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Press Release

45th Annual Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Media/press contact:

Gail Wang

                                                                                                617-259-0286

pr@bostondragonboat.org

 

Press Release: 45th Annual Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

 

(Boston May 18, 2024) Come celebrate with us in the Year of Dragon the 45th Annual Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival on Sunday, June 9th, 2024, from 12:00–5:00 PM rain or shine! The Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is the oldest dragon boat festival in North America, founded in 1979. 

 

Located by John W. Weeks Footbridge on the Charles River, between JFK Street and Western Avenue, this year’s festival will feature 68 teams, with about 2000 paddlers from all over Massachusetts, New England, and New York.  They will compete in ten category groups with special races and medals for Collegiate, Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Chinese University Alumni, Women, Club, Community, Youth, and All Cancer Survivor divisions.

 

Spectators will be able to watch brightly colored, 40 foot, Hong Kong style dragon boats as they race a 500-meter course up the Charles River from the Western Avenue Bridge to the John W. Weeks Footbridge. 

The Dragon Boat Races start in the early morning and the cultural programs and festival will begin at 12PM. All programs are free and family friendly for visitors. Sponsors, founders, dignitaries and community members will dot the eyes of the dragon head on each boat in a traditional Eye-dotting Ceremony. This is an ancient Chinese ceremony that is believed to enable the dragon to soar with the utmost power. The Eye-dotting Ceremony will take place at Noon at the docks with the accompaniment of a traditional Chinese waist drum dance on the stage inside the large performance tent. After the eye-dotting ceremony, VIPs and sponsors will follow Wah Lum Kung Fu’s dragon dance parade into the performance tent for the ribbon cutting and opening ceremony. 

 

The Eye-dotting Ceremony will be followed by cultural programs, demonstrations and performances in the performance and arts & crafts tents on the Cambridge side grassy areas along the river as well as our major sponsors’ promotional tents. There will be traditional Chinese music, Chinese Yoyo performance, as well as Cambodian dance, Cambodian singing band, Korean dance and Chinese ballet performance, and returning favorites such as Dragon and Lion Dances, Chinese martial arts and traditional Japanese Taiko drumming. Among the performances, one highlight will certainly be “Change Face” by celebrated Sichuan opera change face master Mr. Yang Shuwang and his son Noah Yang. Watch and learn Taichi, dragon dance, and lion dance with demonstrators in our interactive program. Cambridge based artist Elena Li will display her paper cut artwork as a backdrop on the performance stage featuring dragons in honor of the year of the dragon. Visitors young and old will find fun, inspiration and cultural engagement with beautiful hands-on Asian arts and crafts. Come also to sample various Asian foods featuring Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and more lining the side of Memorial Drive.

 

Boston Dragon Boat Festival is working with the Mass Water Resource Authority to bring free drinking water to the festival site with a water buggy. People can fill their water bottles in a warm June day. 

 

Joining the Boston Dragon Boat Festival festivities this year is Roger Jones, philanthropist, businessman, and author of THE FINAL VICTORY, the first and only novel to center on the thrills and challenges of dragon boat paddling and the specific challenges met by a team of twelve men and eight women, all cancer survivors over the age of fifty.  In their quest for qualification in the national championship races, the odds against them were daunting. 

THE FINAL VICTORY is a novel that honors these courageous athletes and celebrates their hope, not only to survive, but to thrive. Roger Jones will be autographing copies of THE FINAL VICTORY in the festival info & T-shirt tent on the festival grounds on Sunday, June 9.

 

This year, 4 new dragon boats were added to our dragon boat fleet. CVS Health generously donates a new boat to the festival committee to show our joint effort in promoting Asian culture and healthy living!  Hainan Airline and Trapology Boston sponsored a complete makeover for 3 boats updating them to new boat quality. A Buddhist blessing ceremony will take place at 5:00PM on June 7th at MIT Richard J. Resch Boathouse (409 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139). Three Buddhist monks from Wat Nawamintararachutis Thai Temple in Raynham, MA will conduct the blessing for these new boats. Press/media and the general public are welcome to come observe and celebrate. 

