DRAGON BOAT RACING & FESTIVALS 2011
Dragon boat racing is a popular sport in Hong Kong which has an estimated 30,000 active paddlers. During 2011, Hong Kong hosts major dragon boat festivals, the traditional Tuen Ng dragon boat races on 6th June at various locations and the three-day Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival which features the Sa Sa 2011 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races at East Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade at Victoria Harbour from 17th to 19th June.
HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL (TUEN NG) 6th JUNE 2011
The dragon boat races at the traditional Tuen Ng Festival on 6th June see local races taking place at several locations including Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun (Castle Peak Bay), Cheung Chau, Tai Po, Aberdeen, Discovery Bay and Tai O on Lantau Island and Stanley, which hosts the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships. Details of events taking place on 6th June are;
ABERDEEN - 2011 Aberdeen Dragon Boat Race, 8-30am to 4pm, Aberdeen Promenade, Admission free for viewing on promenade. Free by ticket only for spectator stand (contact Aberdeen Dragon Boat Race Committee tel: 8107 3488 for information)
STANLEY - *Stanley International Dragon Boat Championship 2011, 8am to 6pm, Stanley Main Beach, Admission free. This is the largest of the Dragon Boat Race events at Tuen Ng and attracts about 30,000 spectators.
SHA TIN - Sha Tin Dragon Boat Race 2011, 7-30am to 1pm, Shing Mun River (starting near Banyan Bridge), Admission free
SAI KUNG - The Sai Kung Dragon Boat Races Gala 201, 8am to 1-30pm (and carnival 1-30pm to 5pm), Sai Kung Town Waterfront, Admission free
TUEN MUN - Tuen Mun District Dragon Boat Races 2011, 8am to 1pm, Castle Peak Bay Typhoon Shelter, Admission free by ticket (contact Tuen Mun District Dragon Boat Race Committee tel: 2542 6520 for information)
TAI PO - Tai Po District Dragon Boat Race 2011, 8-30am to 1pm, Tai Po Waterfront Park Promenade, Admission free
DISCOVERY BAY - Discovery Bay Dragon Boat Race and Carnival 2011, 8am to 6pm, Tai Pak Beach, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, Admission free
TAI O - Tai O Dragon Boat Race in Celebration of Tuen Ng Festival 2011, 10am to 2pm, Tai O Sheltered Boat Anchorage, Admission free. Includes the ancient "Gods Parade" (see below).
CHEUNG CHAU - Dragon Boat Races, 10am to 4-30pm, Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter, Cheung Chau, Admission free
The Dragon Boat Festival (Chinese Duanwu Festival) is a lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and known locally by its Cantonese name Tuen Ng. This festival is a significant holiday celebrated in China and the one with the longest history. The name for the festival in China was originally the Upright Sun Festival but this was changed by foreigners to the Dragon Boat Festival, notably for the dragon boat races, held particularly in the southern provinces, Hong Kong and Macau where there are many rivers and lakes. This festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a popular poet and minister who is said to have committed suicide at the age of 35 by drowning himself in a river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Qu Yuan was an honest and loyal minister who was held in high esteem in the kingdom of Chu (situated in the present day Hunan and Hubei provinces). When a corrupt prince vilified Qu Yuan, he was disgraced and dismissed from his office. Realising the kingdom was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu Yuan jumped into a river. Nearby fishermen tried to save him and were unable to recover the body. Mourning the death of the poet, the people threw cooked rice so the fish would eat the rice rather than their hero. The spirit of Qu Yuan appeared in the river and said that a huge reptile in the river had stolen the rice offering and suggested that they wrap the rice in silk and bind it with threads before throwing it in the river. This later turned into the custom of eating “Zong Zi” (boiled glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and rice dumplings to symbolize offerings to Qu Yuan. The dragon boat races represent the attempts to rescue and recover the body of Qu Yuan.
The Dragon Boat Festival at Tai O on Lantau Island is also home to a waterway praying ceremony known as the “Gods Parade” which dates back over one hundred years. In June 2011 the festival became on of four cultural events in Hong Kong to be included on China's national list of intangible culture heritage. It is said that Tai O was hit by a plague more than 100 years ago and, in an effort to drive out the epidemic, local fishermen paraded along the local waterways on dragon boats, towing behind them deity statues that they had borrowed from temples in the area. The plague ended, but the custom, known as the dragon boat water parade, has been maintained to this day.
During the annual Dragon Boat Festival, three fishermen's associations, namely Pa Teng, Sin Yu Heung and Hap Sim Tong, organise a religious activity known as dragon boat water parade. On the morning before the festival, members of the associations row their dragon boats to visit four temples, Yeung Hau, Tin Hou, Kwan Tei and Hung Shing, and carry the deity statues back to their associations' hall for worship.
On the day of the festival, members of Pa Teng row the dragon boats to Po Chue Tam behind Yeung Hau Temple, where they pick fresh grass on the hillside to put inside the dragon's mouth in a ritual called "Picking the Greens". In the old days, a "Drinking Dragon" ceremony was also hosted by association elders to cast out evil spirits, during which a few drops of rooster blood were mixed with Chinese white wine and then sprinkled on the dragon's head, tail and body. However, this ceremony has not been performed since the Government introduced its ban on the keeping of live chickens.
