Thousands of people gathered over the weekend at Lake Norman for a festival and boat competition that celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Each team of about 20 people rowed a boat with a carved dragon on the prow as they headed to the starting line for the races at the Charlotte Asian and Dragon Boat Festival.
Tam Trieu, who is Vietnamese, is one of the people who participated in the boat races.
“It’s a rush, it’s a sprint out there," Trieu said. "The wind is blowing fairly hard, so the waves are actually a little higher. So, there’s a lot more resistance and a lot of pushback towards our boats. So, we've got to push a little harder.”
This year, 44 teams this year raced along a course of about 200 meters.
John Chen, one of the organizers behind the event, said the races commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet who committed suicide by jumping into a river 2,300 years ago.
“All the fishermen obviously knew this fellow, [Qu Yuan], and they all peddled their boat out and tried to save him," Chen said. "Now, as they go out, they bang on their pans, skillets, everything, to try and chase the fish away so they won't attack his body.
"Over the centuries, this turned into an anniversary, and people now begin to decorate the boat, trying to mimic what happened centuries ago.”
Chen founded the Asian Festival in 2000 and later moved it in 2006 to Lake Norman to accommodate the Dragon Boat races. Saturday’s event also featured a range of cultural dances and music performances.
