Flocks of Portlanders wearing life vests and carrying wooden paddles? It must be dragon boat season.

It began Saturday with the “awakening” of the boats, a ceremony held each year to promote safety and good luck in the coming months of practice. The season ends with the Rose Festival dragon boat races, held in June. More than 65 teams are expected to compete this year.

Thanks to “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Hobbit” and “Game of Thrones,” dragons have become pop-culture stars the last few years. But for fans of the Portland Rose Festival, the only dragons that matter are the ones that ply the waters of the Willamette River each spring.

Saturday afternoon, the Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race season kicked off with an “awakening” ceremony at Riverplace Marina, featuring Buddhist prayers, lion dancing, firecrackers, and a water cannon salute from the Portland Fireboat.

Unlike some years, the weather cooperated, with patchy sun and just a few scattered raindrops. A bit of wind provided the only significant challenge for the racers as they took the eight colorfully painted boats out for the first time this year.