36 THE COURIER SUN • DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL • AUGUST 8, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com Dragons Awake BY LIAM LA GUERRE Tlguerre@queenscourier.com he 23rd annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat (HKDB) festival will take place soon, but first it was time for the dragons to rise and shine. The HKDB organizers hosted the dragon awakening ceremony in Times Square on July 25 to bring life to the ancient creatures and bless the races and events, which will take place on August 10 and 11 in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. “In Chinese culture the dragon is a divine animal for energy, said Henry Wan, chairman of the HKDB. “When we put them in storage they would go crazy, so we put them to sleep. But we need to awaken the dragons before we put them on the lake. Once they are awakened it will bring good luck to the festival.” Shi Fu Jie Tong and Shi Fu Ming Yu, Buddhist monks from the World Chan Buddhist Association, performed the traditional awakening and blessing ceremony of the dragon boats. Local officials and public leaders like City Comptroller John Liu had the opportunity to dot the eye of the dragon to fully awaken the mystical creatures. The ceremony also included a brief martial arts performance from the Shaolin Masters of the Shaolin Temple Overseas headquarters. The dragon ceremony was held in Times Square “Because it is a festival of the world,” Wan said. “This is a multi-cultural event. And it is at the crossroads of the world.”
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