Tainan City International Dragonboat Championships

Summer approaches. Every year, the Tainan International Dragonboat Championships, the most important folk sporting event for the people of Tainan, is held during the Dragonboat Festival on May 5 by the Lunar Calendar. The event held on the Anping Canal is the sporting highlight of summer for Tainan. The dragonboat competition of Tainan City is the most distinctive event of its kind in Taiwan. Before the race, an “eye painting” ceremony is conducted for the dragon boats before the race. A river worship ritual is also held before the opening ceremony to pray a successful race.