 

The Boston Dragon Boat Festival is grateful for all our sponsor and partner’s support. Our extended list of sponsors are Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Bain Capital, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Brush Magic, CVS Health, Eastern Bank, Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Gentle Giant, Hainan Airlines, New Channel, Salesforce, South Cove Community Health Center, State Street Bank, and Sun Life.   We partner with the Greater Boston Chinese Culture Association, Cambridge Arts Council, Lexington High School as well as the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.  

 

Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (late May to mid June on the solar calendar), the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE). A political leader of the State of Chu, Qu Yuan is recognized as China’s first distinguished poet. Qu Yuan lost the king’s favor and was banished from his home state of Chu because of his opposition to the prevalent policy of compromise to the powerful state of Qin. In exile, he wrote the poem, “Encountering Sorrow,” which shows a great loyalty to his state and its people. In 278 BCE, Qu Yuan learned the news that Chu had been conquered by Qin. Heart broken, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River. The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue him. Too late to save Qu Yuan, they splashed furiously and threw zong-zi (traditional rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit and to keep the fish away from his body.

 

Today, Dragon Boat Festivals and races are popular around the world. The first Dragon Boat Festival in the United States was held in Boston in 1979, the first in North America. It is now the largest Asian cultural festival in New England.  Just 10 years ago Boston had 22 community teams, now we have 54 community teams. Competitive club teams in Boston that race worldwide jumped from 4 to 15. These are some of the examples demonstrating the drastic growth of dragon boat racing as a sport nationwide and worldwide. 

 

The Boston festival is used as a vehicle to promote Asian cultures and dragon boat racing, as well as to bring diverse communities together in Boston and the surrounding areas. In 2023, over 50,000 people lined the banks of the Charles to enjoy the festivities and performances.​

 

Website

https://www.bostondragonboat.org

 

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/BostonDragonBoat/

https://www.instagram.com/bostondragonboatfestival/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyXXAle3rXFRPisR6KukPiQ

 

For PR, other festival inquiries and media parking, please contact:

Gail Wang

617-259-0286

pr@bostondragonboat.org

PR-Chinese

第四十四屆波士頓香港龍舟節

Media/press contact:
汪剛柳
617-259-0286
info@bostondragonboat.org
第四十五屆波士頓香港龍舟節

 

(波士頓2024年5月18日)


