EDMONTON DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival Association (EDBFA) hosts a dragon boat festival each year on the third week in August – rain or shine. The association runs an annual season practice grid where teams train for the annual festival as well as for other festivals occurring in other Canadian cities. From the social recreational paddler to the competitive teams looking for a berth at the National level, to represent Canada in international competitions – there is a team for everyone in this association.

***IMPORTANT***
The 16th annual Dragon Boat Festival has been moved to Telford Lake in Leduc. Due to the river conditions the EDBFA has joined in partnership with the Leduc Boat Club to host the festival on their site. Team managers will receive updated information from the resource manager. All practices are now in Leduc.

Festival/Race Details

The race course is approximately 400 m long with races generally lasting between 2 to 3.5 intense minutes. The 3-day event features Challenge races, placement races, spirit awards and medal races.

The festival is based on the traditional dragon boat races, originally taking place in southern China over 2,000 years ago. Originally, boats adorned with dragonheads were part of a fertility rite as a way to encourage plentiful rains and a good harvest. The dragon boat races, and the serving of rice dumplings or rice cakes, became an annual event on the fifth day of the fifth month.

Throughout The Festival there are exhibitors, vendors, stage entertainment and a beer gardens for you to enjoy along with the invigorating races. Teams can rent a tent in the Athletes' Village as a space for to relax between races.

2012 Dragon Boat Festival Theme

2012 is the Year of the (Male) Black Water Dragon. The dragon is a legendary creature in Chinese astrology. Every twelve years it is the year of the dragon.

All stories about Chinese Dragons are from the sky, which means heaven in China. For China, it is the symbol of power from heaven. The emperor was considered the son of heaven and had the authority to command dragons. The most powerful dragon of all is the five-clawed dragon. At one time only the Emperor was allowed to wear or have images of the five-clawed dragon. In Chinese astrology it is the only animal that is not real. The dragon is quite special and has special signific

ance in the Chinese culture. It is seen as a symbol of power, superiority and rule. Today the Chinese people associate the dragon with power and wisdom and it is one of the most auspicious animals in China. The dragon was seen as almighty and powerful because it was made up of different parts of animals as a tiger, fish, snake and an eagle. The Black water dragon is considered intelligent and a hard worker and has immense courage and strength to face all challenges. People born under this sign are lucky as well. The three luck zodiac symbols are Rooster, Monkey and Rat.

Use 2012 to grow creatively, be innovative and independent, and practice strong leadership. The Chinese people consider the energy within the Water dragon year to be a good time for a new beginning, face new challenges and the year tends to bring good fortune and happiness especially to those who help others. Overspending is the nature of this dragon so be cautious in terms of overspending.

For more information use the left-hand menu or visit: http://edmontondragonboatfestival.com/
Phone: 780-493-8158
Email: president@edbfa.ca

Unless otherwise stated, all content regarding the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival on FestivalSeekers.com has been provided by the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival.*