乐山龙舟会多姿多彩

Dragon-Boat Festival at Lesha

乐山水光山色独特，地理环境优越，素有“绿扬夹岸水平铺”之称，举行龙舟竞渡得天独厚。

Famous for its “tranquil river fringed with rich vegetation,”Leshan in Sichuan Province has the ideal setting for its Dragon-Boat Festival.

乐山龙舟会融文化、艺术、经济、旅游、体育为一体，规模宏大，更具地方特色。每年农历五月初五，数十万乐山人民欢庆端午佳节，观赏嘉州风采。

The traditional Dragon-Boat Festival, a scene of bustling activity, blends Leshan's culture, arts, economy, tourism and athletics into a wealth of features. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (early in June) each year, thousands upon thousands of Leshan people gather together along with tourists to celebrate the festival and enjoy the scenic splendor of Jiazhou, Leshan's ancient name.

江岸上彩楼林立，彩灯高悬，旌旗飘摇，呈现出一派喜气洋洋的节曰场面。千姿百态的各式彩龙在江面游弋，舒展着优美的身姿，有的摇头摆尾，风采突突；有的喷火吐水，威风八面。

High-rise buildings ornamented with colored lanterns and bright banners stand out along the river banks. On the river itself, gaily decorated dragon-shaped boats await their challenge, displaying their individual charms to their hearts' content. One boat wags its head and tail; another spits fire and sprays water.

信号弹划过上空，龙舟夺标开始了。各色各状造型的“蚁龙”如箭离弦，顺流而下，欲争群龙首。此时，乐曲响彻江面，皮鼓冬冬，铜锣当当。耗子高昂。每只龙舟上，身着一色的14名健儿分列两舷。健儿们激浪高歌，狠劲猛划，奋力冲刺；两岸山呼海啸，滚起阵阵“加油”声。“千顷水面琉璃滑，百艘龙舟竞争先。”

As the starter’s gun booms, the boats spring into action. Rows of dragons pull downstream, each striving to take the lead. In rhythm with the competition, wild music clangs across the river, as drums, gongs and horns sound enthusiastically. Seven pairs of athletes on each boat, bright in their team colors, row with tremendous outbursts of strength and chant in unison over the crest of every wave. The river rings with fervent cheers of "GO! Row! Go! Row!" from the banks, to the rhythm of the athletes oars. "The river extends as far as your eyes can see; Hundreds of dragon boats compete in a race for the winner."

传统的抢鸭子竞赛也是龙舟会上精彩纷呈的项目之—，是白天活动的高潮。一只只鸭子抛向空中，嘎嘎叫着扑腾到水面。龙舟上敲着急促的锣鼓，划桨奋力击水，围追堵截，鸭子扑打着翅膀纷纷逃避。只见抢鸭子勇士跪蹲船头，双眼凝视着猎物，一旦接近目标，便眼疾手快地跃人水中，眼看鸭子在劫难逃，不料它们狡黠异常，竟然悄悄地潜水遁去，消逝得无影无踪。然后，暂停鼓锣，船上岸边的人们聚精会神拍视着水面，一当鸭子露面，立刻喊声乍起，各船迅速拨转船头重新“围剿”“水面立时锣鼓喧天。就在小伙子跃人水中—刹那，鸭子再次潜入水中逃出重围。观众中响起一片掌声，为抢鸭手鼓劲加油。抢鸭勇士个个跃跃欲试，浪尖逐角。那些抢到鸭子的勇士们，激情满怀地把捕获物高高举起，贏来了船上和岸上的阵阵欢呼声和热烈的掌声。据说，抢到鸭子的小伙子可博得姑娘的青睐。

A highlight during this festive occasion is the customary chasing of ducks on the river, the climax of the daytime activity. Quacking ducks are tossed up over the water one after another. Immediately from the dragon boats, drums and gongs beat furiously as oarsmen strain their muscles to chase the floating ducks. The chasers crouch near the bow, their eyes fixed on the prey. On approaching the ducks, they plunge into the river. But the ducks are tricky, they quickly dive underwater and vanish. For a moment, drums and gongs stop. Both participants and onlookers hold their breath in anticipation, eyes wide open, sweeping the river in search of the targets. No sooner does a duck appear than shouts of excitement echo from bank to bank again, accompanied by thunderous rolls from the drums and the gongs. The young rowers warm to their work and continue the chase, but when they jump into the river, the ducks once again dive under. Spectators break into applause to cheer the chasers on. Those who catch the ducks lift their catch high in the air to show their courage. A storm of applause and cheers rises everywhere. It has been said that those who succeed in the game of chasing ducks can also win the love of the girls!

晚上的夜游活动堪称压轴节目。夜幕降临，乐山上空礼炮轰隆, 彩灯光芒四溢。河面各只彩船上无数五颜六色的霓虹灯、日光灯齐放光华，闪烁迷离，和水中倒影连成一片。漂灯点缀河面，似万点繁星 坠落人间。在奇光异彩交相辉映中，众多的龙舟如银河流星，顺河而下，千姿百态，令人叫绝。在探照灯的扫射下，河面激起变幻莫测的五彩霞光。一时间，呈现出一幅光的天地、色的世界。

Evening activity brings another exciting moment to the festival. As night falls, salutes from the city cannon thunder across the sky, a signal for countless bright lights to flash alive on all the dragon boats up and down the river. Those myriad-light boats become a riot of color which blends most subtly with colors from the river's reflected surface. As the dragon boats row slowly and silently downstream，seach lights along the shore highlight the procession of sparkling beauty. For a moment，before all fades to night, the spectators both afloat and ashore share this beautiful picture of universal bright-ness and magical color.

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