Submitted by: Marta Lapaz, Rosas del PlataTigre , Buenos Aires , Argentina
Every year in the winter holidays, that is July for Argentina, we take boys and girls between 5 and 12 years old from the area where we paddle, for a ride in our dragon boat.
They expect to see the big, majestic boat enter the bay with the Rosas girls in pink wearing crazy wigs or headbands. “Let's paddle to the beat of the drum” is the slogan.
Some of the children come to the meeting in their little kayaks, then line up at the pier to go along with us. Some have already boarded in previous years and others are waiting anxiously for their first time in a Dragon boat. Everyone paddles, counts the rows from 1 to 10, sings and tells a joke when the boat stops after 30 paddle strokes.
Everything is laughter and fun. At the end we shared nutritious and delicious snacks, cakes, and juices. We said goodbye with hugs until the next meeting shouting "bye dragon pink women, bye bye, dragon boat".
