An intense dragon boat race took place from Feb 7 to 9 at Darling Harbor in Sydney, Australia, to welcome the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival.
The race kicked off with vibrant lion dances and an eye-dotting ceremony, in which symbolic red dots are placed on the eyes of the dragon figures on the boat, empowering them to bring protection, good luck, health and prosperity to people around.
Drawing around 2,500 paddlers from 47 teams, the race allowed the contestants to experience the thrill of competition while delighting them with wonderful festive atmosphere.
"I always love the water. So yeah, it is just a great way to meet people, get some exercise, be out on the water, be into, under the sunshine and have a really good time", Australian contestant Anna explained why she was captivated by the 2,000-year-old traditional Chinese water sport.
The dragon boat race is quite popular in Australia. The majority of the contestants are from New South Wales in the east coast of Australia, with paddlers from other places also participating, including Queensland in northeastern Australia and the Northern Territory in the central and central-northern regions of Australia.
The Consulate-General of China in Sydney and several Chinese-funded enterprises in Australia also formed their own dragon boat teams to compete alongside other participants.
Spanning over 40 years, the annual sport event has become one of the most locally distinctive and influential activities in Sydney in celebration for the Chinese New Year.
Dragon boat race held in Australia to celebrate Spring Festival
