The Dragon Boat Festival 2018 – when boats come to life

Brett Taylor from Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington Dragon Boat Festival 2005 1, CC BY 2.0

It was precisely 10 years ago that the holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival was identified as a traditional holiday in Chine. The festival is held to commemorate the life and death of a famous Chinese scholar who lived in the 278 BCE. The scholar and poet was once a loyal Minister to the King of Chu. However, he was falsely accused of conspiracy and exiled by the King. At the age of 61, he is said to have committed suicide.

The huge teak boats are rowed by about 80 people in a competition to ‘bring the boat to life’, the first team to grab the flag wins. Tourists staying in boutique hotel in Hong Kong such as the Cosmo Hotel Wan Chai Hong Kong can step out to witness the colourful festivities. There are several activities that are carried out, games like making the egg stand at noon and, taking long walks, writing spells and eating zongzi (rice dumplings) with a bit of xionghuangjiu (ordinary wine) are a few.