奔跑吧，龙舟！

奔跑吧，龙舟！

什么事情可以让人们在广东炎热的端午时节兴致勃勃地跑到江河边呐喊欢呼？答案必然只有一个：赛龙舟。

提起龙舟的起源，人们自然会想起纪念屈原，但其实，龙舟作为一种文化，它的出现比屈原所处的年代要早得多。据专家考证，进行龙舟竞渡的先决条件是要在产稻米和多河港的地区，处于岭南的广东，正是一个吻合之地。

龙舟分“游龙”和“赛龙”两种：“游龙”体积大，装饰美观，重在游弋展示服饰旗鼓助兴；“赛龙”体积小，重在竞划速。通常邻近的村子会有各自的龙舟节，大家会把时间互相错开，避免活动相撞，有的会举行“扒标”即竞赛，有的则是“趁景”即游龙嬉戏。

最为让人期待的必然是“扒标”。几千米的赛程，江河里群龙如离弦之箭，水花四射，力争上游。赛龙船是集体运动，得互相配合、齐心协力，方能取胜。船头的人是全船的指挥，要灵活机动，多谋善变；打锣鼓的人要节奏明快，铿锵有力；最关键的是划头位的人，人称“扒头桡”，他们是全船力气最大的人，指挥着全船的节奏去划；船尾掌舵的人也不能有丝毫怠慢，他掌握着龙船的方向，如稍有疏忽便会铸成大错。

除了竞赛，新龙船下水这天也颇为热闹。凌晨天未亮，村里的青壮年便划着龙船，燃响鞭炮，敲起锣鼓前往神庙拜神，祈求风调雨顺，老少平安。村前的地头里，大家自动出人出力，做出丰盛的九碗头筵席。这一天还有烧猪分，凡是捐款的人都可以分到。

村里也会发出请柬，邀请同姓宗亲与邻村的世谊友好来赴宴。应邀而来的宾客也会划着龙船，带着礼品前来该村的河面上游龙，以示恭贺。而当新龙船从某村经过时，如果村里人有这条龙船所在村的亲戚好友，便会在龙船标写上对方的姓名后将礼物放入船中，受礼的龙船也会鸣炮回应，神气扬扬。

曾经划龙船有不准女性登船的禁忌，有时连龙船从桥下划过，桥上都不准女性走过。如今，这种风气早已改变，划龙船成为一项强身健体的群众性体育运动，女子龙船队也成为大江小河上一道不可或缺的飒爽英姿风景线。

WHAT MAKES A DRAGON BOAT?

解构龙舟

Dragon Body

龙身

Camphorwood is often used to make the body, as camphor is known for being vermin-proof, antiseptic, and durable. The body of the dragon boat is mainly put together using traditional craftsmanship – only wood nails are used in the joints and no iron nails. Normally the dragon bodies are stored in the pond mud to prevent cracking from dryness. This practice matches the legend of dragons originating from big ponds. The dragons will only be introduced to the water through rituals on Duanwu Festival.

Big Drum

大鼓

The grandness of the cruising dragon boat is best expressed through the big drum on the boat, the indispensable directing center of the boat. A standard dragon boat drum, larger than a lion dance drum, is 85 to 90 cm in height and at least 60 cm in diameter. A dragon boat drum can weigh over 50 kg and is mostly carved out of one whole log. This kind of drum has strong sound transmission that carry as far as 100 meters.

Dragon Head

龙头

It is mostly carved out of a whole piece of wood and dyed red, thus called “red dragon.' There are some painted black or gray, called “black/gray dragon.”After the dragon head is shaped, the nose, beard, and tongue are then installed. There is also dragon bead, usually a stainless ball painted yellow, rolling in the mouth of the dragon. On the dragon head, there are deer horns that are painted gold glitter to look dignif i ed and grand.

Dragon Bone

龙骨

Dragon bone is also called dragon cable, the spine of the dragon that goes through the whole boat, the core of the boat. The sturdiness and curve of the dragon boat depends on how strong and fl exible the bone is. Generally, the bone of one 30-meter long boat consists of two 15-meter long China fi r logs.

Pennant

帅旗

A pennant with the village emblem is equipped on the dragon boat. The pennants vary from village to village in shape – triangular and centipede – and colors – red, yellow, black, or multi-color. This pennant is a symbol of the village clan and makes it possible for people to identify the owning villages/clans of the dragon boats from afar.