved to be the most dramatic part of the local Dragon Boat Festival celebrations. City official Catarina Barreto praised the celebrations co-hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Aveiro, saying they brought together the traditional cultures of Portugal and China, and called for more.
Uganda saw the second edition of its Dragon Boat Festival on the shore of Lake Victoria. It turned out to be a big event with barbecues, kite flying, live music, Chinese and Ugandan food, performances of Chinese waist drums and Ugandan folk dance. Its opening ceremony was attended by Uganda’s Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and a visiting Chinese official.
“I’m sure this Dragon Boat Festival will be an avenue to make Ugandans and Chinese (migrants) live more happily together and cooperate better,” Ssekandi said, adding that the dragon boat race integrated elements of the two countries’ traditional cultures.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said dragon boat racing embodies traditional Chinese values such as mutual benefit, seeking harmony in diversity, and working in unity and cooperation.