Paddling superheroes make a splash

In Stanley it was all about beer and costumes, the athletes were in Aberdeen and for those wanting to see a century-old parade, Tai O was the place to be during yesterday's Dragon Boat Festival.

The rain didn't dampen spirits on the annual holiday, also known as the Tuen Ng Festival, which commemorates the death of Qu Yuan , a Chinese poet who was born in 343 BC, in the Warring States era. Qu killed himself in a river in despair at the defeat of his homeland's capital - part of modern Hubei . And in that spirit, there was a protest at the races in Tai Po, where Acting Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was officiating. About a dozen people called for the Leung Chun-ying administration to step down.

Meanwhile, in Tai O, thousands of indigenous villagers and tourists watched a procession on the water, a tradition that is over 100 years old and was included on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011.

It began when the fishing village was hit by a plague over a century ago. Fishermen paraded along the waterways between stilt houses on dragon boats, towing statues of deities behind them in a bid to cast out the evil spirits. The plague ended, but the custom has continued. "We're proud that we've kept this tradition alive. It allows us to celebrate our origins and it brings a large number of visitors to Tai O," said villager Cheung Tak-sing, 50.

In Stanley, there was also plenty to look at. Teams dressed as Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies rubbed shoulders with paddlers done up as superhero Captain America at the International Dragon Boat Championships. And, of course, there were inflatable rubber ducks, like the art installation in Victoria Harbour last month.