Mayor Paints in Eyes Of Dragon
The Mayor of Pershore John Grantham MBE, as an important and respected member of the community performed the ancient ritual of “Awakening the Dragon”, and actually dotted the eyes of Pershore Phoenix Dragon Boat Club’s new boat. This took place on Saturday 11th June in Chapman Place Pershore in front of Asda.
The eye dotting ceremony is a celebration of the beginning of the paddling season and carried out throughout the world to bless the boats and paddlers. The honoree literally bows three times to the dragon head and” dots” the eyes as a symbol to awaken the spirit of the dragon. He should think good thoughts and say “awaken, awaken awaken” while performing the task. Red paint is used mixed with a little river water and a little earth from nearby.
When the boat is brand new, as this one was, it is necessary to “dot” the forehead (being the wisdom eye), the tongue, the body (seat 6), and the tail of the dragon.
Dragon boat racing originated in China 2000 years ago and is now an international water sport, which grows in popularity every year. In this country, the British Dragon Boat Association is the governing body and clubs up and down the land compete in the National League. There are also GB teams for various age groups of men and women.
The first dragon boater racers were superstitious Chinese villagers who celebrated the 5th day of the lunar month of the Chinese calendar by racing to avert misfortune and encourage the rains needed for prosperity. They worshipped the dragon of Asia, which had traditionally been a symbol of water and was believed to rule the rivers and seas and dominate the clouds and rains.
Over time the story evolved. Legend has it that poet Qu Yuan was banished from the kingdom of Chu after the King fell under the influence of corrupt ministers. Qu Yuan spent many years wandering the countryside and composing great poetry until, on hearing of his kingdom's defeat, he leapt, in despair, into the Mi Lo River holding a rock. Qu Yuan was highly respected and so people raced out in their fishing boats to the middle of the river to save him. They threw rice dumplings into the water in the hope that the fish would eat them instead of the poet and beat drums and splashed with their paddles to try and keep the fish away.
It is generally believed that the tradition of eye dotting originated from two Chinese stories relating to painting. The first in the Eastern Jin Dynasty [314-420 A.D) when an artist called Gu Kai Zhi was famous for painting portraits. However, he always left the eyeballs out. When he was asked why, he said that the most life-like strokes of a subtle portrait came from the eyes.
The second painter called Zhang Seng You painted a mural for the An Le Monastery in Nanjing during the Southern Dynasty [420-589 A.D.], and all the dragons lacked pupils in their eyes. When the Abbot invited him to add the pupils, Zhang said that it should not be done, as they would fly away from the wall into the sky.
The Abbot was not convinced and arranged for some eyes to be painted in. Eventually those dragons with eyeballs painted on them flew away, while those without stayed on the wall.
Chinese Emperors of old called themselves ‘Dragons.’ Dragon boats have good spirits dedicated to providing enjoyment for the racers. Before a dragon boat is raced, traditionally a Taoist Priest will offer prayers to the spirits of the dragon boats. The priest makes offerings of fruit, jasmine tea, alcohol and rice. These offerings, it is believed, appease their spirits and calm them in preparation for the racing ahead. If that were not done, legend has it that the Water Gods would clash with the Dragon spirits of the boats, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Also offered at this time is symbolic money. The smoke from these notes goes to Heaven and appeases the Gods to ensure safety and good racing. The priest will also throw some notes on to the water for the Sea Gods. Having warded off evil spirits with his earlier prayers, the priest can now bring the dragon boats to life and make them strong for the racing ahead.
Finally, having successfully resuscitated the ‘dragons,’ the priest offers thanks to heaven and the Gods, paving the way for future successful races.
Sonya Wilkinson
