The “Erlong River Dragon
Boat Race” in JiaoXi Township has been held over 200 years
and became famous event in June. It was originally a
ceremony held by the Pipu Tribe of Kavalan to appease river
“monsters” and to ease the suffering of souls in the next
world.
For peace and to ward of
evil spirits, the dragon boats used in the “Erlong River
Dragon Boat Race” feature a “taichi” pattern at both the
front and rear of the boat in addition to the oars. The
front of the boat is decorated with a pair of painted Cilin
(a Chinese auspicious animal).
Erlong dragon boat
race is a bit of different from other dragon boat races. The
contestants of the Erlong dragon boat race are required to
be topless and kneel down against the boat, their bodies and
faces facing outward. The boat crew consists of a gong
beater, who doubles as the flag-snatcher, one rudder man,
and twenty rowers. The competition starts with the
flag-snatcher at the front of the boat beating the gong as a
signal. During the competition, rowers can change places at
any time. Any team considering itself getting a late start
will not beat their gongs and both teams will have to return
to the start line to restart the competition. The
competition is unique with no timers, judges, or starters.
It takes a lot of time to determine the competition result
as the race usually goes on for 5 to 6 laps before a result
can be determined by the audience.
