Pingtung town carries out Dragon Boat Festival tradition with watermelons

Pingtung town carries out Dragon Boat Festival tradition with watermelons

2026-06-19

Balancing an egg on its end at midday during the Dragon Boat Festival is a beloved Taiwanese tradition meant to bring a full year of good luck. But the residents of Jiadong Township in Pingtung County have come up with a tasty innovation: they have substituted eggs for watermelons. They closed off the town’s streets today to stand a record some 1,000 watermelons in rows. It was a spectacular carnival-like scene as residents dressed up the watermelons in various costumes, including those of police officers and brides. Let’s find out more.

Rows of plump and round watermelons line an entire road, creating a scene that was quite a sight to behold.

Many watermelons were dressed with the utmost care: some were wearing wigs, some were transformed into police officers. Some people were creative enough to decorate the watermelons as flower girls, seeming like cute fairies in a watermelon world.

Member of the public
My daughter is getting married, and I thought, since my younger daughter is going to be the flower girl, I’d take out her flower girl dress and put it on the watermelon to wear.

Jiadong Township in Pingtung County is not a major watermelon producing area, but rather is known as the "hometown of watermelon seedlings." Up to 80% of Taiwan’s watermelon seedlings are produced here, earning it the reputation of being the birthplace of watermelons. Starting years ago, to promote the industry, the local area holds a spectacular watermelon-standing event during Dragon Boat Festival.

Lin Shu-ling
Jiadong Farmers’ Association director
This year we have 1,000 watermelons standing here. A thousand watermelons symbolizing blessings for Dragon Boat Festival. This is the most we’ve ever had.

Adding to the fun was a watermelon eating contest, where participants forgo zongzi to eat out of large watermelons instead.

- Does the watermelon still taste good when you’re in such a rush.
- Yes, still good. I hope we’ll get chilled watermelon next time, haha.

- It’s delicious. I could have more. I’ll finish the other half when I get home later.

Some people dressed up their adorable babies as watermelons, stealing the spotlight. The residents of Jiadong Township used their one-of-a-kind watermelon-standing concept in an innovation of the Dragon Boat Festival tradition, allowing participating adults and children to bring home a big watermelon and a lot of good luck in the hot summer.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#dragonboatfestival #tradition #holidays #summer #端午節

不立雞蛋! 端午節"上千顆大西瓜排排站"破紀錄

2026-06-19

端午節不立雞蛋，屏東佳冬鄉今天封街立西瓜，今年更打破紀錄，排了上千顆大西瓜，場面超震撼，現場民眾更發揮創意，讓西瓜戴上假髮、打扮成警察，甚至還有西瓜小花童，模樣超逗趣，帶您來看看。

一顆顆渾圓飽滿的大西瓜，整齊排滿整條馬路，封街場面讓人大開眼界。

不少西瓜都特別精心打扮，有的戴上假髮，有的化身警察，還有有民眾發揮創意，把大西瓜裝飾成小花童，宛如西瓜界的可愛仙子。

[[民眾]]
“我女兒要結婚了，我就想說呢，我們要當小花童的妹妹，就把她的那個小花童的衣服，就拿出來說那給它當衣服穿”

屏東縣佳冬鄉並不是西瓜主要產地，而是"西瓜苗的故鄉"。全台灣有高達八成的瓜苗都是出自這裡，擁有西瓜原鄉美譽。地方多年前為了推廣產業，在端午節舉辦立西瓜活動，場面超壯觀。

[[佳冬鄉農會總幹事林淑玲]]
“那我們今年是有一千顆的立西瓜，有一千顆的瓜，象徵端午節祈福，是有史以來最多的一次”

端午節同場加碼的，還有西瓜大胃王比賽，眾人不吃粽子，改嗑大西瓜。

- 在這麼緊迫的時間吃西瓜好不好吃
- 還是好吃啦，希望下次可以用成冰的，哈哈

- 很好吃，還可以再吃，等會回去繼續把半個剩下吃完

還有民眾，把可愛小寶寶打扮成西瓜模樣，成了另類焦點。佳冬鄉親用獨一無二的立西瓜創意，翻轉傳統端午節，也讓參與的大朋友小朋友，在炎炎夏日裡，抱回大西瓜，也抱回滿滿的好運氣。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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