Burmese Racing Canoes

An unusual scene in this postcard by what was British Burma's premiere postcard publisher. The 1900 guide Burma by Max and Bertha Ferrars describes the use of these canoes: "The boat-races are held at the Thadindyut festival. Racing canoes are forty to sixty feet long and only wide enough for one man ; they are lacquered inside and out. The canoe is paddled by a crew of eight to twenty. Competing crews generally belong to different villages,which causes excitement to run high and heavy wagers to be laid. The goal is a boat moored in the river, athwart of which is fixed along bamboo (pan). From end to end of the latter runs a loose rattan, projecting a hand-breadth at each end. The bow-hands make a dash for this rattan, and the boat that secures it is the winner. Burmans are excellent swimmers,which they need to be for these races,as the canoes are commonly swamped at the goal; but they have no swimming contests" (p. 178).