Dragon Boat Festival of Taiwan

Taiwan travels provides information on the Dragon Boat Festival of Taiwan and also the other leisurely activities that you can indulge in during your stay here. The Dragon Boat festival has a history of more than 2000 years and can be traced back to the times when the Zhou dynasty was existent. The celebration of the festival takes an altogether new meaning. 

The Dragon Boat festival of Taiwan is a true reflection of the Taiwanese culture and tradition. This festival is generally held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the Taiwanese calendar. Although the festival is known by different names, yet the customs practised by the people are same.  This is also one of the most significant holidays that the Chinese celebrate in a year and is also a die hard attempt on their part to ward off the evil spirits and different kinds of diseases. 

The primary significance of the festival lies in the fact to commemorate the patriot poet Chu Yuan. The other meaning of the Dragon Boat festival of Taiwan is to commemorate the death day of Wu Zixu, whose father and brother was killed by the king. To commemorate the pious daughter Cao Eh is the third reason as to why this festival holds manifold significance. The fourth significance as to why this festival is so special to the residents of Taiwan is to commemorate Qiu Jin, a modern revolutionary poet. 

The dragon boat race is the most prominent feature of this festival and attracts many thousands of tourists and inhabitants every year. The dragon boats are beautifully decorated and painted with bright colors to reflect the true spirit of the occasion. In the recent times even the English people have started organizing and participating in the race. In this occasion the people in the region called Chu follows the custom of throwing steamed zongzi and boiled glutinous rice in the Yangste River. The families who stay along the Yangtze River follow the custom of drinking realgar alcohol. During this occasion the children wear incense bladders to drive out all kinds of evils. They also do this in order to decorate their appearances. Another dish which is well associated with this festival is Tzung Tzu which is consumed not only in respect for the deceased but also because it has a high level of nutritional value.