Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival

Dotting of the Eye Ceremony

Back to Home

Dragon Boats are awakened, or given life, during the traditional 
Dotting of the Eye
ceremony. 

Traditionally, bright, colorful headpieces adorned with peacock feathers are placed on the dragon's head, and vermilion paint, mixed with the blood of a brown chicken, is dabbed on the dragon's forehead for courage. The priest then rings a bell with one hand, while using the other hand to stab a fu zhou with his sword. The fu zhou is inscribed with magic words that are chanted by the priest while he blesses the head, the tail, and the drum with the sword. 

An invited guest of the community is given the honor of dotting the eyes with red paint to give the dragon sight. Finally a handful of buckwheat is thrown into the boat to give it speed and good luck. The boats are now ready for the approaching races.

Just as there are rituals to awaken the boats, so are there rituals to put them back to sleep. After the races, when the festival is over, the head, tail, and drum are removed from the boats. Then, with flags rolled up, the boats are paddled in silence and stored in either a temple or a place agreed upon by the community. 

The body of the boat is traditionally covered with sand or stored on racks that are covered with tinfoil in the shape of roofs. In return for their hard work and commitment to the dragon boat festival, some communities believe they will be awarded with a prosperous year and will be protected from unwelcome water spirits.


taken from:
Barker, Pat. Dragon Boats: A Celebration. Vancouver: Raincoast Book Distribution Ltd.,1996. p15.


Back to Top

Under the auspices of:


What is a Dragon Boat | History of Dragon Boats | Dragon Lore
Team Training | Dragon Boat Festivals | Dotting of the Eye Ceremony
Consulting | Equipment | Fundraising
FMGI Corporate Overview | Home


  1. https://www.hallstromsfloristandgreenhouses.com/
  2. https://www.chinatowncafedenton.com/
  3. https://roblubinforcongress.com/
  4. https://dejavuvenezuelanfood.com/
  5. https://nharmyguardrecruiting.com/
  6. https://www.themauiturtle.com/
  7. https://www.bluewhitegrill.com/
  8. https://facilitymarketing.com/
  9. https://www.watertreaty.org/
  10. https://evojet-factory.com/
  11. HK Lotto
  12. data macau
  13. Live Draw SGP
  14. Live SDY Lotto
  15. demo slot
  16. slot deposit qris
  17. Live Draw SGP
  18. toto macau
  19. Togel SDY
  20. Live SDY Lotto
  21. Live Draw HK
  22. Togel SGP
  23. Live Draw HK
  24. PENGELUARAN SDY
  25. pengeluaran macau
  26. keluaran macau
  27. Live Draw SGP
  28. Paito HK live
  29. Hongkong Pools 6D