Anyone who has been in Hong Kong on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month will tell you that the true meaning and spirit of the Dragon Boat Festival is indeed celebrated here.

The festival bathes Hong Kong in a riot of colours, especially its many harbour fronts and beaches. For it's here that special boats paddled by 20 to 22 rowers take part in the vibrant but gruelling races.

From Tai Po (Tolo Harbour) and Sai Kung in New Territories to Mui Wo on the outlying island of Lantau to Stanley and Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, the festival spirit resonates in the beating of drums, fluttering of flags and the splashing of oars.

Also known as Tuen Ng (Double Fifth) Festival in Cantonese, the day commemorates the death of popular poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) in protest against the Chu Kingdom's corrupt rulers. A reformer and patriot, Qu became the victim of a slander campaign and was banished by the Chu rulers. Qu took his own life on hearing that a rival state had conquered the kingdom.

It is believed that the people of the town raced in boats to rescue Qu. In trying to do so, they beat drums to scare off fish and threw dumplings in the water to lure them away from Qu's body.

The festival's origins were in Central China. Now it is celebrated across China and in around 50 other countries and regions.

Chinese people celebrate the day because it's part of their history and folklore and also because it represents a love of one's country.

But there's an even more heartening aspect to the festivities in Hong Kong. Over the years, it has become a real community affair, and it's here that Hong Kong's multicultural spirit takes over.

Since the highlight of the festival is its fierce dragon boat races, the teams have to practise for days to hone their skills. It may be a recreational sport, but at the same time it is highly competitive. That may be one of the reasons for its immense popularity in the territory.

Teams race in elaborately decorated, more than 10-metre-long dragon boats to the rhythm of drumbeats recalling the attempt to save Qu. The drummer sits in the front, controlling the pace of rowing. By doing so, he also ensures synchrony among the rowers, as the real art is attuning the rowers to the four stages of every stroke catch, pull, finish and reach.

Many expatriates have become an integral part of this catch, pull, finish and reach today. The enthusiasm of these expatriates is no less that of the locals. In fact, many of them have their own groups and attract a great many sponsors for the event.

The burning desire of the expatriate community to be part of the local milieu is commendable, as is the warm welcome extended to them by local residents. Those from outside Hong Kong would not have been worthy of such praise had the dragon boat race been like other festival when people only eat, drink and be merry. But these enduring, enthusiastic expatriates undergo the physical strain of hours of practice and spend their precious time just to be part of a greater community.

Thanks to their efforts and those of local residents, this truly community festival has become a grand spectacle on Hong Kong's calendar. It attracts tourists and residents alike, generating widespread interest and adding colour and music to Hong Kong's already vibrant life.

But above all, it sends out a message to the world one of peace, harmony and sharing.

Email: zouhr@chinadaily.com.hk

(China Daily 06/02/2006 page4)