奔跑吧，龍舟！

什么事情可以讓人們?cè)趶V東炎熱的端午時(shí)節(jié)興致勃勃地跑到江河邊吶喊歡呼？答案必然只有一個(gè)：賽龍舟。

提起龍舟的起源，人們自然會(huì)想起紀(jì)念屈原，但其實(shí)，龍舟作為一種文化，它的出現(xiàn)比屈原所處的年代要早得多。據(jù)專(zhuān)家考證，進(jìn)行龍舟競(jìng)渡的先決條件是要在產(chǎn)稻米和多河港的地區(qū)，處于嶺南的廣東，正是一個(gè)吻合之地。

龍舟分“游龍”和“賽龍”兩種：“游龍”體積大，裝飾美觀，重在游弋展示服飾旗鼓助興；“賽龍”體積小，重在競(jìng)劃速。通常鄰近的村子會(huì)有各自的龍舟節(jié)，大家會(huì)把時(shí)間互相錯(cuò)開(kāi)，避免活動(dòng)相撞，有的會(huì)舉行“扒標(biāo)”即競(jìng)賽，有的則是“趁景”即游龍嬉戲。

最為讓人期待的必然是“扒標(biāo)”。幾千米的賽程，江河里群龍如離弦之箭，水花四射，力爭(zhēng)上游。賽龍船是集體運(yùn)動(dòng)，得互相配合、齊心協(xié)力，方能取勝。船頭的人是全船的指揮，要靈活機(jī)動(dòng)，多謀善變；打鑼鼓的人要節(jié)奏明快，鏗鏘有力；最關(guān)鍵的是劃頭位的人，人稱(chēng)“扒頭橈”，他們是全船力氣最大的人，指揮著全船的節(jié)奏去劃；船尾掌舵的人也不能有絲毫怠慢，他掌握著龍船的方向，如稍有疏忽便會(huì)鑄成大錯(cuò)。

除了競(jìng)賽，新龍船下水這天也頗為熱鬧。凌晨天未亮，村里的青壯年便劃著龍船，燃響鞭炮，敲起鑼鼓前往神廟拜神，祈求風(fēng)調(diào)雨順，老少平安。村前的地頭里，大家自動(dòng)出人出力，做出豐盛的九碗頭筵席。這一天還有燒豬分，凡是捐款的人都可以分到。

村里也會(huì)發(fā)出請(qǐng)柬，邀請(qǐng)同姓宗親與鄰村的世誼友好來(lái)赴宴。應(yīng)邀而來(lái)的賓客也會(huì)劃著龍船，帶著禮品前來(lái)該村的河面上游龍，以示恭賀。而當(dāng)新龍船從某村經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)，如果村里人有這條龍船所在村的親戚好友，便會(huì)在龍船標(biāo)寫(xiě)上對(duì)方的姓名后將禮物放入船中，受禮的龍船也會(huì)鳴炮回應(yīng)，神氣揚(yáng)揚(yáng)。

曾經(jīng)劃龍船有不準(zhǔn)女性登船的禁忌，有時(shí)連龍船從橋下劃過(guò)，橋上都不準(zhǔn)女性走過(guò)。如今，這種風(fēng)氣早已改變，劃龍船成為一項(xiàng)強(qiáng)身健體的群眾性體育運(yùn)動(dòng)，女子龍船隊(duì)也成為大江小河上一道不可或缺的颯爽英姿風(fēng)景線。

WHAT MAKES A DRAGON BOAT?

解構(gòu)龍舟

Dragon Body

龍身

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

龍頭

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

龍骨

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

帥旗

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.