Thousands Participate in Global Dragon Boat and Cultural Festivals

Various cultural and community events showcasing heritage and traditions took place recently across different locations. The Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Port Washington hosted its 14th Greek Festival, featuring traditional Greek food, music, dance performances, and community volunteerism that brought together attendees from diverse backgrounds. In Bulgaria, the Dragon Boat Festival near Ruse highlighted Chinese culture with boat races, martial arts, and cultural exhibitions to promote friendship and cooperation between China and Bulgaria. Similarly, Peoria, Illinois, held its first-ever Dragon Boat Race on the Illinois River, aiming to establish a new tradition that celebrates Chinese heritage and fosters cultural exchange. Myanmar’s annual Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival featured unique boat races with rowers using a distinctive leg-wrapped paddling style, marking an important Buddhist religious celebration. In Toronto, artist Melissa McGill's "A Lake Story" public art project brought together over 400 paddlers in a canoe procession on Lake Ontario, combining art, indigenous knowledge, and ecological themes in a visually striking cultural event.