What are Dragon Boats?
Dragon Boats, for those not familiar with the sport, are highly decorated boats running as long as 42 feet, capable of holding twenty paddlers, a team manager and a drummer to keep the pace. In Racine, Wisconsin, each July these boats race each other in the crisp blue waters of Lake Michigan east of downtown, where Festival Hall, Memorial Hall, the Public Library and the WMCA nestle together to form a distinctive shoreline. The local marina lies to the north of the raceway, a berm of land thrusting out like a sheltering arm to enclose the space. The shoreline forms a natural area for spectators to watch the multiple races from start to finish. It’s fast and furious, taking less than three minutes for each of the races.
Races Attract a Broad Field of Participants
The Festival attracts teams from around the country, but it is particularly appealing to local teams who join the Racine Dragon Boat Club. These participants wear team t-shirts in distinctive colors, with matching flags that they flaunt in a parade before the races; they also use team chants which not only keep up their spirits, but determine the speed and count of the strokes used to power the boats.
Teams are made up of all ages, races and backgrounds. The winning team from 2007 included a woman in her 70’s, who was part of a church group. Others came because of a special attraction to the historic nature of the races, such as the Families with Children from China and Asia, who compete yearly since the races began in 2003. For more information about attending or joining the race, contact: midwestdragonboatfestival.com/. Photos from the races can be found on the Racine (Wisconsin) Journal Times website: http://journaltimesonline.com.
The Legend Behind the Dragon Boat Races
According to the Dragon Boat Club, these races reenact a bit of Chinese history that goes back to the fourth century, BCE. When the king of Ch’u rejected the advice of Ch’u Yuan, a poet and advisor, the patriot was exiled, and in a fit of unhappiness drowned himself in the Mi Lo river.
Ch’u Yuan was so loved by the people of his country that in their grief they mobilized their riverboats, and splashing, beating drums, and generally creating lots of noise, tried to keep fish and water dragons away from his body. They also threw rice cakes into the water to make sure he would never be hungry. It is in his honor that the races, and the noise, continue today.
It’s Not Just in the Midwest, or even America
In addition to the Midwest Dragon Boat Festival in Racine, races are held all over the United States and in such diverse areas of the world as Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australasia and Europe. It is, of course, celebrated most lavishly in China, as one of the three largest festivals of the year in that country.
Pat Kardas - I'm a Graduate of Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI, with a BA in Professional Communication and a BA in Management. At the Wustum Museum ...
