The dragons are awake!
Buddhists monks blessed two dragon boats in Central Park on Thursday, July 23, to prepare for the 19th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.
Shi Fu Jie Tong and Ski Fu Ming Yu, from the World Chan Buddhist Association in Flushing, conducted the traditional blessing of water sprinkling and the dotting of the dragons’ eyes.
“The spirit of the dragon is symbolic of the 5,000 years of Chinese history and what we instill in ourselves,” Reverend Ming Yu said through a translator.
The Dragon Boat festival will be held at Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on August 8 and 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We share good fortune with new and old friends alike,” said NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “One of the most fun and free things to do in New York City is the Dragon Boat Festival.”
The festival features not only dragon boat racing, but also family-oriented attractions including performances from martial artists and traditional musicians, raffles and a multi-ethnic food court.
“Flushing Meadows is like the United Nations of parks,” Benepe said.
Dragon boat racing is derived from the legend of an ancient poet, Qu Yuan, who lived in Chu from 340-278 B.C. He was a court minister who proposed reforms that the King of Chu disagreed with.
After the king expelled Qu Yuan from Chu, he wandered the country, writing political poetry detailing his concerns about China. In 278 B.C when he heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.
Local fisherman could not save him, so they threw rice dumplings into the water as an offering so fish would not consume his body.
Rice dumplings are eaten during the festival, which takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
“If you make a dragon without the eyes, then it doesn’t technically come alive,” said Reverend Ming Yu. “Once you open up the eyes, the spirit is in it.”
The 18-foot-long boats are traditionally constructed out of teak wood, though the boats the monks blessed at Central Park were made in Canada and made of fiberglass.
Henry Wan, Chair of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, noted that the dragon is a divine animal of the wind and clouds in Chinese history.
“We’re awakening the dragon, and hoping we can bring good luck to the festival,” said Wan. “We are always very happy that after 19 years, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival has become the largest multicultural event in New York.”
More than 150 teams are entered into the race, consisting of more than 1,500 participants from all over the country.
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival tradition began in Battery Park in 1991.
Related article: Dragon Boat festival a boon for Queens business
