Background
In Chinese tradition, the Dragon Boat Festival, otherwise known as the ‘May Festival’, coincides with the ‘Month of Five Poisons’. Hence, one of the rituals of the Dragon Boat festival involves warding off the ‘five poisons’: snakes, centipedes, scorpions, geckos, and toads.
Rural residents employed different techniques to repel bugs and poisons, leading to the development of customary practices like hanging Tatarinow Sweerflag Rhizome（石菖蒲）and Asiatic wormwood (艾草) to ward off evil spirits, partaking in dragon boat races, and eating zongzi (棕子). Nowadays, even urban dwellers celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.
Event highlights
Traditional Hakka zongzi and red eggs will be served for participants to enjoy. Legend has it that eggs can stand upright at noon on Dragon Boat Festival; participants are encouraged to attempt the egg-balancing challenge and take part in this rural custom.
Gather Tatarinow Sweerflag Rhizome and Asiatic wormwood in the wild while taking a dip in the ‘dragon boat water’ in a nearby waterfall or river. Since the Dragon Boat Festival marks the beginning of summer, villagers hung wild rhizomes in their homes as talismans against evil spirits, and as natural repellent for insects and rodents.
Conduct workshops on making scented sachets, a traditional Dragon Boat Festival activity. Scented sachets are crafted using Chinese medicine to repel insects and diffuse pleasant aromas.