standing eggs - "duanwu jie"

16th June 2010 was Duanwu Jie - the fifth day of the fifth moon, or double fifth.  I tried this traditional activity... a game of making eggs stand at noon.

It is a widespread belief that eggs can stand on summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox and autumnal equinox.

Dr Chong (Universiti Sains Malaysia Astronomy Club academic adviser Assoc Prof Dr Chong Hon Yew) explained that an egg, just like a book, had a centre of gravity and when it passed through the object and made contact with the surface, it would stand.

It all boiled down to friction, stability and smoothness of the surface. It is a delicate experiment and has to be done with patience.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F6%2F17%2Fnation%2F6489122&sec=nation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival