History of Dragon Boat Racing
The origin of dragon boat racing can be traced to events that happened in southern China over 2,000 years ago. Originally, boats adorned with dragon heads were part of a fertility rite as a way to encourage plentiful rains and a good harvest.
Dragon boat racing, within the context of a festival, became much more important in Chinese culture with the tragic events surrounding Qu Yuan (pronounced Chu Yuan) around 277 B.C. Qu was a senior minister, diplomat, and poet in the Ch'u feudal kingdom. As a man of integrity and wisdom, he gave truthful advice to the king, advice that angered his political rivals. These rivals persuaded the king to banish Qu Yuan. Despondent over his exile and the subsequent decline of the government, Qu put stones in his pocket and drowned himself in the Mi Lo River. When local fishermen raced out to rescue him, they beat their drums and splashed with their paddles to scare the fish and water dragons away from Qu Yuan's body. They also threw rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the water, hoping that the fish would eat the dumplings and leave the body alone.
To commemorate their beloved Qu Yuan, the people of southern China staged dragon boat races to remember the day when they raced into the river in an attempt to save him. The dragon boat races, and the serving of rice dumplings or rice cakes, became an annual event on the fifth day of the fifth month, believed to be the day that Qu Yuan drowned in the Mi Lo River.
The Experience
Dragon boat racing combines brightly colored boats adorned with dragon heads, large crews of men and women straining to go even faster, a drummer pounding out a loud beat for each boat, water spraying everywhere from all of the paddles, and a screaming crowd cheering on their favorite boats. It's loud, exciting, and fun!
The Event
Preceding the actual races, some festivals still practice the ancient ritual of "Awakening the Dragon." An eye-dotting ceremony awakens the dragon and brings out its fire, which gives the boats and their crews the strength of the dragon.
The Sport
Dragon Boat racing is one of the fastest growing athletic events in the world. The World Championships of Dragon Boat Racing have been held annually in Hong Kong since 1976. Since that time, Canada has emerged as a world power, shaking the foundation of a sport which has historically been dominated by Asian countries. Canadian women have won the world championships five of the last seven years, and Canada's men's and mixed crews are current world champions. Albert McDonald, a top paddler on the first Canadian team to win the Hong Kong race, will be in Greenville to help host and train for the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival.
What's most exciting is the growth of the sport at the grass roots level. Although most international crews are either all male or female, national and regional events attract primarily mixed teams from corporations, public service groups, and clubs sponsored by small businesses and high schools.
The Benefits
Dragon Boat racing, the ultimate team sport, is growing exponentially in corporate and community centers worldwide. With a current annual growth rate of 30 to 40%, it offers unlimited potential for corporate team building and promotion.
By participating, here are some of the valuable benefits your organization will realize:
• Untapped and uncluttered sport marketing opportunity
• Extremely high on the "fun, fitness & friendship" scale
• Visually spectacular, exciting, split-second finishes
• Personal satisfaction, plus team development
Dragon Boats
Dragon boats are the largest flat-water racing canoes in the world. These traditional Hong Kong-style boats are decorated with dragon heads and tails. A crew of 20 paddlers, paced by a drummer at the bow and guided by a steersperson at the stern, combine power and rhythm to achieve maximum acceleration and speed over a 200- 500 meter course. A perfectly synchronized team is not only visually spectacular, but almost always defeats a stronger, less coordinated competitor. The race stroke averages between 90 and 100 strokes per minute, with the drummer beating the cadence.
The most important color on the boats is red because red symbolizes heat, summer, and fire. It also represents the number 5, which correlates with the fifth day of the fifth month, the traditional date of the dragon boat celebration.
Boats can range in length from 30 to 100 feet, but the width is just enough to fit two people side by side
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