The Origin Story of Dragon Boat Festival Qu Yuan

The origin of Dragon Boat Festival is very simple. The Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May was originally created by ancestors to worship the ancestors of dragons and pray for evil spirits. It is said that Qu Yuan, a poet of Chu State in the Warring States Period, jumped into the Miluo River on May 5th and committed suicide. Later, people also took the Dragon Boat Festival as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan. There are also sayings in memory of Wu Zixu, Cao E and meson push.

Generally speaking, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the ancient ancestors' choice of dragons to worship their ancestors and pray for evil spirits on the celestial pole day, which injected the seasonal epidemic prevention fashion in summer. The Dragon Boat Festival was regarded as an evil day in the north, and the later Dragon Boat Festival also has the significance of commemorating Qu Yuan.

The Dragon Boat Festival originated from the story of Qu Yuan.

● Introduction to Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan (about 340 BC-278 BC) was a poet and politician of Chu State during the Warring States Period in China. At the end of the Warring States Period, a native of Lepingli (now Quyuan Village, Quyuan Township, Zigui County) was born in Danyang, Chu. Mi surname, Qu family, human, the word is native; Since the cloud name is regular, the spirit word is even. Chu Wuwang Xiong Tong's son Qu Xian's descendants. When I was a teenager, I was well educated, knowledgeable and ambitious. In his early years, he was trusted by Chu Huaiwang as Zuotu, and was also a doctor of San Lv, in charge of internal affairs and foreign affairs. Advocate American politics, advocate internal promotion of talents, cultivate statutes, and unite external forces to resist Qin. Slashed by nobles, he was exiled to Hanbei and Yuanxiang Valley. After the capital of Chu was breached by Qin Jun, it sank into the Miluo River and died for Chu.

Qu Yuan is a great patriotic poet in the history of China, the founder of China's romantic literature, the founder and representative writer of Chu Ci, and has created the tradition of vanilla beauty, and is known as the ancestor of Chu Ci. The famous Chu poets Song Yu, Le Tang and Jing Ke were all influenced by Qu Yuan. The appearance of Qu Yuan's works marks that China's poetry has entered a new era from elegant harmony to romantic originality. His main works are Li Sao, Nine Songs, Nine Chapters and Tian Wen. Chu Ci, with Qu Yuan's works as the main body, is one of the sources of China's romantic literature. The most famous chapter Li Sao, represented by The Songs of Chu, is as coquettish as the national style in The Book of Songs, which has a far-reaching influence on later poetry. Become a bright pearl in the history of China literature, outshine others. There is still a long way to go in Xiu Yuan, and I will go up and down. Qu Yuan's spirit of seeking has become the lofty spirit that later generations with lofty ideals believe in and pursue.

1953, on the occasion of the 2230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, the World Peace Council passed a resolution to identify Qu Yuan as one of the four cultural celebrities in the world.

The custom of Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat race is the main custom of Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, people who originated in the ancient State of Chu were reluctant to part with the death of the sage Qu Yuan, and many people rowed boats to save people. They rushed to catch up with each other and disappeared at Dongting Lake. After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. Rowing a dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river so as not to eat Qu Yuan's body. The habit of competition prevailed in wuyue and Chu.

In fact, dragon boat races existed as early as the Warring States period. Carving dragon-shaped canoes in drums and playing race games are semi-religious and semi-entertaining programs to entertain gods and people in the ceremony.

Later, people everywhere not only commemorated Qu Yuan, but also gave different meanings to dragon boat racing.

Dragon boat rowing in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is of great significance to commemorate Qiu Jin, a native-born modern female democratic revolutionary. The night dragon boat is decorated with lights and shuttles, and the scene is moving and interesting.

In the following areas of China, the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are colorful. Miao people in Guizhou hold the Dragon Boat Festival from May 25th to 28th in the lunar calendar to celebrate the success of transplanting rice seedlings and wish a bumper harvest. Dai compatriots in Yunnan held dragon boat races at the Songkran Festival to commemorate the ancient hero Yan Hongwo. Different nationalities and regions have different legends about dragon boat rowing. To this day, dragon boat races with different characteristics are held every year in many areas near rivers and lakes in the south.

In the 29th year of Qing Qianlong (1736), a dragon boat race was held in Taiwan Province province, China. At that time, Jiang, the chief executive of Taiwan Province Province, held a friendly match in Fukeji Half Moon Pool in Tainan City. Now, Taiwan Province Province holds a dragon boat race on May 5th every year. In China and Hongkong, a competition was also held.

In addition, dragon boat racing was first introduced to neighboring countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Britain. From 65438 to 0980, the dragon boat race was included in China's national sports events, and the Quyuan Cup dragon boat race was held every year.

Eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival.

Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of China people. Zongzi, also known as corn millet and tube zongzi. It has a long history and various patterns.

Peixiangnang

It can be seen that the ancients inserted wormwood leaves and calamus to have a certain disease prevention effect. Dragon Boat Festival is also a health festival handed down from ancient times. On this day, people sweep the courtyard, hang mugwort leaves, hang calamus, sprinkle realgar wine, stir up turbidity to remove rot, sterilize and prevent diseases. These activities also reflect the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. It is a common custom for all countries and ethnic groups in China to collect herbs on the Dragon Boat Festival.