Dragon Boating? A Few Things You Didn't Know

The sport of dragon boat racing is steeped in the folklore of ancient China.

About 2,500 years ago, according to legend, Chu Yuan, poet, warrior and loyal aide to the emperor, fell out of favor with the court. As his desolation grew, Chu Yuan wandered the countryside until one day he threw himself into the Mi Lo River. Followers rushed to search for him. Fearing the fish would devour the poet’s body, the followers beat their paddles on the water, and banged drums and gongs to frighten the fish.

Each year, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews of paddlers re-enact the rush to save Chu Yuan, by powering long narrow boats with dragon heads mounted on the prow. The dragon heads are thought to ward off evil water spirits. Special foods are also eaten, including rice dumplings, which, according to the legend, the poet’s followers threw into the water to keep fish away from his body.

The first dragon boat races are believed to have been held along the banks of the Yangtze River, during the same era in which the Greeks held their athletic competitions in Olympia.

Since 1976, when Hong Kong introduced the world's first international races, dragon boat racing has grown in popularity, with clubs and associations forming in countries throughout Asia, Europe and North America, and competitions taking place in cities around the world. According to the Web site for the Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races, there are more than 70 communities hosting dragon boat festivals in the United States along, and more than 60 million participants worldwide.

Dragon boat teams consist of a maximum of 20 paddlers, with a steersperson and a drummer, beating a drum to the stroke rate of the paddlers.

Ed. Note: This article was provided by Susan Whigham, WPFT Volunteer