Lomba Perahu Panjang di Asia (Long Boat Racing in Asia)

Pacu Jalur adalah tradisi yang lahir dari peradaban berazas sungai (riverine culture) di Kuantan. Tradisi yang mirip dapat juga kita temukan di daerah lain di kawasan Asia Tenggara, Asia Timur dan Asia Selatan yang umumnya berbudaya sungai.


Lomba Perahu Bidar diadakan setiap tahun di Kota Palembang, yaitu Juni untuk memperingati ulang tahun Kota Palembang dan Agustus dalam rangka peringatan Hari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan RI.

Perahu pancalang khas Sungai Musi diyakini sebagai asal muasal lahirnya perahu bidar. Pancalang adalah perahu tidak berlunas, pada zaman dahulu selain sebagai perahu penumpang, ia juga dijadikan sarana untuk berdagang di sungai. Atapnya berbentuk kajang, kemudinya berbentuk dayung dan digayung dengan galah atau bambu.

Agar terjaga kelestarian perahu bidar, digelarlah lomba perahu bidar yang berlangsung sejak zaman Kesultanan Palembang Darussalam. Lomba ini sering disebut wong doeloe dengan sebutan “kenceran”. Kini, tampilan perahu bidar sedikit berbeda dengan masa Kesultanan Palembang. Ada dua jenis yang kini dikenal. Perahu bidar tradisional. memiliki panjang 29 meter, tinggi 80 cm serta lebar 1,5 meter. Jumlah tim adalah 57 orang, terdiri dari 55 pendayung, 1 juragan perahu serta 1 tukang timba air.


Lomba dayung kora-kora (belang) di Banda Neira diselenggarakan sekali setahun di sepanjang pantai dan daerah pesisir pulau Neira. Lomba ini merupakan cerminan perjuangan masyarakat Banda berjuang melawan kolonial Belanda maupun Portugis saat berusaha menguasai rempah-rempah di Banda Neira. Kora-Kora merupakan perahu perang yang digunakan melawan kapal perang penjajah dengan persenjataan meriam. Kegigihan masyarakat Banda ini digambarkan dalam bentuk lomba kora kora ini.


Lao Boun Souang Heua (Lao Long Boat Racing) is a part of Lao tradition for many generations, but most younger generations forget as to why we celebrate the festive event, and it might be that the event of Dragon Boat Racing is internationally recognized, well known to all, and has an interesting myth and legend that surround the history of the event. As for our Boun Souang Heau, we also have our history and reasoning behind the event as well, it is held the day after Ok Phansa.

As we all knew that Buddhism is the official religion of Laos, and many religious events are more or less celebrated nationwide. One of the most notable celebrations is at the end of Lent or the Rains Retreat called Ok Phansa. Phansa is the period of three months during which the Buddhist monks are obliged to stay in the monasteries. The end of the Rains Retreat marks the occasion for the monks throughout the country to receive new robes and other necessities in an annual presentation ceremony called Thot Kathin (merit-making ceremony).

According to one of the monks at our local Wat (temple), in Laos, people would choose which Wat they want to Thot Kathin, the temple then place a Kathin flag as an announcement that the Kathin event is to follow. Assuming if there were no flag in front of Wat, then the villagers would join in to Thot Kathin called Kathin Sa Ma Kee.

Long boats were traditionally built for carrying Buddha images in water-borne processions during the Kathin ceremony. However, they are also designed for racing, victory brought fame to the village or temple that owned the boat. The boats thus have a long and sleek appearance.

The long boats are usually made by hollowing out a tree trunk; wooden planks were added as seats for the oarsmen. Before each race, the boat is repainted, with the bow and stern decorated to resemble Phaya Nark (Naga), lion or other creatures. The outside of the boat is waxed to reduce drag and increase the ease with which the vessel glides through the water.

Since Laos is a river-based culture, the Mekong River is like an artery that runs through our country, it’d only make sense that we’d have competition in the water as part of our sporting events, which is called Long Boat Racing, or Boun Souang Heua, just as land-based cultures race horses or cars, Lao race Long boats. Boun Souang Heua is a festive event worth carrying on the tradition, and to understand the true meaning behind it only makes more special to us.


