Cultural Festival
“The dragon boat races are not won by the strength of the arms, but by the unity of the hearts.”
A cultural festival is a sacred place. It is a celebration of history and heritage. It is an invitation to encounter the culture and experience the traditions of your neighbors. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is an opportunity to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of a Chinese festival.
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival debuted in Denver in 2001 at Sloan's Lake Park. It was the dream of many Denver-area Asian community leaders to display their culture to surrounding neighbors and neighborhoods. Dragon boat racing is a unique sport and an engaging way to showcase traditional Chinese culture. The main event is boat races between rowing teams who glide across Sloan’s Lake in dragon-shaped boats, celebrating an ancient Chinese sport and tradition.
In 2001, the Dragon Boat Festival drew almost 15,000 people to the one-day event. Over 200,000 now attend the two-day festival at the end of each summer. It is one of the largest celebrations of Asian American culture and the largest dragon boat festival in the United States, featuring over 60 performances on three stages and more than 30 food vendors creating Asian cuisine.
“It’s more about the food than the boats,” Tim Hong says about the Dragon Boat Festival with laughter and an infectious smile. Tim was born in Taiwan and moved to California at age 8. He has called Colorado home for the last 8 years. “There are ocean people, and there are mountain people,” Tim shares, “I’m a mountain person.” He is an avid snowboarder, a community connector, and serves as a deacon with the Chinese Evangelical Church of Denver.
Tim shares how the festivals are a place to connect with people of the Chinese community. “We have the Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, Lantern Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival. All are ways we gather,” Tim offers with a grin, “The festivals are a way to gather and eat!” In his joyous explanation of Chinese culture, Tim explains how the festivals allow people to experience traditions that are known and loved, while exposing others to new foods and diverse culture. Festivals can provide the ideal scenario to build relationship on shared experience. “It’s a unifying event for the Chinese community in Denver and a way to connect our lives together.”
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival may be more about the food than the boats for Tim, but the Dragon Boat races are an exhilarating aspect of Chinese culture to witness. The boat’s distinguishing features are a mythical Asian-style dragon head attached to the front, a stylized dragon’s tail attached to the rear, and dragon scales painted along the sides. Boats are propelled by a crew using small single-bladed paddles with the stroke cadence marked by a drum situated in the bow. Dragon boat designs are elaborate, and crew sizes vary from 10 to over 50 paddlers.
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is an opportunity to experience Chinese culture and connect with the Asian American community. It is an embodied invitation to experience connection and celebration. A cultural festival is a sacred place.
Thank you to Tim Hong for the conversation about cultural festivals and contribution to this article.
