This old Chinese festival commemorates the heroic poet Wat Yuen who protested against corruption by drowning himself. Today all celebrations are concentrated on the famous Dragon Boat Races, which in Macau takes place on the Nam Van Lake. Many local teams and foreign teams take part in this colourful event. About 2300 years ago the Dragon Boat Race began as a search for the poet. It got its highest recognition as a full-fledged international sport at the fourth East Asian Games in Macau. Dragon Boats participating in Macau are narrow vessels, like a rowing boat, but decorated with some Oriental flair. The participant racing crafts are styled with colourful dragon heads featuring whiskers, golden scales and brown horns, as well as a tail. Every boat has a built-in cheerleader a drummer to keep the crew in rhythm.
The Macau International Dragon Boat Races have been jointly organised by the Sport Development Board and Macau China Dragon Boat Association. Dragon boating is a widely popular festive activity in Macao during the Dragon Boat Festival. The Macau International Dragon Boat Races have grown to become an important sports event in the territory. Year by year, the event has become larger in scale and attracts an increasing number of participants. Thousands of skilled athletes from home and abroad gather annually in Macao to participate in this significant event.
The Macau International Dragon Boat Races will be held the 4th, 5th and 6th of June 2011 at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre. They are organised: by the Macau Sport Development Board and the Macau, China Dragon Boat Association. Collaborators are the Civic & Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Civil Service Bureau.
For more information see the websites:-
http://www.sport.gov.mo/en/sites/dragonboat
http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/events/majoreventsdetail.php?rid=61
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