It’s Dragon Boat Festival over here in Taiwan. This festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. That is June 16 this year on the Gregorian calendar. Last year, it fell on June 27. In 2011, it will take place on June 6. These are important facts here in Taiwan, as depending on when the festival takes place we may or may not get a long weekend.

This year, it falls on a Wednesday, so there is no long weekend. That’s okay, though. A day off is a day off.

The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was a government minister in the third century B.C. during the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty had ruled China for several centuries, but it was falling into decline and several competing states were giving it a hard time, particularly the Qin Kingdom.

Qu Yuan was a wise and honest man and very loyal to the Zhou Emperor. He fought against corruption in the government and made many enemies there. Qu Yuan’s enemies conspired against him and convinced the emperor to banish him.

Qu Yuan went into exile and traveled and taught and wrote poetry for many years. When he heard that the Zhou Dynasty had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and drowned himself in the Milou River. Local fishermen jumped into their boats to rescue him, but it was too late. They beat on drums to scare away evil spirits, and they threw rice dumplings into the water to keep the fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body.

Today, people celebrate the festival by eating rice dumplings and holding Dragon Boat Races. Dragon Boat Races are now held all over the world and they have become something of an internationally recognized sport.

After saying all that, I have to admit that in all my time here, I have never actually seen a Dragon Boat Race. I thought about going down to Tainan to see them this year. I even went so far as to book a couple of train tickets. However, the weather forecast called for pouring rain and thunderstorms, so I cancelled the train tickets. If memory serves, it has rained on every Dragon Boat Festival since I’ve been in Taiwan.

 

 

Tags: Dragon Boat Festival, Qu Yuan, Taiwan, Zhou Dynasty