This week marks the Dragon Boat (or Duanwu) Festival – an important holiday for Chinese Australians celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. To celebrate, dragon dancers will perform on Driver Avenue outside the SCG ahead of our game against Geelong on Sunday.

Duanwu first came about as people attempted to dispel the bad luck thought to be brought by the day. They developed auspicious ceremonies and performances which became the Dragon Boat Festival.

The history of Duanwu goes back more than 2,000 years and it is widely observed in China and other parts of East Asia.

The Duanwu Festival is a time for Chinese people to celebrate their cultural heritage, strengthen community bonds through dragon boat races, and enjoy traditional foods like zongzi (rice dumplings). It is a vibrant and significant holiday that showcases the richness of Chinese history and traditions.

In 2023, a unique event was created in Sydney to mark Duanwu and reflect the special connection between our two countries by building ‘Friendship Through Sport’. 

Prior to the Sydney Swans game against the West Coast Eagles last year, a book called “Celestial Footy”, was launched chronicling the participation and passion of Chinese-heritage immigrants.

A little-known fact is that the first Chinese diaspora who came to the Central Victorian Gold Fields, played in the formative stages of the development of Australian football. There were Chinese teams, generally Cantonese speakers in all gold fields towns in Victoria and there was a China league that stretched from Geelong to the NSW border.

The Duanwu concept was originally an idea of former Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless who was eager to find a way to engage with the 11 per cent of Greater Sydney’s population with Chinese ancestry. The event was designed to symbolise how Chinese Australians are an integral part of the broader Australian community.

Former Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless presenting at a 2023 Duanwu event at the SCG.

The 2023 Duanwu event at the SCG was a great success and was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Australia, the NSW Premier, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Consul-General, and Australian and Chinese business and community leaders. The event gained huge media coverage in Mainland China and across Australia’s Chinese language networks.  

For many local Chinese Australians, this was their first experience of Australian Football. It is probably no surprise that the Swans are so popular with the local Chinese population given in China the colour red is auspicious – associated with life-generating energy (the sun, blood, and fire) – and is the colour of celebrations and prosperity.

Duanwu 2023 was also auspicious for the Swans as it resulted in the second-highest score ever for the club and greatest since 1987, with the 171-point win over the Eagles equalling the biggest winning margin in club history.

As part of the celebration of the Duanwu Festival, you can catch the Jin Wu Koon Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe on Driver Avenue outside the SCG at 1:30pm on Sunday, ahead of the Sydney Swans match against Geelong.