Paddles up!

June 28, 2010 No Comments

Dragonboat festival celebrates competition, Asian culture and history

by Linh Quach

Anxious paddlers stretch in unison on the warm, green grass while excited spectators patiently cheer them on. For Dragonboat teams, weeks of Saturday or Sunday morning practices culminated at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius on May 15. Here, festivalgoers enjoyed ethnic food, entertainment, cultural pageantry, arts/crafts, and dragonboat races.

The annual Dragonboat/Asian Festival is co-sponsored by the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and the Charlotte Dragonboat Association. It showcases Charlotte’s growing cultural diversity while promoting racial harmony and cultural understanding.

As the races got under way at 9:30 a.m., team members high-fived each other, wished each other well and prepared to get into the water. Paddlers were young and old, male and female, and Asian and non-Asian. Marshalling to the dock, teams were photographed together before the first boat race began. While there are serious competitors, most crews at dragonboat festivals compete for fun once a year.

Dating back more than 2,000 years, dragonboat festivals commemorate the life and death of Qu Yuan, a respected poet and political leader in ancient China. Legend tells of how he lost the trust of the king and eventually saw his home state fall into the hands of inept officials amid a looming invasion by powerful neighbors. In despair, Qu drowned himself in the Mi-Lo River. The people paddled frantically in vain to rescue him, and marked the event with annual boat races.

Dragonboat racing takes place primarily in Chinese communities around the world. The event celebrates tradition while promoting teamwork, enthusiasm and strategy. Dragonboating was considered an international sport in Hong Kong in 1976. During competitions, the boats are decorated with colorful Chinese dragon heads and tails. A dragon boat is 40 feet long and 4 feet wide, and weighs approximately 500 pounds. Without any motor, it is powered by 20 paddlers, guided by a drummer and a steer person. The drummer sits at the head of the boat and plays the drum in rhythmic patterns as the boat glides across 250- and 500-meter distances.

For more information about dragonboating, visit www.charlottedragonboat.com.

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