Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival
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.
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