The Dragon Boat Festival has become a colourful annual event in Remich, where teams of 10 to 50 people compete in traditional Chinese longboats, known as ‘Long Zhou’. Each boat features a drummer at the front who sets the pace for the paddlers, and a helmsperson steering from the rear. While the core of the festival is the competitive boat race, the event is equally dedicated to celebrating Chinese heritage and bringing it closer to those less familiar with its customs.
Cheuk Man Lam from the Luxembourg Euro-Asia Schengen International Group, one of the main organisers, emphasises that the goal is to foster connection. Lam explains that it is fundamentally a cultural event which brings the Chinese and Luxembourg communities together. It is an opportunity to get to know each other better despite language barriers, which people can overcome through sport.
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival, is celebrated annually during the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually falls in June. While its exact origins remain unclear, the festival is most commonly linked to the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan, whose death is commemorated through this tradition.
Recognising its cultural significance, UNESCO added the Dragon Boat Festival to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009, the first Chinese tradition to receive this honour.
Remich welcomed its first edition of the festival in 2023, driven by the growing presence of Chinese businesses in Luxembourg, including seven Chinese banks. Organisers regularly collaborate with the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Cultural Centre, and according to Lam, “the idea was born out of a desire to create a celebration for the increasingly active Chinese community.” Over time, the festival has expanded, with activities now spreading further along the Remich esplanade compared to its early days.
This year’s event brought together seventeen teams, most of which were formed by companies based in Luxembourg. The festival also featured musical performances, with artists travelling from China to entertain visitors and further enrich the cultural experience.
