Dragon boat Club of Boston, Inc

Specialties

Dragon Boat Club of Boston («DBCB») was founded in 2001 to promote and develop the sport of dragon boat in Boston. As a Massachusetts 501©(3) non-​profit organization, our club supports athletes and teams to compete in local, regional and international dragon boat races. As a diverse organization, our club serves the needs of both competitive and recreational dragon boat athletes.

History

Established in 2001.

Dragon boat racing began more than 2,000 years ago on the banks of the life-​sustaining rivers in the valleys of Southern China as a fertility rite performed to ensure bountiful crops. The race was held to avert misfortune and to encourage the rains needed for prosperity; it was also an occasion of sacrifice to the villagers’ water deity, the Dragon.

The most venerated of the Chinese zodiac figures, the Dragon of China is a beneficent creature, unlike its European counterpart. It had traditionally been a symbol of water and prosperity and is said to rule the rivers and the seas and dominate the clouds and rains. The first races were held as mock dragon battles staged to awaken the hibernating heavenly Dragon to bring to the people the necessary rain for a bountiful harvest.

Over the centuries a second story was integrated to give the celebration a dual meaning. Chinese history describes the fourth century B.C. as the warring states period; it was a time of shifting alliances and much