Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon boating simply put, is a boat of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steers person, paddling to cross the finish faster than their competitors. The paddlers paddle in unison to a drummer's beat in a long, narrow boat decorated at bow and stern with a dragon's head and tail. It's a team sport in its purest form that encompasses the elements of power, speed, synchronization and endurance.
Often referred to as the “ultimate team sport’, dragon boat racing is the world’s fastest growing water sport. With annual events held in over 60 countries and spaning across all 7 continents, dragon boat racing attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and millions of spectators worldwide.The appeal of dragon boating is partly due to the sport’s ability to accommodate a wide spectrum of skill levels ranging from novice to competitive.
Origin of Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon boat racing is said to have originated over 2,500 years ago life-sustaining on rivers in the valleys of southern central China as a fertility rite to ensure plentiful crops. The time of year these races occurred was traditionally associated with disease and death. The race was held to avert misfortune and encourage the rains needed for prosperity—and the object of their worship was the dragon.
Dragon boat racing as the basis for annual water rituals and festival celebrations, and for the traditional veneration of the Chinese zodiac water deity: the dragon, has been practiced continuously since this period. It is said to rule the rivers and seas and dominate the clouds and rains. The celebration is an important part of ancient agricultural Chinese society, celebrating the summer rice planting. Dragon boat racing was historically situated in the Chinese sub-continent's southern-central "rice bowl": where there were rice paddies, so were there dragon boats.
At the novice and recreational level, teams often form as a means of social outlet, team building and an alternative means of exercise. It has become extermely popular as a corporate team building activity.
The first races were meant to mock dragon battles staged in order to awaken the hibernating Heavenly Dragon. Sacrifices were made to the dragon sorcerers. Humans, the cleverest and most powerful of all beings, were the original sacrifices. Even much later, a rower—or even an entire team—that fell into the water would receive no assistance because it was believed to be wrong to interfere with the will of the gods.
