Yesterday afternoon the ceremony of the "opening of the eyes" of two dragon boats was performed at the Chu Yuan Temple (屈原宮) in the Choumei area of Peitou, officially setting the stage for this year's Taipei City Dragon Boat Festival.
The "opening of the eyes" was performed by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
This year, 102 teams will be participating in the Taipei City International Dragon Boat Race that will be held at the Tachia section of the Keelung River between June 14 and June 16.
The "opening of the eyes" ceremony is similar to the naming of a ship in European custom, because the application of red ink to the center of the dragon's eyes brings the boat to life.
During a speech prior to the ceremony Ma emphasized the international aspect of the competition, and pointed to the presence of John Nixon of the European School to highlight the government's efforts to integrate the city's foreign community into Taiwanese life.
It is traditional that the dragon eyes are dotted with the blood of a chicken, but in this case, red ink was used as a substitute. The two boats at the center of the ceremony were built by Liu Ching-cheng (劉清正) one of Taiwan's last master boat-builders -- with donations from the Taipei County and Taipei City Cheng Huang (城隍廟, City God) temples.
After the eye-dotting, the two boats where carried to the banks of the Keelung River and released into the water, manned by the Taipei City Police team and the Taipei City firefighter team.
Ma and Nixon joined the Police team in paddling the boats down to the Tachia Riverside Park, where boats from more teams awaited the moment of "awakening."
They were accompanied by the media in a motorized sampan manned by retired fishermen from the Sanchiaotu Community, who have established themselves as an integral part of the event since they fielded a team out of competition last year. Also See Story:
Standing at the dragon's tail
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