Enter The Dragon

Little kids enjoying the dragons and the drums.

Dragon Boat Day is sometimes referred to as Double Fifth Day, as it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional Chinese calendar. That means it always takes place some time in June, but in 2020 and 2021 the traditional Dragon Boat Day races were cancelled due to COVID and in 2022 they were postponed. The races in Discovery Bay, where I live, finally took place on Sunday 9th October.

The origins of Dragon Boat Day come from the Warring States Period of Chinese history, which took place between 475 to 221 BC. During this time seven different states battled for control of China before the Qin Dynasty eventually emerged victorious.

At that time, in the Chu State, there lived a man called Qu Yuan. He was a politician and a poet as well as being a close friend of the Chu King. Qu Yuan was a very good man, who wanted the king to do more to help the people of his kingdom. However, he had enemies, who were jealous of him and they told the king many lies about him. The king believed these lies and was furious, so he banished Qu Yuan from his presence. Qu Yuan spent the rest of his life in exile, writing poetry about his love for his state. When the Chus were eventually defeated by the Qin, Qu Yuan was devastated and threw himself into a river, no longer wanting to be alive. The inhabitants of the village where he had been exiled were horrified at the prospect of losing him and quickly took to their boats to try and rescue him. They paddled frantically up and down the river looking for him, but there was no sign of him. Worried that the fish may start to eat his body, the villagers threw handfuls of rice into the water, hoping the fish would eat these instead.

From these events we now celebrate Dragon Boat Day with the frantic paddling of dragon boats, the pounding of drums to scare off evil spirits and the eating of rice dumplings in memory of Qu Yuan.

Dragon Boat Day is normally very very busy here, but this year, not being on the correct day, it was quieter. I walked along the beach taking photographs of the beautiful dragon boats and watching the competitors climb into their boats and paddle to the starting line. I stayed around to watch some of the races. A bit like Mid Autumn Festival, this is a very colourful and fun celebration.

A View over the beach.

Boats on the beach.

A traditional dragon boat. 8 is a lucky number here.

Boat Six.

I usually watch the action from the side, but with fewer people this year I ventured right onto the beach. It was good being close to all the action and soaking up the excitement and atmosphere.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Launching the boat.

Launching the boat.

The starting line and finishing line are a long way from the beach. The races go on for hours. I was watching the qualifying heats. It probably got busier for the finals.

Paddling out the starting line.

Paddling to the starting line.

In the heat of a race.

The drummer sets the pace and wards off evil spirits.

Celebrating victory by raising your paddle above your head.

Returning to the beach after the race.

This cute little girl was having a great time in the water.

If it had been the real Dragon Boat Day, there would have been lots of food stalls. There wasn't this time, but the Sunday Market did take place.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.