Dragon boats are long, wooden (traditionally teak) crafts that are manually powered, and they originated in southern China’s Pearl River delta region. The boats are usually colourfully decorated for special occasions such as celebrations or contests. Dragon boat races have been held for over two thousand years, and were extremely popular in rural areas of China. It was in 1978 that dragon boat racing was introduced to Singapore, when the country was invited to take part in the Hong Kong Races. Following the event in Hong Kong, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) arranged the country’s first ever dragon boat race in the same year.
That competition in Singapore was open to only local races with only twenty five teams taking part. The SSC has held many races since that inaugural event in 1978, and the sport has steadily grown as a prime attraction. Now the annual Singapore World Invitational Dragon Boat Races has evolved into one of the most anticipated events in the aquatic sports calendar. The event featured only two foreign teams in 1979, but now attracts over a dozen foreign teams each year.
The dragon boat races take place in remembrance of the Chinese poet and patriot, Qu Yuan. The Warring States period (475- 221 BC) was an exceptionally dark time in China’s history, and it is then that Qu Yuan jumped into a river so that he would not have to witness his nation falling into the hands of fraudulent leaders. People set out on dragon shaped boats to rescue him, all the while beating gongs and tossing rice dumplings into the river to distract the River Dragon, but it was to no avail.
After all these years, drums and rice dumplings are still a staple at the races. The dragon boat race is usually held around late June or early July. For more information contact the Singapore Tourist Board or visit their website. Tourists planning on viewing the races should plan well in advance. As it is a popular world event, accommodation gets a little tough to come by during the races. Staying at hotel apartments Singapore, such as La Residenza Serviced Suites, is a terrific alternative to staying at a crowded hotel. It is an ideal accommodation choice, offering luxury serviced apartments Singapore just a stone’s throw away from the country’s top tourist attractions.