The Taipei County government is sponsoring a gala to entertain foreign workers who are currently working or staying in Taiwan's largest county as part of the activities marking the annual Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 15 this year.
The Dragon Boat Gala, scheduled to be held Sunday at Panchiao Primary School, will feature a contest of rice-dumpling wrapping, a folklore exhibition and a Chinese puppet show, Taipei County government officials said.
The foreign laborers, mainly from Southeast Asian countries, will be given an on-the-spot demonstration of rice-dumpling making by volunteer housewives before the rice-dumpling contest kicks off, the county officials said.
The contest, to be conducted in groups based on the foreign workers' nationality, is aimed at making the foreign workers feel at home during festival season and at giving them an opportunity to better understand the essence of Chinese culture, the officials said.
In addition, they said, the county government will also prepare 1,200 glutinous rice dumplings and tiny aroma sacks for the foreign guests so they can enjoy the traditional Chinese delicacy during the festival.
At the same time, Taipei's Hsi-tien-she (西田社) Chinese Puppet Show Company will stage The Legend of White Snake (白蛇傳), the most representative Chinese drama regarding the Dragon Boat Festival.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Poets' Day, dragon boat races are traditionally held in addition to the preparation of glutinous rice dumplings that are wrapped in bamboo leaves.
RSS