壹年壹度的波士頓香港龍舟賽將於六月九日(星期日)舉行, 時間中午十二時至下午五時。2024年 是波士頓龍
舟節和龍舟賽的第四十五週年。今年大波士頓地區、麻州、新英格蘭和全美各地前來參賽的共有六十八個龍
舟隊。屆時,龍舟健兒們將在鑼鼓喧天聲中,劃著顏色鮮艷、船身輕盈的香港式龍舟, 在Weeks 步行橋和
Western Ave大橋之間的查爾斯河中激烈角逐。龍舟賽激烈的競爭將在以下十個分組之間展開:集團組、金融
組、醫保組、大學組、大學校友組、社區組、俱樂部組、女子組,青少年組以及癌癥倖存者專賽。本年度龍
舟賽及節慶由波士頓龍舟節組委會主辦,由以下公司和單位贊助:香港駐紐約經濟貿易辦事處、CVS Health,
海南航空、Trapology Boston、道富銀行、華人醫務中心、神筆、東方銀行, Bain Capital, Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Massachusetts, Foxwoods, Salesforce、Gentle Giants、SunLife等。組委會有以下協辦單位:麻州環保休閑部、麻
州水利資源部、大波士頓中國文化協會、劍橋市藝術委員會、莱克星頓高中。
波士顿龙舟节的15艘龙舟今年又增新船。感谢CVS为龙舟节组委会捐赠一条新龙舟,显示了双方为宣传亚洲文
化以及促进大众健康共同携手努力。海南航空公司及Trapology亦出资彻底翻新两条龙舟,极大提高了组委会
的龙舟船队的质量和船赛速度。六月七日五時,泰廟(Wat Nawamintararachutis Thai Temple in Reynham MA)三
位長老將親爲三條新船祈福。地點爲MIT船屋(409 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139),歡迎媒體與大衆前往觀
看。
龍舟比賽清晨開始,文化節目則午間開場。所有的活動均為免費。贊助商、主辦方及特邀嘉賓將於十二時為
龍舟點睛。按照中國傳統習俗,龍在點睛之後騰飛昇起。為點睛儀式助威的是華林派的舞龍舞獅和大波士頓
文協的腰鼓舞。
2024年龍舟節文藝演出很豐富, 亞洲各國表演包括柬埔寨、韓國和中國傳統武術,以及傳統中國舞龍舞獅和
日式大鼓表演等。另外,亚美芭蕾项目和N&D芭蕾舞学校将为观众带来融入了中国元素和龙元素的新颖芭蕾
舞节目, 更有变脸大师杨书旺为观众带来神奇的中国传统艺术川剧变脸,今年杨先生将携其子同台表演,一定
十分精彩。大波士頓太極拳社、武安武術隊將帶來互動演示,請觀衆學習並參與太極和舞獅。為慶祝龍年,東
北大學舞龍隊亦會為觀眾展現並交流傳統龍舞。除了曆年最受歡迎的大波士頓文協傳統手工製作之外,龍舟
節組委會還會給大家帶來各種亞洲遊戲與手工。今年亞洲美食攤位將增加到十八個商家,有韓國、越南、泰
國、印度、中國等美食請大家前來品嘗,同時有應季冰品飲品、亞洲融合風味甜品等。
六月初夏時時炎熱,今年龍舟節組委會新增免費供水服務。麻州水利資源部將於龍舟節現場設置飲用水站,
供觀眾用自帶水瓶接水飲用。
小説作者羅傑瓊斯先生將在今年的龍舟節現場T卹帳篷內,爲其今年出版的小説《最後的勝利》籤名,並將贈
與波士頓龍舟節部分售書收項。《最後的勝利》是第一部也是唯一的以北美龍舟賽爲主題的小説,講述了一
個由十二位男隊員和八位女隊員組成的龍舟隊,全體隊員都是五十五歲以上的癌症康複者,他們齊心協力克
服睏難,取得全美冠軍賽的最終勝利。
每年農歷五月初五(陽歷五月下旬至6月中旬)的端午節是為了紀念中國古代詩人愛國人士屈原(340-278
BCE)。作為楚國的政治領袖,屈原被認為是中國第壹家傑出的詩人。屈原失去了國王的青睞並且被被驅逐出
他的家鄉楚國,是因為他反對向強大的秦國妥協。在流亡期間,他寫的詩「離騷」顯示屈原對故國和人民的

極大忠誠。公元前278,屈原聽聞楚國已經被入侵。在絕望中他在汨羅江自盡。等楚國人趕到河裏去救他已經
來不及了,他們便裏粽子投向江水以紀念屈原愛國的精神,同時也希望吃了粽子的魚兒們能夠讓屈原安息。
如今端午節龍舟賽已經成為世界上的壹項熱門運動和節慶,而北美的第壹箇龍舟節就是在1979年時始創於波
士頓,迄今四十五周年,2023年前來參加節慶並觀賽的觀眾增加至五萬人。 這個慶祝活動向美國和世界人民
介紹端午節龍舟賽,為推廣中國的以及亞洲的文化,發揮了巨大的作用。在大家的參與和支持下,波士頓龍
舟節會越辦越好。
詢問請找:
網址:www.bostondragonboat.org 國粵英語電話:(617) 259-0286 電子郵箱:info@bostondragonboat.org;

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