Duanwu: the festival where dragon boat racing began

Because the date follows the lunar calendar, it falls on a different day of the Western calendar each year, usually between late May and June. Going on the water at the start of summer has become a habit for most dragon boat festivals, and Bursa Dragon Cup is held every June too.

In the best-known version, the poet and statesman Qu Yuan, sent into exile, throws himself into the Miluo River. Fishermen who loved him race out in their boats to search for him, beating drums and throwing rice parcels into the water to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body.

Some researchers argue the festival is older than Qu Yuan and grew out of summer rites linked to dragons and water. Whichever version is right, the drummer and the crew paddling to one beat are seen as a memory of that search.

• Zongzi: sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. It recalls the rice parcels thrown into the river and is the festival's traditional food.
• The drum: the drum in the bow stands for the drums the fishermen beat during the search. Today it sets the pace of the race.
• Eye-dotting: a dragon-headed boat does not go on the water until its eyes are painted red, which is said to wake the dragon.

The modern sport is usually dated to the international races held in Hong Kong in 1976. The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was founded in 1991, and the sport is now raced in more than 60 countries. Championships are raced over 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 metres, while nearly every corporate festival uses the 200-metre sprint.

Since 2022 Bursa Dragon Cup has put company crews in the same boat every June. The first edition was at Gököz Reservoir in Keles, the later ones at Dağyenice Reservoir in Osmangazi. The title sponsorship package includes the eye-dotting ceremony at the opening. The 6th Bursa Dragon Cup is on 5 June 2027.