The process of the Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Race: Participating teams must gather at the check-in office 20 minutes before the game. Organizers will check the identity of the participating members. Participants must present their athlete IDs issued by the organizatiion. All team members must obey After getting off the boat under the instructions of the inspector, all teams must start the race in accordance with the assigned dragon boats and channels as stipulated in the rules.
No team is allowed to choose a dragon boat or waterway. After all team members get off the boat, they should paddle away from the boarding pier towards the starting point at a high speed. When the participating teams set off towards the starting point, they must keep the waterway clear and stay away from the competition channel. The principle is not to affect the progress of other events.
Starting procedures: The dragon boats of each participating team must gather on the designated track to prepare for the competition. The participating teams in the starting area must obey the instructions of the starter.
At the starting line, each channel has a rope tied to the bamboo shed. This rope is handed over to the helmsman of the dragon boat on that channel. In addition, there is also a rope at the bow of the boat, which is controlled by the clapping hand. to fix the position of the dragon boat.
When the dragon boat is ready, the paddle boards of all rowers must leave the water; when the dragon boats of all participating teams, that is, the paddle boards of each team's paddle board have left the water, the starter gives the order.
When the starter thinks that all the dragon boats are in place, he will wave the flag (black and white checkered flag) to indicate that the race is about to start. (Indicates the finish line referee to prepare). When the race starts, the starter will call "Ready" and then the horn will sound to start the race.
When the starter notices that a team has stolen a step or committed a foul, he will immediately blow the trumpet continuously to indicate the need to start again. All dragon boats must row back to the starting point as soon as possible to rearrange the race.
If the paddle board of a team oarsman touches the water between the preparation call and the sound of the horn, it will be regarded as a sneak step. If any team refuses to return immediately or commits a foul in the second sneak step incident, the other team will be deemed to have stolen a step. Entry will be disqualified.
The cultural connotation of dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival:
"Dragon boat racing" is a custom that has existed since the Warring States Period. During the Warring States Period, people carved dragon-shaped canoes to the sound of drums and played racing games to entertain gods and people. At this time, dragon boat racing was a semi-religious and semi-entertaining program in the ritual.
In the two lakes area, worshiping Qu Yuan and dragon boat racing are closely related. Maybe after the deaths of Qu Yuan, Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc., the local people also used soul boats to send their souls for burial, so this custom existed. But in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, people in various places also attach different meanings to the dragon boat race.
Before the dragon boat race, the dragon must be invited and sacrificed to the gods. For example, the Guangdong dragon boat takes off from the water before the Dragon Boat Festival, worships the Queen of the South China Sea in the Nanhai Temple, installs the dragon head and tail, and then prepares for the race. He also bought a pair of paper roosters and placed them on the dragon boat, thinking that they would protect the boat's safety. People from Fujian and Taiwan go to Mazu Temple to worship. Some people offer sacrifices to the dragon's head directly by the river, killing chickens and dripping blood on the dragon's head, such as in Sichuan, Guizhou and other areas.
Various sacrificial and commemorative ceremonies will be held before the dragon boat race, usually lighting incense and candles, burning paper money, and offering chickens, rice, meat, fruits, rice dumplings, etc. Nowadays, these bright and superstitious rituals are rare, but in the past, people worshiped the Dragon Temple in a very solemn atmosphere, praying for a good agricultural harvest, good weather, getting rid of evil spirits, warding off disasters, everything goes well, and for safe boating. In people's words, "for good luck" expresses people's inner good wishes.
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