Ancient Legend cont'd

Thronging into boats, they rowed out to the middle of the river and threw great quantities of rice into the water to feed the fish, thus hoping that Chu Yuan's body would be left alone. The search for his body was evolved into present day dragon boat races and the ritual of eating "Tsung Tze", sticky rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves. The Twan-Wu Festival also signals the change from spring to summer and can be traced back to the Chou Dynasty as a folk festival.

In the distant past, farmers depended solely on the rain to water their crops. On this festival day, farmers prayed for the "Dragons on the Clouds" to send him rain. They also prayed for the "Dragon of the Seas" to calm the oceans and rivers as floods were common when the mountain snow began to melt. Above the doors of the houses, they hung up long, sword like leaves of the water willow and mallow to disperse evil spirits. Siung-Huan Powder, arsenic sulphide, was used as a pesticide around the house. The red powder was also used to touch the foreheads of boys and give them protective powers. In Japan, Twan-Wu became boy's day, which appears to be connected to this ancient ritual. Through the ages, many stories and fairy tales have evolved about this special day, but none surpasses the excitement and fun of the dragon boat races.

(Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City association)