The dragon boats then set out on the parade or "Gods' Parade". A small boat that carries the deity statues is towed by a dragon boat along the local waterways. Gold and silver paper offerings for departed souls are burned in the water along the way, while the residents of the stilt houses also burn joss sticks to pay tribute to the passing dragon boats. As entertainment for gods, the dragon boats engage in a race after the parade. In the afternoon, the associations host a send-off ritual in which the deities are transported back to the temples. Then everyone gathers at night for a feast to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in what is always a jubilant event.
The "Gods Parade", is the most important part of the Dragon Boat Festival at Tai O. A small boat carrying the deity statues is towed by each dragon boat along the local waterways. Gold and silver paper offerings for departed souls are burned along the way, while the residents of the stilt houses also burn joss sticks to pay tribute to the passing dragon boats.
*For more information about Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships see;
http://www.dragonboat.org.hk/en/home/homepage.html
See also;
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/festival-dragon-boat-racing.html
HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT CARNIVAL 17th to 19th JUNE 2011
Hong Kong’s Dragon Boat Carnival, which features the Sa Sa 2011 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, is again being held at Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront at Victoria Harbour following the success of last year’s carnival. Between 2000 and 2010 the international races had been held on the Shing Mun River at Shatin but last year the organisers, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Association (HKDBA), along with Hong Kong Tourism Board decided to raise the profile of the races and make the carnival a “mega event” and major tourist attraction. The three-day 2011 carnival, which runs from 17th to 19th June, will be the 36th anniversary of the international races.
The annual regatta began in 1976 as a fishermen’s boat race involving nine local and one Japanese team and was the first international dragon boat race, setting standards which have subsequently been adopted in over 60 other countries and regions. Since its initiation the regatta has rapidly expanded with last years races featuring over 100 teams from twelve countries and regions including Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
The exhilarating and colourful races will be held in six lanes over a 640-metre course and are expected to draw about 50,000 spectators daily. Races are held in 17 categories including open championships, women championships, mixed championships, junior championships, inter-company championships, fishermans championships and travel industry and hotel championships. There are 194 teams including 162 local teams and 32 international teams from 12 countries and regions including Australia, Canada, Mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore and 6,000 paddlers including 1,000 overseas paddlers. Teams consist of 28 members including manager, coach, paddlers, reserve paddlers, drummer and steersman.
Racing takes place from 9-30am to 5pm on 17th June, 8-30am to 5-10pm on 18th June and 8am to 5pm on 19th June. Races start near the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong and finish near Wing On Plaza. There will be free seating for about 400 spectators on Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.
The San Miguel Beer Garden will be located at UC Centenary Garden, Tsim Sha Tsui East and opens from 1pm to 9-30pm on 17th, 18th and 19th June. There will be 14 beer booths and 4 food booths, an exhibition where the world's longest dragon boat will be on show, games booths and stage performances.
Managing Director of San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Limited Mr Tam Ka Yuen Peter (far right), HKTB Chairman Mr James Tien (fourth right), HKDBA Chairman Dr Raymond Ma (far left), Chairman of the Assessment Committee of Mega Events Fund The Hon Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, SBS, JP (third right), Commissioner for Tourism Mr Philip Yung (second right) and Vice-Chairman of Sa Sa International Holdings Limited Dr Eleanor K C Kwok (fourth left) beat the drums at the opening of the SaSa 2011 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival
On Sunday 19th June at 1pm there will be a Sea Rescue Demonstration by the Government Flying Service and a Fireboat Water-jet display by the Fire Services Department.
The captain of the four Canadian False Creek Racing Canoe Club (FCRCC) dragon boat racing teams, Mr Kerry Chow (right), presents "Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival" souvenirs to the sponsoring organisations' representatives at the 2010 carnival. From left are Vice President of HSBC Bank Canada, Mr Paul Irving; District Vice President of HSBC; Ms Jocelyn Hsiung; Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto, Ms Maureen Siu; and Director, Canada and Central and South America, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr Michael Lim. FCRCC won one gold, two silver and one bronze trophy in the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival 2010
OTHER DRAGON BOAT RACES;
Dragon boat races also take place on other dates around Tuen Ng;
15th MAY - LAMMA ISLAND, Lamma International Dragon Boat Festival 2011, Tai Wan To Beach, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island, 8-30am to 6pm, Admission free
19th MAY - LAMMA ISLAND, Lamma Island (South) Dragon Boat Festival Celebration for Tin Hau, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island, 10-30am to 2-30pm, Admission free
29th MAY - LANTAU ISLAND, Mui Wo Dragon Boat Race Open 2011, Silvermine Bay Beach, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, 8-45am to 4pm, Admission free
29th MAY - CHEUNG CHAU, Dragon Boat Races 2011, Waterfront in front of Buddhist Wai Yan Memorial College, Cheung Chau, 9am to 4-30pm, Admission free
2nd JUNE - LAMMA ISLAND, Southern Lamma Invitational Dragon Boat Race, Lok Chau Wan, Lamma Island, 10-30am to 2-30pm, Admission free
5th JUNE - CHAI WAN, Eastern District Dragon Boat Race, Chai Wan Cargo Handling Basin, 9am to 4pm, Admission free