Diamond Head in the background and colorful Dragon Boats on Waikiki Beach. AT&T is the annual sponsor of the Dragon Boat Races. Thought I would add a little infomation about the races from the AT&T website. Hope you enjoy today's shot. The origin of dragon boat racing can be traced to the fourth century B.C., when Chinese fishermen would host festival ceremonies to ensure plentiful crops. Dragon boat racing is similar to outrigger canoe racing in that paddling teams compete against each other in timed heats. Dragon boat crews consist of 16 paddlers, a drummer, a steersperson and a flag catcher. Competitors race to a central finish line where the flag catcher retrieves a flag from a buoy and carries it to the finish line.
This 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition came to life June 15, 1996 in Honolulu at Ala Moana Beach Park during the first annual AT&T Hawaii Dragon Boat Festival. The festival, which is popular worldwide, featured races between traditional, multicolored boats decorated with fierce dragon heads, tails and scaly bodies. Crews of 19 entered the races to compete in a sport that was virtually unknown in Hawaii.
1 comment:
Very cool, nice to learn a bit about the boats too! Perhaps a little dodging in PS might bring some detail out of the darkness on the front of the boats, otherwise great shot!
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