Dragon boat races!

Well, let's begin with what dragon boat racing is all about...basically, it's the same as rowing. Long boat, team of people racing against other boats to see who's the best! It was especially interesting in this case, because most of these people had never had any experience with rowing before, Jacob included.

After arriving, one of the leaders handed out the sarongs to all participants (by the way, Jacob's team was the only team that decided to fully "dress up" for the occasion!). They also ended up adding the red striped on the foreheads, which was rather amusing to watch. I'm sure Jacob will kill me later for adding the pictures, but I simply had to!! I told so many people about it and here's the proof! This picture below is the group before starting.

The ritual component of dragon boat racing has a deep cultural heritage and stems from religious beliefs. It is an ancient tradition of China, starting way back during the Tsin period and becoming very popular in the Tang Dynasty. Dragon boat racing was introduced to Singapore in 1978 when they were invited to participate in the event in Hong Kong. This race took place at the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, created in 1987.

The crew took a while loaded into their boat, probably because of those long sarongs!! The signs around their necks said, "Singapore Swift Sarongs," the name of the team.

After a bit of practice, they began their race and Jacob's team came in second! So the picture below is of the team heading back in after the boat race and paddle war. Apparently, the paddle war consists of splashing members of the other teams, so they all came back in completely soaked. Jacob is in the back, to the left.

So, all in all, another interesting experience! Jacob got to take in some of the culture and dress up while Juliana and I got to watch and enjoy him making a fool of himself!! After along afternoon though, Juliana took all of two minutes to pass out on dad on the cab ride home.

I did take some other pictures, but was not allowed to put them up! Some good pictures of Jacob's complete outfit and of him getting the red stripe painted on his forehead. To my understanding, the stripe symbolizes the the third eye, the one that is focused inwards toward God. It also holds different values, depending on the family's traditions and beliefs.