What are the origins and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival and the dragon raising its head?

1, the origin and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival:

(1) In memory of Qu Yuan, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a poet of Chu State in the Warring States Period, who committed suicide in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May. Qu Ping, a native of Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei) at the end of the Warring States Period, was a descendant of Qu Xian, the son of Xiong Tong in Chu Wuwang. Although Qu Yuan was loyal to Chu Huaiwang, he was repeatedly rejected. After the death of King Huai, Xiang Wang was exiled because he listened to slanderers, and finally died in the Miluo River.

2. Customs:

(1) Eliminate, dispel and avoid the five poisons.

(2) Banyan branches with herbs, wormwood, calamus and banyan.

(3) accessories. Douniang, the headdress of women with five knots in the old days. Ai Hu, the exorcist of the old Dragon Boat Festival, was also used as an ornament. Painting the forehead, the custom of painting the child's forehead with realgar on the Dragon Boat Festival, clouds can drive away poisonous insects. Immortal fire, I hate wearing ornaments on the Dragon Boat Festival. Wear sachets.

(4) rowing dragon boats. Dragon boat race.

(5) Dancing Zhong Kui and disturbing Zhong Kui: Since the Jin Dynasty, dancing Zhong Kui and disturbing Zhong Kui and Fuzhen House have been the important contents of Dragon Boat Festival and Spring Festival. Hanging paintings of Zhong Kui is for exorcising evil spirits, eliminating disasters and making money.

(6) fighting grass. Winning or losing depends on the strength of people's pull and grass's pull.

(7) There is also the custom of visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

(8) eat zongzi.

(9) Drink realgar wine. Realgar wine has the efficacy of sterilization, insect repellent and detoxification, and traditional Chinese medicine is also used to treat skin diseases. In ancient times, when there was no disinfectant such as iodine, soaking in realgar could detoxify and relieve itching.

Eat Huang Wu. There is a custom of eating "Huang Wu" on the Dragon Boat Festival in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Huang Wu refers to cucumber, Monopterus albus, yellow croaker, salted duck egg yolk and realgar wine. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival in northern Zhejiang also eats tofu.

3, the origin of the dragon looked up:

(1) On February 2nd, the dragon rises, commonly known as the Qinglong Festival, which is a traditional festival in rural areas of China. In the north, February 2 is also called Dragon Head-Up Day, also known as Spring Festival. It was called the picnic festival in the south and the vegetable picking festival in ancient times. China people have had the custom of "February 2nd" since the Tang Dynasty. People in China think that dragons are auspicious things, in charge of sex and rain, and the second day of the second lunar month is the day when dragons will ascend to heaven. In terms of solar terms, the first day of the second lunar month is between "rain", "fright" and "vernal equinox", and many places in China have begun to enter the rainy season. This is a natural law, but the ancients thought it was the contribution of the "dragon". In addition, the dragon has a very high status in the minds of China people, and it is not only regarded as an auspicious thing, but also regarded as the master of wind and rain. Therefore, there is a saying that "the dragon rises on February 2".

4. The custom of raising the dragon head on February 2nd:

(1) Custom 1: On February 2nd, the dragon looks up for a haircut, and the folk proverb says, "Shaving the tap on February 2nd makes you feel refreshed all year round". Hairdressing on this day is called "shaving tap" or "shaving head". The elders hope to take advantage of the auspicious time when the dragon looks up to bless their children to grow up healthily and get ahead when they grow up; Adults get haircuts, say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, hoping to bring good luck. In addition, the reason why you shave your head on February 2 is because there is a popular saying, "If you don't shave your head in the first month, you will die." It's hard not to get a haircut for a month, so everyone gets a haircut in early February after the first month. If you don't get a haircut, your head will be too heavy to lift, and you won't be able to "lift your head" until February 2. But this statement is actually a myth, in which "dead uncle" is actually a homonym of "homesickness", indicating people's nostalgia for the past year.

(2) Custom 2: "Drum" (rubbing face by hand): commonly known as "pushing door stick". Why eat "bloating"? Some people say that if you eat a "door stick" and hold the door, evil spirits will not enter and you will be safe for one year. Some people say that after the Spring Festival, everyone was bored and confused, ate a "bulging" meal and began to work and live.

(3) Disturbing the crowd: It is said that it is to paste scales on the dragon, adjust the armor, and let the dragon ascend to the sky to rain.

(4) "Roasted pork noodles": After twelve processes, such as selecting materials, cleaning, spraying, soaking and making sauce, it can only be served on the table after cooking for more than ten hours.

(5) For the sake of Naji, the food on the second day of February is also related to "dragons", and noodles are called "Longxu Noodles" instead of "noodles"; Jiaozi is called "Dragon Ear" and "Dragon Horn"; The meal is called "dragon"; Pancakes are branded into scales, which are called "Longlin cakes"; Noodles cooked with wonton are called "Longnazhu"; Eating pig's head is called "food faucet"; Eating scallion cake is called "tearing dragon skin". Everything carries symbols and meanings related to dragons.