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Ｚｈａｎ　Ｈｕａ

The other day I chatted with some relatives from Taiwan and we chatted about May Festival and dragon boat races in the island province. On the mainland, the festival is usually called the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on lunar calendar. The chat inspired me to look into the festival celebrations and dragon boat races in Taiwan. Hereinafter is what I have found.

The people in Taiwan call the festival May Festival, just as it is known in southern Fujian Province. Even the dragon boats used in Taiwan follow the same size and design as those used in southern Fujian, an ancestral home of many residents in Taiwan. Generally, a dragon boat measures about 10 meters in length. Without a keel, the flat-bottom structure is divided into four sections from bow to stern. Some dragon boats are painted red, blue, white and black, representing mythological dragons in these respective colors.

In Taiwan, the first race starts on the first day of the fifth month. So the preparations kick off in late April. Dragon boat races used to be a way to strengthen friendship between neighboring villages. However, more often than not, races of today are competitions between villages. As many ancient festivals and rites are gone, dragon boat races are now the most popular, most representative and most exciting folk gala in the rural Taiwan. The first dragon boat race in Taiwan was held in 1764 in Tainan, according to the “Annals of Ancient Sites in Tainan” compiled by Lian Heng, the grandfather of Lian Zhan.

There are important ceremonial rituals before a race starts. One ritual is adding the last touch to the eyes of the dragon on the boat. Another is paying tributes to the god of waters. Yet another is getting dragon boats ready for races, and the final ritual is for the river itself. After all the races are finished, ceremonial rites will also be held to express gratitude to the god of waters, to the river and to put dragon boats away for the next year.

Usually, the chief executive of a local government adds the symbolic last touch to the eyes of a dragon boat. The rite in honor of a river is a memorial for those who died in the river. Dragon boats will be paraded through villages before they are launched into a river. The procession is usually led by a small percussion band. Amid the noise of the percussion music, villagers will set off fireworks and burn joss sticks while boats are passing through in streets.

In Taiwan, dragon races usually last a week, interposed with many entertaining events and other memorial events. On 12 sharp at noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, some people in Taiwan post couplets on their doors. But unlike the Spring Festival couplets, these couplets are written in realgar wine and usually shorter than the Spring Festival couplets. They are meant to keep away evils and diseases.

As there are many rivers in Taiwan, several places across the island province are popular venues. The most historical race is the one held at Double Dragon Village. The nearly 180-year-old tradition takes place without any referee.

A boat usually is peopled by 14, that is, five pairs of rowers, one drummer, one gong beater, one helmsman, and one man responsible for scooping water out of the boat to keep the boat floating.

The drummer is the commander of the race and the man who grabs the championship flag. The helmsman directs the boat toward the destination. The first pair of the rowers must be the strongest men, for they are in the position closest to where the bow meets the water and they need to row harder than any other rowers to give the boat the biggest push. And when the boat turns around to go back toward the championship flag, they need to push the oars deeper into the water to make a smooth U turn. The last pair of rowers needs to be taller than the rest because their position is a little bit higher over the water. All the oarsmen follow the rhythm of the drum beats.

The spectators on the shores cheer. Some people sing the boat song aloud. Some set fireworks. The noise of the race and the audience is deafening. The dragon boat races in Taiwan and Fujian are the proof that the people on both sides of the straits are descendents of the dragon. The spirit in the festival and the dragon race cant be removed. □