If you have been in Asia for the past month you’ve probably asked yourself: What is Dragon Boat Festival? Dragon Boat Races all over the island, people eating delicious rice dumplings (Zongzi), egg balancing and carrying scented medicine bags; all those practices makes it one of the most colorful festival in Asia and an event not to miss.

This is the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan.

When?

This festival takes place near the summer solstice. Also called the Double Fifth Festival, this event occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar most of us use, this means that the dates varies every year. This year, the holiday was from June 7 to June 9.

History

Although there exist many different versions explaining the origin throughout Asia, the most common one is the tragic tale of Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan was a well respected poet that was born in the royal family during the years 300s BC. In a time of political conflicts, the Kingdom of Chu was menaced by the Kingdom of Chi under the tyrant Hsi Huang Ti. The Kingdom of Chi was on a quest to expand its territory.

Serving as an official to the King Huai of Chu. Qu Yuan was very worried and advised his king not to go to a summit organized by Hsi Huang Ti. His plea fell to deaf ears. Thinking he could negociate peace, King Huai went to the summit conference but was instead captured and held hostage. He died in the Kingdom of Chin.

Not learning from the lesson of his father’s death, the new ruler, King Hsiang, didn’t listen to Qu Yuan’s advice to prepare for war and was annoyed with him. After a great court debate, Qu Yuan was on the losing side, with most of the other officials opposing him thinking they could negociate with the Kingdom of Chin. Even so, Qu Yuan continued warning his people. King Hsiang, tired of hearing Qu Yuan, banished him from the court.

At 53 and having given all of his life protecting his home, the poet was griefstricken and spent his nine years in exile by writing letters to the King and composing poems calling for national awakening. When he heard that the Kingdom of Chu was conquered by the Kingdom of Chi, he commited suicide by throwing himself in the Miluo River, in Hunan Province.

When the villagers heard the news of his suicide, they rushed in their boats to rescue him. Realizing they were too late, they threw sticky rice in the river so the fish wouldn’t eat the body. The rice was wrapped in leaves to distract the fish while they hoped to recover the body. Becoming a tradition, this food is called zongzi and is still common practice today to honor the Poet’s memory. The boat races are in fact to remember the time the villagers frantically searched for Qu Yuan. His poems, Chu Ci, are still being read to this day and are considered the best in China. Sometimes romantic, sometimes somber, these poems are always patriotic and inspiring.

The Dragon Boat Festival was born to honor the dead and spend time with the living.

Dragon Boat Racing

The race consists of two boats racing for 500m in a line. To win, you must retreive your flag or cross the line before the other team.

For Standard Dragon Boat racing, the team must consist of a total of 21 members with a drummer, a flag catcher, a steersperson and 18 paddlers.

Prize money (for 50+ teams registered)

First place: 400 000$ NT (about 12 800$ USD)

Second place: 200 000$ NT (about 6 500$ USD)

Third place: 150 000$ NT (about 5 000$ USD)

For Small Dragon Boat racing, there are 12 members: a drummer, a steersperson and 10 paddlers.

Any team with a smaller number of crew than the specified rules will be disqualified.

Prize money (for 10+ teams registered)

First place: 100 000$ NT (about 3 000$ USD)

Second place: 50 000$ NT (about 1 600$ USD)

Third place: 30 000$ NT (about 1 000$ USD)

Trophies, medals and certificates are also awarded after the races. It is said that the winning team will have good luck and a happy life in the following year.

Where to watch the boat races in Taiwan?

The biggest event is held in Taipei at Daijia Riverside Park between June 7 and 9 from 9 AM to 5 PM.

If you are in Miaoli, you can watch the races at Dragon Boat Pier on June 9th.

Lukang is a great place to see the boat races. Historic tradition, this event lasts a complete month in Lukang, perfect for those who missed the weekend. It is the only place where the races continue during the night and a great spot to take unique pictures. You have to go to Lukang Dragon Boat Race, in Changhua County.

You can also watch the festival from Tainan, if you go to Anping Canal Park.

Kaohsiung Love River is also another great place to see this event.

Longtan, Pingtung and Penghu are other locations you can watch the races from.

Zongzi

Zongzi is the traditionnal dish of the festival. The sticky rice dumpling is mixed with meat, egg yolks, nuts and mushrooms, wrapped in a triangle with a bamboo or reed leaf and tied with string. There are many different variety of zongzi with different recipes with different prices, but will often use 5 ingredients.

Other traditional activities during the festival

Also called Duanwu, the summer solstice is also seen as the day where evil spirits roam the Earth. Many traditions were created to bring luck and keep the spirits at bay:

Drinking Realgar Wine

Realgar wine, also called xionghuang, is an alcoholic drink made from yellow wine mixed with powdered realgar, a yellow-orange arsenic sulfide mineral used as an antidote against poison in Ancient China and mosquito bites. It is believed to drive diseases and evil spirits away.

Lucky number 5

Because of the ressemblance of Duanwu and Wu (letter 5 in Chinese characters), the number 5 is seen as a lucky number. This is why zongzi will be made using 5 ingredients. People will also wear 5-colored silk-threaded braids.

Wearing perfumed medicine bags

Usually worn by the children, these colorful little bags of silk will be filled with perfumes and medicinal herbs. Worn around the neck, they are believed to protect the user from evil.

Hanging calamus or wormwood on the front door

These medical herbs, commonly used in Chinese medicine, are believed to bring luck to the family. The fragrance of these plants has the properties to deter mosquito and flies.

Egg stand

Balancing a raw egg and making it stand at ‘‘eggsactly’’ 12:00 at noon is believed to bring ‘‘eggceptionnal’’ luck for the upcoming year.

Haircut day

In Taiwan, it is said that the devil might use human hair to wrap his rice dumpling. This is why barber shops will be crowded during this summer vacation, to the happiness of hairdressers and barbers.

Conclusion

Watching incredibly competitive boat races, eating zongzi and watching the interesting local culture in Asia is why you should visit the Dragon Boat Festival. If you ever visit Taiwan during June, you should definitely go check it out.