) on display next to
Royal Palace in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Similar to the use of
outrigger canoes or
Polynesian va'a, dragon boat racing has a rich background of ancient ceremonial, ritualistic and religious traditions, and thus, the modern competitive aspect is but one small part of this complex dragon boat culture. The use of dragon boats for racing and dragon ceremonies is believed by scholars,
sinologists, and anthropologists to have originated in southern central China more than 2500 years ago, in
Dongting Lake and along the banks of the Chang Jiang (now called the
Yangtze) during the same era when the games of
ancient Greece were being established at
Olympia. Dragon boat racing has been practiced continuously since this period as the basis for annual water rituals and festival celebrations, and for the traditional veneration of the
Chinese dragon water deity. The celebration was an important part of the ancient Chinese agricultural society, celebrating the summer rice planting. Dragon boat racing was historically situated in the Chinese subcontinent's southern-central "rice bowl"; where there were rice paddies, so too there were dragon boats. Of the twelve animals which make up the traditional
Chinese zodiac, only the
Dragon is a mythical creature. All the rest are non-mythical animals, yet all twelve of the zodiac creatures were well known to members of ancient Chinese agrarian communities. Dragons were traditionally believed to be the rulers of water on earth: rivers, lakes, and seas; they were also thought to dominate the waters of the heavens: clouds, mists, and rains. There are earth dragons, mountain dragons, and sky or celestial dragons (Tian Long) in Chinese tradition. Mythical dragons and serpents are also found widely in many cultures around the world. painting of a dragon boat race attributed to Li Zhaodao (675-758) Traditional dragon boat racing, in China, coincides with the
5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month (varying from late May to June on the modern Gregorian Calendar). The
summer solstice occurs around 21 June and is the reason why Chinese refer to their festival as "Duan Wu" or "Duen Ng". Both the sun and the dragon are considered to be male (the moon and the mythical phoenix, however, are considered to be female). The sun and the dragon are thought to be most potent during this time of the year, which provides a cause for observing this through ritual celebrations such as dragon boat racing. It is also the time of year when rice seedlings must be transplanted in rice paddy fields to allow for wet rice cultivation. Wu or Ng refers to the sun at its highest position in the sky during the day, the meridian of 'high noon'. Duan or Duen refers to upright or directly overhead. Thus, Duan Wu is an ancient reference to the maximum position of the sun in the
northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year or the summer solstice. Venerating the dragon deity was meant to avert misfortune and calamity and to encourage
rainfall, which is needed for the fertility of the crops and thus, the prosperity of an agrarian way of life. Celestial dragons were considered the controllers of rain, monsoons, winds, and clouds. The Emperor was "The Dragon" or the "Son of Heaven", and Chinese people sometimes refer to themselves as "dragons" because of its spirit of strength and vitality. Unlike dragons in
European mythology, which are typically considered to be evil and demonic, Asian dragons are regarded as wholesome and benevolent, and thus worthy of veneration, not slaying. If rainfall is insufficient, however, drought and famine can result. Veneration of dragons in China seems to be associated with annual rituals to ensure life-giving water and bountiful rice harvests in south-central China. Another ritual called
Awakening of the Dragon involves a
Taoist priest dotting the bulging eyes of the carved dragon head attached to the boat. Doing so symbolizes the dragon ending its slumber and reenergizing its spirit, or ch'i. In modern dragon boat festivals, a representative can be invited to step forward to dot the eyes on a dragon boat head with a brush dipped in red paint. File:NAHA City Okinawa Prefecture Japan 5th September 2023 04.jpg|thumb|Dragon boats used in "Naha Hari/Hare" race (Ryukyu Islands) Not understanding the significance of Duanwu, 19th-century European observers of the racing ritual referred to the associated spectacle as a "dragon boat festival". This is the term that has become known in the West. Dragon boat racing, like Duanwu, is observed and celebrated in many areas of east Asia with a significant population of
ethnic Chinese such as
Singapore,
Malaysia, and the
Riau Islands, as well as having been adopted by the
Ryukyu Islands since ancient times. The date on which races were held is referred to as the "double fifth", since Duanwu is reckoned as the fifth day of the fifth
lunar month, which often falls in the
Gregorian calendar month of June and occasionally in May or July. Duanwu is reckoned annually in accordance with the traditional
calendar system of China, which is a combination of solar and lunar cycles, unlike the solar-based
Gregorian calendar system. temple depicting a naval battle using dragon boats between the
Khmer Empire and
Champa. The
Khmer Empire used dragon boats in their naval battles. Today, Cambodia honors the use of dragon boats by the Khmer Empire's navy by hosting dragon boat competitions at the
Bon Om Touk water festival.
Laos which emerged from the
Khmer Empire organizes a similar dragon boat festival on the Mekong River called
Boun Suang Huea. The world's longest dragon boat is located in Cambodia and known as the
Kambojika Putta Khemara Tarei. ==Crew==