Dragon Boat Festival

　

　

Dragon Boat festival

　

Zongqing Zongyi Dragon Boat Festival Ankang

　

Dragon Boat Festival

　

　

　

Dragon Boat Festival is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as Duanyang Festival, which is one of the four traditional festivals in China. On this day, people will race dragon boats, eat zongzi and hang wormwood. The Dragon Boat Festival culture has a wide influence in the world, and some countries and regions in the world also celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. In September 2009, UNESCO officially approved its inclusion in the List of Representatives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, making the Dragon Boat Festival the first non-legacy festival in China.

　

　

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

　

It is said that the custom of eating zongzi and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great poet in Chinese history. It is precisely because of this that the Dragon Boat Festival was named "Poet’s Day" after the founding of New China.

　

Qu Yuan is one of the greatest romantic poets in China, the earliest known famous poet in China and a world cultural celebrity. He created the style of "Chu Ci" and the tradition of "vanilla beauty". Representative works include Li Sao and Nine Songs.

　

In the history of our country, the saying that the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan has a history of more than 1500 years. According to legend, after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed for rescue and went all the way to Dongting Lake, but Qu Yuan’s body was never seen. At that time, it was rainy, and the boats on the lake gathered together beside the pavilion on the shore. When people learned that it was to salvage the virtuous minister Dr. Qu, they went out in the rain again and rushed into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to mourn, people rowed on the rivers, and then it gradually developed into a dragon boat race. The people were afraid that the fish in the river would eat his body, so they went home to bring rice balls and throw them into the river to prevent fish and shrimp from ruining Qu Yuan’s body. Later, it became the custom to eat zongzi.

　

The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival

　

　

First, dragon boat race

　

Dragon boat race is the main custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it originated in ancient times, because Chu people could not bear to part with Qu Yuan, a worthy minister, and died in the river, many people rowed to catch up and save. They scrambled to catch up with each other until Dongting Lake disappeared. After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. People use dragon boats to disperse the fish in the river so as not to eat Qu Yuan’s body. The habit of racing is prevalent in Wu, Yue and Chu.

　

　

Second, eat zongzi

　

Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of Chinese residents. Zongzi, also known as "horn millet" and "tube zongzi". It has a long history and various patterns. On the morning of Dragon Boat Festival, families eat zongzi to commemorate Qu Yuan. Generally, they wrap zongzi the day before, cook them at night and eat them in the morning. Dumplings are mainly made of tender reed leaves which are abundant along the river pond, and bamboo leaves are also useful in some areas, collectively called zongye. The traditional form of zongzi is triangle, which is generally named after the inner pulp. The glutinous rice dumplings are called rice dumplings, the ones mixed with adzuki beans are called adzuki dumplings, and the ones mixed with red dates are called jujube dumplings, which are collectively called glutinous rice dumplings. Jujube dumplings are homophonic for "early middle school", so they are eaten the most, and children who intend to study can win the championship early. In the past, scholars used to eat jujube dumplings in the morning on the day of taking the imperial examination. Up to now, parents have to make jujube dumplings for candidates on the morning of the entrance examination day for middle schools and universities, wishing them a good school.

　

　

Third, tie colorful ropes and wear sachets

　

Five-color lines are mainly composed of five colors: green, red, white, black and yellow. These five colors are called auspicious colors, and they can be worn on the Dragon Boat Festival to keep you safe. Later, the custom of tying colorful ropes gradually evolved into hanging sachets, and children wore sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival. Legend has it that it meant to ward off evil spirits and drive away plague (in ancient times, people thought that they were sick because of monsters and ghosts), but it was actually used to decorate the inner head. The sachet contains cinnabar, realgar and fragrant medicine, wrapped with silk cloth, which is full of fragrance, and then tied with five-color silk threads to form a rope, making a string in various shapes, all kinds of shapes, small and lovely. In some southern cities of China, young men and women also use sachets to express their deep love.

　

　

　

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Four, hanging wormwood and calamus

　

A folk proverb says, "Willows are inserted in Qingming Festival, and Ai is inserted in Dragon Boat Festival". On the Dragon Boat Festival, people regard inserting wormwood and calamus as one of the important contents. Every household should sweep the courtyard and put calamus and moxa sticks in the lintel and hang them in the hall. Acorus calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi, Liuhua, Bulbus Allii and Dragon Boat Flower are made into human or tiger shapes, which are called Ai Ren and Ai Hu. It is made into garlands and ornaments, which are beautiful and fragrant, and women compete to wear them to drive away evil. Dragon Boat Festival is also a "health festival" handed down from ancient times. On this day, people sweep the courtyard, hang mugwort, hang calamus, sprinkle realgar water, drink realgar wine, stir up turbidity, remove rot, sterilize and prevent diseases. They are considered to have the effect of exorcising evil spirits and protecting the health and safety of family members.

　

　

Fifth, order realgar wine

　

Realgar is also a kind of medicinal material, which is said to kill all kinds of poisons. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Shaanxi people will soak realgar in wine and put realgar wine on children’s ears, nose, forehead, wrists and ankles. It is said that this practice can keep mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos and spiders off their bodies.

　

　

Six, eat salted duck eggs

　

Eating salted duck eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival is a big custom. As the saying goes, "You have to eat salted egg zongzi to send the chill." After the Dragon Boat Festival, it indicates that the hot summer is coming, and the activities of animals and plants have entered a vigorous stage. In addition, the humid climate and the active diseases, pests and bacteria are easy to cause many diseases. Eating salted duck eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival can detoxify and help keep healthy.

　

　

The contents of the Dragon Boat Festival customs are rich and varied, including polo, grass fighting, painting, flying kites, and there are some small differences in details because of different regional cultures throughout the country.

　

Do you understand the origin and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival?

　

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Source: Cultural Accompanying WeChat WeChat official account

　

Editor: Propaganda Office