在两广地区,赛龙舟又称扒龙船。端午节当天,第十三届中国-东盟国际龙舟邀请赛在南湖如火如荼举行。“On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the thirteenth China-ASEAN International Dragon Boat Invitation Tournament was held on Nanhu Lake.”。
南宁端午节赛龙舟始于何时暂时无法考证。“It is unable to verify temporarily when the dragon boat race begins in Nanning.”。据说,早在清朝嘉庆年间,南宁就举行过龙舟赛。“It is said that the dragon boat race was held in Nanning during the reign of Emperor Jia Qing of the Qing dynasty. The race was recorded in a local newspaper in 1934.”。而真正有记载的则是在1934年南宁本地的一份报纸上:“扒龙船旧习,行见一年一度,在邕江中游驶竞技矣。”当时,有9支参赛队进行顺水和逆水两个项目的比赛。比赛中,南宁无线广播电台邀请阳秋乐艺团演奏粤曲名曲,为龙舟赛现场增添了热闹气氛。比赛奖品有布匹、烧猪、酒等。
1953年,龙舟赛被南宁市体委列为群众体育项目。“In 1953, the dragon boat race was listed as a mess sport event by Nanning Physical Culture and Sports Commission.”。1966年起,受“文化大革命”影响,龙舟赛被中断12年。“Because of the Cultural Revolution, the dragon boat race had been interrupted for twelve years since 1966.”。直到1978年,龙舟赛得以恢复。“The dragon boat race had been held again until 1978.”。这一年,正值广西壮族自治区成立20周年,当年的龙舟赛盛况空前,据说观众多达10万人。
2004年,经国家体育总局批准,中国-东盟国际龙舟邀请赛在南湖公园举办。中国-东盟国际龙舟邀请赛在东南亚、欧美、港澳台等地有较大影响,每一届都有来自菲律宾、越南、澳大利亚、英国、加拿大等国家和地区及广西各县区的龙舟队在万众欢腾中击水竞渡。“The China-ASEAN International Dragon Boat Invitation Tournament has a great impact in some areas, such as Southeast Asia, Europe, America, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.”。
中国-东盟国际龙舟邀请赛从第一届起,就定在南湖下湖水域举行。为了让比赛有更大的空间,主办方决定从明年起将赛事移至邕江举行。“In order to leave more space for the game, the organizers decide that the race will be held in Yongjiang River next year.”。届时,将依托南宁市百里“秀美邕江”,将文化culture、旅游tourism、体育sports、休闲leisure recreation结合起来,把龙舟赛打造成别具特色的水上运动嘉年华water sports carnival、民族体育展台和青山绿水窗口。
不管是在邕江还是在南湖,也不管龙舟邀请赛是冠以南宁·东盟,还是中国-东盟,这一有着特殊纪念意义的体育运动项目,都将把中华民族的传统文化传承下去,同时也让中国与东盟各国的友谊延绵不断。