Thai Long Boat-Racing Festival is arranged every year during Thai Buddhist Lent Period (about September or October) on days that river tide is highest. The festival will be held by local people beside rivers from provinces which big rivers pass by such as Phisanulok province, Phichit province has Nan River and Ang-Thong province, Ayutthaya province, Pathum-Thani province has Chao-Phraya River. Boats, which they use on the festival, will be chose and made from auspicious trees of each area's believing. They train and prepare rowing-crews to be most fit and ready for being their agent of the festival.

Long Boat-Racing Festival is one of Thai traditions which has been arranged continuously since Ayutthaya time (about 600 years ago) for preparing and making morale, courage and strength to rowing-crews, as every Thai men were power of the country, for a war which could began anytime from aggression.

Presently, Long Boat-Racing Festival is one of Thai sport. There are awards, cups from members of royal family of Chakri Dynasty or agent including honor and reputation. So, it is a prize of victory that everyone try to get but somehow it shows in a way of enjoyment and happiness, not only rowing-crews but the members of the area and audiences too. Therefore, Long Boat-Racing Festival that is arranged every year in different provinces, especially in Phichit province which this year is arranged on 2-3 September and Phitsanulok province which this year is arranged on 16-17 September, is very interesting and joyful festival of Thailand which audiences, Thai people and visitors, can touch. Besides, audiences also can see each beautiful decorative long boat that be made from each local believing and idea and also can feel the simultaneous step and intending of rowing-crews for victory of their own locality


The Water Festival in Cambodia takes place each year in October or November, at the time of the full moon, and is the most extravagant and exuberant festival in the Khmer calendar, outdoing even the new year celebrations.

Boats on the Tonle Sap River Starting on the day of the full moon in late October or early November, up to a million people from all walks of life and from all over the country flock to the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers in Phnom Penh to watch traditional boats racing on a huge scale. This year more than 400 of the brightly colored boats with over 2,500 paddlers battled it out for top honors. The boat racing dates back to ancient times marking the strength of the powerful Khmer marine forces during the Khmer empire.

During the day, the boats race in pairs along a kilometer-long course, and then in the evening brightly decorated floats cruise along the river prior to and during the nightly fireworks displays.

There is often a parallel festival at Angkor Wat and although it is smaller in scale it is just as impressive due to the backdrop of Angkor Wat.

The festival marks the changing of the flow of the Tonle Sap River and is also seen as thanksgiving to the Mekong River for providing the country with fertile land and abundant fish. It is at this time when the river flow reverts to its normal down-stream direction. In a remarkable phenomenon, the Tonle Sap River earlier reverses its course as the rainy season progresses, with the river flowing "upstream" to Tonle Sap Lake. Then as the rainy season tapers off, the river changes direction once again as the swollen Tonle Sap Lake begins to empty back into the Mekong River, leaving behind vast quantities of fish.



Ghe Ngo (Khmer boat) is the traditional boat race that is held annually in Soc Trang during the Ooc Om Boc festival of the Khmer people in southern Vietnam. The event attracted nearly 2000 rowers from southern provinces, who competed in four categories: men’s 1200m and 800m and women’s 1000m and 600m. The race took place in Maspero River.


Vallam Kali literally means boat race in Malayalam. It is the traditional boat (paddled war canoe) race in Kerala (a state in south India). It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in Autumn. Vallam Kali include races of many kinds of traditional boats (paddled longboat) of Kerala. The race of Chundan Vallam (snake boat) is the major event. Hence Vallam Kali is also known in English as Snake Boat Race and now in recent years has become a major tourist attraction. Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam (Vaipu Vallam), Vadakkanody Vallam, Kochu Vallam.


Duanwu Festival (Chinese: 端午節/端午节), also known as Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional and statutory holiday associated with Chinese and other East Asian and Southeast Asian societies as well. It is a public holiday in mainland China, where it is known by the Mandarin name Duānwǔ Jié, and in Taiwan, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is known by the Cantonese name Tuen Ng Jit. The festival is also celebrated in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as in Singapore and Malaysia. Equivalent and related festivals outside Chinese-speaking societies include the Kodomo no hi in Japan, Dano in Korea, and Tết Đoan Ngọ in Vietnam.

The festival occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based. This is the source of the alternative name of Double Fifth. The focus of the celebrations includes eating the rice dumpling zongzi, drinking realgar wine xionghuangjiu[clarification needed], and racing dragon boats.
Article By : Ison Idris

Informasi PON Riau 2012, Wisata, Seni dan Budaya, Kuantan Singingi, Pekanbaru dan Riau umumnya melalui sudut pandang seorang Blogger yang berasal dari Sungai Kuantan

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