Press attends ceremony to awake dragon boats

Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York Miss Monica Chen (middle), along with New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe (second from left), Senior Vice President, District Executive of Asian Market at HSBC, Elizabeth Lee (second from right) and Chairman of the Host Committee of the 2009 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York Henry Wan (far right) launch the 19th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York with an eye-dotting ceremony.

The dragon boat festival, a Chinese tradition with a more than 2,000-year history, is today a fixture in the summer sporting calendar of New York City, attracting dragon boat racers and spectators from all walks of life.

A "Dragon Boat Awakening Ceremony" press event, attended by major news media organizations, including international agencies, was held at New York City's Central Park on July 23 to launch this year’s 19th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York.

First introduced by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York to New Yorkers in 1991, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York has now grown into one of the largest multi-cultural and sporting festivals in the United States.

Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York, Monica Chen said that while dragon boat races were an ancient Chinese tradition, it was in Hong Kong that the race had been elevated into an international event.

"The Hong Kong championship attracts more than 140 teams from all over the world every year and is watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators," Miss Chen said. "It is another example of Hong Kong's know-how to draw on its unique advantage of East meets West, to create something extraordinary."

Joining Miss Chen at the ceremony were New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Chairman of the Host Committee of the 2009 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York Henry Wan and other dignitaries.

The "awakening ceremony" featured a ceremony by Buddhist monks to bless the dragon boats and bring prosperity and good fortune to New York City, followed by the "eye-dotting" of the dragon boats. There were also martial arts demonstrations by Shaolin martial artists.

The 19th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York will be held August 8 and 9 at Meadows Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, and will feature more than 150 dragon boat racing teams from across North America. More than 50,000 spectators are also expected at the two-day event.

The HKETONY is the principal festival benefactor for this year's event. Every year, the HKETONY has a booth at the festival. This year, the booth will feature snapshots of Hong Kong to update visitors on Hong Kong's latest developments. Brand Hong Kong souvenirs will also be given out to those attending the festival.