Lin Mao-xian, a folklorist, points out that traditional customs for celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan are different from those in mainland China.
First of all, when giving zongzi (steamed glutinous rice and other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves) as a gift, the string that ties them together in a bunch should first be cut. Traditionally, tied bunches of zongzi were only given to families in mourning, as they were too grief-stricken to make them on their own. The mourning families would in return give rock sugar as a gift. Lin said most people these days have already forgotten this etiquette; only some older folks and those who care about these customs believe that not abiding by them is impolite.
So when one receives a bunch of glutinous rice dumplings these days, one can cut the string loose immediately to signify wanting to share them among people to get rid of the inauspicious feeling, Lin suggested, adding that people who give dumplings as gifts should themselves first cut the string and then explain their actions to avoid misunderstanding.
Traditional Dragon Boat Festival customs observed in mainland China also include drinking realgar wine to prevent illness and hanging sweet flag (Acorus calamus) on the door. The traditional customs in Taiwan, Lin said, are to drink well water exactly at noon, and to hang banyan tree branches and leaves, lemongrass and wormwood above the door to ward off evil spirits. The well water can also be used to wipe down one’s body, symbolizing the wiping away of disease.
In fact, realgar is an arsenic sulfide mineral also known as ruby of arsenic. It is a toxicant, and establishments selling Chinese herbs suggest extreme caution when drinking it. In Taiwan, realgar for the most part is used in pest control. Sometimes, during the Dragon Boat Festival adults will rub some realgar on their hands and then write the character "Wang" (‘king’) on the foreheads of their children to foil evil spirits.
In early times, according to Lin, Dragon Boat Festival sachets were in the shape of a tiger holding sandalwood, to repel evil spirits as well as mosquitoes. These days, however, these sachets, as well as dumplings, come in the forms of all kinds of commercially appealing figures to cater to the market.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times June 13.)