There is nothing like the rolling thunder of a Taiko drum to get your heart pounding in anticipation of dragon boats, large canoes carved in the form of exotic dragons, competing as they race across the waters of the San Francisco Bay.
By Kimmie Haworth
Published: September, 2006
There is nothing like the rolling thunder of a Taiko drum to get your heart pounding in anticipation of dragon boats, large canoes carved in the form of exotic dragons, competing as they race across the waters of the San Francisco Bay.
Dragon boat racing is a sport with celebrations all over the world. If you have never seen the dragon boats in action, be prepared to be impressed with the preparation and at the speed at which these works of art race across the Bay to Treasure Island, the weekend of September 23-24.
Over 100 boats are entered in this year’s race.
These boats are lightning in motion as the rowers pound across the water.
It’s incredibly impressive to see a human-powered boat reach such dazzling speeds.
Each dragon boat carries a team of 20 paddlers who stroke their oars between 70 and 80 beats per minute. That’s more than one stroke every second. Each boat also carries a drummer who keeps the fast and furious pace.
The novice racing teams are made up of local youth organizations, various police and service agencies and Bay Area corporations. The professional teams have been practicing all year and are world-class racers who come to town with a vision of taking the championship.
As you can imagine, the competition is fierce. As the paddlers stroke in time with the furiously beating drums, the boats pick up speed over the 500-meter course and actually plane across the water’s surface.
The tradition behind dragon boat racing is wrapped in ancient Chinese legend and commemorates the death of a man who is considered to be the Father of Chinese Poetry.
In 277 B.C., enemies of renowned poet Qu Yuan convinced the reining king that he had been disloyal. Qu Yuan was exiled by the king, and was so dishonored and shamed that he drowned himself in the Miluo river. However, the river people loved the poet, so they charged their boats into the rushing water to try and save him, but they were too late. To drive away evil spirits and also to prevent fish from eating Qu’s body, the river people pounded the water with oars.
Today, each year the boats are brought out of storage and a celebration is made to awaken the great dragon figures that adorn the bows. These are canoe-shaped hulls between 40 and 100 feet in length that are decorated with fierce dragon heads on the bow and scaly tails on the stern. The dragon’s eyes are daubed with paint so that the spirits can see across the water and prayers are made to remove uninvited, evil spirits. Incense is burned while the decorative heads and tails are fitted onto the boats.
You can watch the awakening ceremony of the sleeping dragons if you arrive early.
The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival is in its eleventh year. Dancers and musicians will commemorate the occasion with day-long entertainment. An enticing array of elegant costumes, music, food, art and performances meld with the spirit of this unique competition.
To join a team, or to find out more information, visit the California Dragon Boat Association website. www.cdba.org or www.sfdragonboat.com
If you like Dim Sum, have some Zongzi (dragon boats) the delicious sticky rice that comes wrapped in bamboo leaves, a tradition that commemorates The Great Poet, Qu Yuan and the Miluo river dragon.
