The Dragon Boat Races

They are called Haari and they are a long time tradition in Okinawa. After a long five minute research on the Web, this is the best I can come up with: The Dragon Boat Races, or Haari (a Chinese word for "dragon") date back to the 14th century when they first began to honor the gods of the sea. Villages would compete against each other in boats decorated in dragon heads and tails. Today, the event is held the last three days of Golden Week. Golden Week, held the first week in May, is a very happy and busy time in Okinawa, with 4 holidays occurring in one week. The main race is held on May 5th, Children's Day, and conducted in hopes to bring good luck to the local fisherman. Local companies, schools, and even the different branches of the U.S. military form teams to compete against each other using three boats: Naha (dark green), Kume (yellow), and Tomari (black). The races are held at the Naha Port and include a festival with games, food, and souvenirs. So, on May 5th, we went to see the 35th Annual Dragon Boat Races in Naha! The boats were so cool!
Here they are leaving the one side of the port:

I read somewhere that the crew is made up of 32 rowers, 2 runner tenders, 3 flag bearers, 2 cheerleaders and a singer. The boats are 50 feet long and weigh around 2 tons. The singer stands in the front and beats a drum to keep the rowers synchronized. You can see they yellow boat's singer here:

Olivia had fun! They were handing out fans to cool off with and she was so excited to have one handed to her!

We went with The Adams', here Maddi is playing a bowling game:

Here's another team on the yellow boat:

This is the Kadena Girl's Team boat...winning!

The Kadena Girl's Team, with the General in the front. They won their race, but the Navy Girls beat them overall.

A cute baby we came across:

OUR cute baby...sporting her Okinawa onesie:

Olivia and her favorite guy Mr. Craig:

Olivia got to ride the train with Mommy! She really liked it:

Look at the big smiles:

Round and round we go:

Sitting on the seat herself. Such a big girl!

She loves the train!

Playing around:

Family pic:

And finally, this adorable little girl I saw wearing a kimono. She even posed for me: