With the rain pouring steadily in the background, about 30 groups of paddlers, drummers and steersmen took to the Intracoastal Waterway last weekend to race long, narrow boats decorated like dragons.

Though the weather put somewhat of a damper on events, the rain couldn't keep everyone away from the sixth annual Dragon Boat Festival at Haulover Park last weekend.

While Saturday's rains meant organizers had to call off some events, the crowds returned the next day, said Winnie Tang, president of the United Chinese Association of Florida, which hosted the event.

The cultural festivities included the popular egg-roll eating contest, a cooking demonstration and Polynesian and belly dancing.

The rain was not entirely out of place at the dragon boat race, Tang said.

''It is a land festival, but it is a also a water sport,'' she said.

The races have drummed up a devoted following over the years -- especially from competitors who spend hours honing their paddling skills aboard the canoe-like vessels adorned with dragon heads and tails at the bow and stern.

For the Blazing Paddles, a team of 22 men and women, dragon boat racing is a chance to have fun, joke around and revel in the competition.

One of their trademarks: Dressing up like pirates and shouting ''Arrrgh!'' at sporadic intervals.

''The motto for dragon boating is friendship through paddling,'' said Kristin Deffler, the drummer for Blazing Paddles. A drummer is in charge of keeping rhythm for the paddlers -- and yelling encouragement.

''There are some teams that go for the best athletes,'' she said. ``We go for the best personalities.''

According to tradition, the races are held in memory of Chinese scholar and minister to the king, Qu Yuan, who lived during the Zhou Dynasty.

As legend has it, Qu Yuan fell into a deep depression after being forced into exile by a corrupt king, and threw himself into the Mi Lo River, where he was killed by a river dragon.

The villagers gathered at the river bank to save him -- throwing steamed rice, or zung-ze, into the river as an offering to keep the fish from devouring his body -- but it was too late.

Since then, Chinese communities around the world gather annually on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar to race dragon boats in Qu Yuan's memory.

Besides honoring an age-old Chinese tradition, the races also help draw attention to a newer facet of Asian culture in Miami-Dade, said Tang.

For many years, North Miami Beach and its surrounding areas have attracted dozens of businesses that are owned by Asians or serve the Asian community, including a bank, bakery, restaurants, salons and acupuncturists.

Tang and others hope to see the area turn into a local version of Chinatown.

Several businesses on the corridor sponsor the races, Tang said.

''We want to bring as much attention as we can,'' she said. ``We have to show that we are a strong community.''

Wayne Louk, a 36-year-old business owner of Chinese and Cuban decent, said he had only recently learned about the dragon boat races, and the history behind the annual event.

Louk said he was charmed by the story of Qu Yuan.

''Like everything, I'm sure there's some truth to it,'' said Louk, who competed in the race with co-workers and relatives. ``If anything, for us, it's brought our family together.''

Miami Herald staff writer Carli Teproff contributed to this report.

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