There are a lot of things to see in Dragon Boat races and the most thrilling part of the festival is the crowd of people that are there to witness and participate in the event. Generally, Dragon Boats are brilliantly painted and decorated with some shades of Chinese old ancient tradition. It varies from 40 to 100 feet in length, including their heads which shaped-like a hearty dragons, while the firm end has a flaking tail. It has the capability to handle 80 powered rowers including drummer and a flag-catcher. Before the start of the festival, a dragon goes through a certain ritual called “brought to life”. This is done by painting the eyes in a sanctified ceremony. Races have no definite numbers of boats that wants to participate and compete, with the winner being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course. Once a year, dragon races are held all over China, Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries around the globe.

Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, wrapped in corn leaves with fillings which are the traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival. The fillings can be steamed beans, egg, fruits, dates, sweet potato, mushrooms, walnuts, meat, or a combination of them.
Another part of the Double Fifth Day is the timing: at the beginning of summer, when infections are possible to strike, talisman is being worn by the people to dissuade evil spirits. At the doorsteps, you can find Zhong Kui’s picture, an evil spirits protector. During these days, adults can taste Xiong Huang Wine, while children can bring scented silk pouches, because they believe that these acts can avert evil. Some people believe that balancing a rare egg on its end at exactly noon on Double Fifth Day will bring you prosperity for the whole year.

Indeed, Dragon Boat Festival is filled with excitement and thrill. Not to mention the reflection of Chinese traditions and cultures that are so wealthy and interesting revealed through this festival.

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Lastly to mention, on a special request Regatta 2000 has said they can use kevlar and carbon fibre to lighten the boat at an additional cost. Why spend more when the minimum weight is 250kg?

Their main advantage is “toughness”, where there are no screws or fixing points at the seats or on the hull. One problem I see is if any parts get damaged, e.g. seats or the hull or the side of the boat, then basically it means that one will have to send it back to the manufacturer for repairs. It would be easier to ask the manufacturer to send parts rather than shipping a whole boat back! Gemini also says that it’s lower maintenance, because there are no “wooden” parts involved, yes and no. One, if wood is protected properly it will last for years and it’s easier and cheaper to replace. Two, wooden seats will be more comfortable to sit on compared to plastic moulded material as there is potentially more chances that plastic will expand under heat.

Well, I’ll let you all decide whether or not this is a good Dragon Boat to use!