April 20, 2010 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
Advertisements
The Dragon Boat Festival in Austin, now in its twelfth year, has become a major sporting event in Austin, as well as a fun, family-friendly cultural event.
A traditional Chinese dragon boat features a dragon head at the front of the boat, which is 40 feet long. It takes 20 rowers, 1 drummer and 1 steer-person to row the boat. This year, 12 to 14 teams from Austin and Houston will compete.
There are various stories behind the origins of the dragon boat race, but one well-known story involves the death of a beloved political figure who drowned himself in protest corruption two thousand years ago. To commemorate his death, people dropped rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the water and this developed into the dragon boat race.
This year, the Austin Dragon Boat Festival welcomes a new team to the competition. Members of the "Pink Phurree" (www.pinkphurree.org), a Dragon Boat racing team composed of a multicultural group of breast cancer survivors, will compete in this coming weekend's races. In honor of the Pink Phurree, a silent auction will be held to benefit the Cancer Connection of Austin.
Amy Wong Mok, CEO and founder of the Asian American Cultural Center and Dragon Boat Festival founder, shared her thoughts about Austin’s upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
In addition to sponsoring the event, along with the Asian American Community Partnership, the center owns three dragon boats that are used for the race and for practice during the year.
Q: Why do you think the Dragon boat races are important for Austin?
The celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival in Austin is a symbol of the diversity and vibrance of Austin as an international city of culture and commerce. For those who participate in the Dragon Boat Race either as a sportsman or as an attendee, it is a lot of fun, with the beautifully decorated Dragon Boats gliding over Lady Bird Lake. We in Austin are really very lucky to have a great race course; we are the envy of many cities and communities.
Q: Any new features of the festival you are looking forward to?
In addition to the different cultural performances and the races, we are making an effort to help government agencies and social service organizations to reach out to the Asian community. This year the city will set up a booth to encourage people to participate in the city's planning for the next 15 years. The 2010 census will also set up a booth to help answer questions. It is so important for every Asian to stand up and be counted. We hope to have a complete count in our community so that there will be a more accurate picture of who we are.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
The Dragon Boat Festival has grown from a humble beginning to the wonderful family-oriented event today, and this would not have been possible without the support of the city, many corporations, organizations and individuals who help make this Festival become a tradition of our great city.
Join the fun on Saturday, April 24, 10 to 3 pm at Festival Beach (at northeast corner of Lady Bird Lake). Admission is free and festival foods are available for purchase. For details, visit www.asianamericancc.com.
ADVERTISEMENTS
0 comments - be the first to comment!