Taipei City Government

The Dragon Boat Festival is also called“Poet's Day”. It is one of the three festivals that have defined the rhythms of the year for Chinese folk since time immemorial, along with the Lunar New Year, which is also called the Spring Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Long ago, during the Warring States Period, great poet and statesman Qu Yuan was unjustly banished from the imperial court by a misled ruler. In protest against this injustice, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, he threw himself in China's Miluo River. To commemorate his loyalty and love for country and people, the Dragon Boat Festival arose.

The ageless traditions associated with the Dragon Boat Festival are many and most interesting. It is said that after Qu Yuan disappeared, commoners frantically searched for his body with watercraft resembling today's dragon boats—origin of today's dragon-boat races. Clumps of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves were also tossed into the waters to feed the fish and shrimp to keep them from nibbling on the great mandarin's body. Who could have guessed this would become the main food treat used to celebrate the festival？

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, older citizens will also hang Chinese mugwort, calamus, and banyan branches on their door, tied in a bundle with auspicious red paper. Mugwort is a medicinal herb, effective at repelling insects. Sword-shaped calamus leaves symbolize the cutting away of ill fortune by magic treasure sword. Banyan wards off evil spirits. Some will hang up colorful depictions of Zhong Kui, the deity who captures and drives off evil demons and spirits. Adults will drink spirits made from realgar, a mineral, and children will wear what are called xiangbao, scented sachets which serve as talismans warding off evil, keeping kids safe and well. Finally, if you are able to stand an egg upright right at the stroke of noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, you are sure to have good luck in the next year.

Taipei Zongzi Map

While in Taipei, many foreign travelers and expatriates develop quite a taste for zongzi, especially during Dragon Boat Festival when they do as the locals do and down this traditional festival goody in quantity. As with all else in local traditional culture, there is great variety according to locality of zongzi origin; one simple division is Taiwan north and south, exhibiting marked differences in both taste and appearance. Taipei, you'll not be at all surprised, has many, many vendors selling the many, many types, making it easy for you to travel throughout the island—at least zongzi-wise—without leaving the city.