Thousands of residents and tourists gathered on the waterfront in the northern Portuguese city of Aveiro to watch a boat race held there by Aveiro University’s Confucius Institute to celebrate the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency says two Chinese traditional dragon boats raced in downtown, along one of the coastal lagoon canals the city is famous for, as the public took photos and encouraged the rowers.

The report says the celebrations of the Dragon Boat Festival, held on Friday, included a demonstration of the Chinese martial art of Wushu. a performance of Chinese songs by a children’s chorus, and drawing on salt.

Xinhua quotes University of Aveiro Deputy Rector Luís Castro as saying the celebrations would deepen Portuguese understanding of Chinese culture and spur the integration of the Portuguese and Chinese cultures.