端午最精彩 龍舟節在美國

Introduction of dragonboat
龍舟之簡介

A dragon boat or dragonboat is nothing but a human-powered watercraft. It is made out of teak wood in the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. It is made of various designs and sizes.
龍舟其實就是一艘人力的船隻。龍舟是用中國廣東珠三角地區生產的柚木製造的。它有許多不同的設計和尺寸。

Dragon boats form the base of the team paddling sport called dragon boat racing, an amateur water sport having its roots in an ancient folk lore of competing villagers. It has been held over the past 2000 years all over southern China.
龍舟是一項團隊划船運動，即賽龍舟的基礎。賽龍舟是一項業餘水上運動，起源於關於村民競爭的一個古老的民間傳說。賽龍舟在中國南方已經舉辦了超過2000年。

Dragon boat racing has surfaced in modern times as an international sport, starting in 1976 in Hong Kong. However, the history of dragon boats in competition goes as far back as the same age as the aboriginal games of Olympia taking place in ancient Greece.
賽龍舟在近代已經成爲一項國際運動，在1976年開始於香港。然而，賽龍舟的歷史可以追溯到與古希臘原住民舉辦的奧林匹克競賽同齡。

Crew
龍舟參賽隊員

The usual crew of a contemporary dragon boat typically consists of 22 people, comprising majorly of 20 paddler-pairs facing the bow of the boat. Then there is 1 drummer or caller at the bow end, facing the paddlers and finally 1 sweep or the one who steers at the rear end of the boat. 當代的龍舟上一般有22個參賽隊員，包括20個向着船頭的劃手，還有1個面對着劃手，站在船尾的鼓手或鑼手。最後，還有一個舵手或者說站在船尾掌控方向的人。

Dragon boats do vary in length however, naturally altering the crew size accordingly, from 10 paddlers in small dragon boats up to 50 paddlers in the traditional boats.
龍舟的長短不一，參賽隊員的人數也相應有所變化，從只有10個劃手的小龍舟到有50個劃手的傳統龍舟不等。

The international dragon festival
國際龍舟節

The international dragon boat festival in the western hemisphere was first organized in June 1983 in San Diego, California.
1983年6月，加州聖地亞哥首次舉辦西方國家的國際龍舟節。Dragon boat festival in America
端午節在美國

on, Massachusetts (June 12) - What better way to enjoy New England’s summer weather than to observe over 50 teams canoeing down Charles River? The Boston Dragon Boat Festival is a total playground for lovers of crafts. There are many participatory workshops like making zhong zi, folding and shaping Chinese origami paper into butterflies and boats and also decorating opera masks.
馬薩諸塞州波士頓市（6月12日）——有什麼比觀看50多支船隊從查爾斯河划槳而下更適合享受新英格蘭的夏日天氣呢？波士頓端午節是一個工藝品愛好者的玩樂聖地。這裏有許多參與性工作坊，比如包糉子、把中國摺紙摺疊成蝴蝶和船隻還有畫戲劇臉譜。

er, Colorado (July 30 & 31) - It is no argument that Denver takes its racing quite seriously. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival starts off with a 75-foot dragon dance and a team parade in traditional costume. Following the launch, the festival features both flag-catching races on Taiwanese boats and lightning-speed races on Hong Kong boats. The competition is sure to get your pulse racing.
科羅拉多州丹佛市（7月30日及31日）——毫無疑問，丹佛市相當看重它的比賽。科羅拉多端午節以75英尺的舞龍和穿着傳統服裝的遊行開場。隨後，這個節日有臺灣船隊的撿旗比賽和香港船隊的閃電速度比賽。這個比賽絕對會讓你心跳加快。

ns, New York (August 13 & 14) - The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York boasted over 170 teams last year. Located in Flushing, which is a neighborhood known for its Asian cuisine, the festival has served many a traditional fare like bubble tea, dumplings and shaved ice.
紐約皇后區（8月13日及14日）——紐約的香港龍舟節去年有超過170支的隊伍。這個節日位於法拉盛，著名的亞洲美食街區，所以這裏會有許多傳統美食，比如茶葉、餃子和刨冰。

Francisco, California (Sept. 17 & 18) - The San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival almost looks like a full-blown carnival. The best part? It’s free. Keep the kids and also your wallet happy while making chopstick dragons or trying a hand at rock climbing. Make sure you catch acts like the ribbon and fan dance, the acrobat show and the wu shu performance.
加利福尼亞州舊金山市（9月17日及18日）—— 舊金山國際龍舟節看上去就像一個熱烈的狂歡節。最好的一點就是它是免費的。你不用花一分錢，就能用筷子製作龍或者試試攀巖。記得去觀看綵帶扇子舞、雜技表演和武術表演。