So what did you do for Buddha’s birthday? In case it wasn’t on your calendar, it was last Friday. In Hong Kong, Buddha’s birthday is a public holiday so Dave and Lydia were home (are you beginning to see why school lasts until June 10?) and did something that is decidedly Hong Kong-ish: we went to dragon boat races.Dragon boat racing originated in China over 2000 years ago and is a popular sport in Hong Kong for locals and expats alike. A traditional dragon boat is made of teak and holds 20 or more paddlers, one drummer and a caller.
The paddlers work hard. Really hard. The paddles are not connected to the boat in any way, so the motion is like paddling a canoe. There is a strategy to the placement of each paddler in the boat based on weight, strength and other factors that help keep the boat balanced.
Clearly, keeping 20 (or more!) paddles in sync is a trick…that’s where the drummer comes in. The beat of the drum sets the pace for the paddlers. The beat gets fastest and most intense in the middle of the race when one boat usually pulls ahead – it adds to the suspense and drama, kind of like sound effects in a movie. (The drummers also seemed to add some comic relief, dressing in crazy outfits.) The caller is responsible for issuing orders and providing guidance to the crew in a race – over the drum beat!
We watched a series of races at Stanley Beach that included teams of men and women of all nationalities. The announcer spoke English and the atmosphere on the beach was very festive.
Other spectators chose to distance themselves from the crowd, hanging out on boats like this:
On Sunday we saw another race that had more local flavor in another area of Stanley. (Unfortunately, we left home without a camera - we should know better by now - and didn't capture any pictures.) There were hundreds of brightly colored flags with Chinese characters flying and most spectators weren't on shore, but on very rickety boats (looked like larger versions of our boat in Cambodia). It was quite a spectacle! The announcer spoke Cantonese and we didn't know a single soul competing, but it was equally entertaining as what we saw a couple days earlier.
I considered joining a dragon boat team last year to have a uniquely Hong Kong experience. However, I’m glad I didn’t - I’m completely unqualified for any of the jobs on the boat (no rhythm, no upper body strength, no loud voice) nor do I have the time to commit to it. Plus, I discovered that dragon boating is a perfect spectator sport –to enjoy it, all you have to know is where the finish line is located. I've decided that that’s enough for me!
On Sunday we saw another race that had more local flavor in another area of Stanley. (Unfortunately, we left home without a camera - we should know better by now - and didn't capture any pictures.) There were hundreds of brightly colored flags with Chinese characters flying and most spectators weren't on shore, but on very rickety boats (looked like larger versions of our boat in Cambodia). It was quite a spectacle! The announcer spoke Cantonese and we didn't know a single soul competing, but it was equally entertaining as what we saw a couple days earlier.I considered joining a dragon boat team last year to have a uniquely Hong Kong experience. However, I’m glad I didn’t - I’m completely unqualified for any of the jobs on the boat (no rhythm, no upper body strength, no loud voice) nor do I have the time to commit to it. Plus, I discovered that dragon boating is a perfect spectator sport –to enjoy it, all you have to know is where the finish line is located. I've decided that that’s enough for me!
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