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On the fifth day of the fifth
lunar month every year, usually in June, crews of paddlers
re-enact the frantic rush to save Qu Yuan by powering long
boats through the water with heads of dragons mounted on the
bow. It might be that the dragon head was added over the years
to ward off evil water spirits, as the combination of the two
fives that designate the date for the occasion is thought to
be a bad omen. The dragon head is thought to ward off evil
spirits, protect the health of the people, and ensure a good
crop.
During the time of the dragonboat
festival, eating rice dumplings are part of the celebration.
Today dragon boat racing is done
during the summer season all over the world. There are over 20
million paddlers, and the sport continues to grow.
The Eye-Dotting Ceremony
Dragons are revered in Southeast
Asia. Ancient Chinese emperors called themselves dragons, so
dragons became associated with good spirits. Dragonboats, by
association with ancient cultural traditions, are considered
to have good spirits that affects the racers who power them.
Before races, priests offer prayers to the spirits of the
dragonboats and make offerings of fruit, sweets, jasmine tea,
alcohol, and rice. These offerings are said to appease and
calm the water spirits. If that is not done, legend says that
the water gods would clash with the dragon spirits of the
boats, with dire consequences. The boats are large canoes,
usually highly decorated.
The Dragonboats feature the head
and tail of a dragon, a mythological creature regarded by the
Chinese as having dominion over the waters and exercising
control over rainfall. The heads and tails are kept ashore
during the year and are only affixed for the races. After they
have been attached, it is necessary to bring the boats to
life. This is done in a ceremony presided over by a Taoist
priest and, amid the burning incense and exploding
firecrackers, the eyes of the dragon heads are dotted with
paint. Sacrificial paper money is put into the dragons' mouths
and also thrown into the water by the rowers. All of this is
done to dispel any evil spirits that might be lurking about
waiting for an opportunity to disrupt the festivities.
Dragon boat today
In the mid 1970ties
the Hong Kong tourist information center had the idea of
organizing a dragonboat festival to promote tourism. The year
1976 marks the beginning of the development of Dragonboating
like it is practiced in a lot of countries today. The festival
was crowned an enormous success and the impressive pictures of
the Hong Kong harbor went around the world.
More than 25 years later the numbers show the impressive
development of the dragonboat sport. 20 Million Chinese
dragonboat and it have spread to all other continents.
Apparently there are 1500 teams in Norway and Sweden, 1000
teams just in Great Britain and Germany is proud of having
close to 2000 teams, which adds up to almost 50'000 active
members. And now the dragonboat sport is moving east with the
conquer of Poland, Hungary and Russia.
Competitive
Dragonboating
The competitions in the dragonboat discipline have long become
a high-performance issue. Initial fun-teams have developed
into teams with world-class paddlers. World Championships,
European Championships and other Continental Championships are
well established and the medals are hard to come by. A whole
new and different set of dimensions has opened up for the
sport of canoeing. There is no other sport, where 22 people
are at the same time on the "playing ground"! This is a
harmony that can only be achieved through many hours of
paddling, training camps and with the according attitude
towards team spirit. More
than 25 years later the numbers show the impressive
development of the dragonboat sport. 20 Million Chinese
dragonboat and it have spread to all other continents.
Dragonboating as
a mass-sport
A lot of events are successful due to the teams that enter in
the fun category. The advantage of Dragonboating is that one
can set up a fun team and with little effort gets the boat to
move nicely. A lot of fun- and company teams use the
dragonboat because it is as a social event that is a measure
for teambuilding.
The growth in the mass-sport section is enormous. For example
there are companies in Sweden that were founded for the sole
reason to organize dragonboat festivals each year, like the
one in Malmö/SWE that attracts up to 600 teams from companies,
clubs, etc. The festivities in Malmö last for a week. The
Swedish Canoe/Kayak federation earns quite a bit of money
there, too.
Dragonboat- a chance and synergy
Dragonboating, a canoeing
discipline of the future, even if it is not or not yet an
Olympic sport. A team sport, a social sport a1 also a business
sport, which is especially interesting in today's world. It is
a sport that can be pursued by anyone and everyone at every
possible level. Isn't that the greatness of the sport?
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