What are the customs in your hometown during the Dragon Boat Festival?

What are the customs in your hometown during the Dragon Boat Festival?

1. Dragon Boat Race

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 addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, dragon boat races in different places have also been given different meanings.

2. Eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival

Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of China people. Zongzi, also known as "millet" and "Zongzi". It has a long history and various patterns. To this day, at the beginning of May every year, people in China have to soak glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves and wrap zongzi, with more varieties of colors. From the perspective of stuffing, there are many dates in the north, such as jiaozi; There are many kinds of fillings in the south, such as red bean paste, fresh meat, ham and egg yolk, among which Zhejiang Jiaxing Zongzi is the representative. The custom of eating zongzi has been popular in China for thousands of years and spread to South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

Wear a pouch

Children wear sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is said to mean to ward off evil spirits and plague. Actually, it is used to decorate the inner head. The sachet contains cinnabar, realgar and fragrant medicine, wrapped in silk cloth, and the fragrance is overflowing, and then tied into a rope with five-color silk thread to make a string of different shapes, all kinds of exquisite and lovely.

4. Acorus calamus

There is a folk proverb that 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 family sweeps the court, puts calamus and moxa sticks between their eyebrows and hangs them in the class. Acorus calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi, Liu Hua, Garlic 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 decorations, beautiful and fragrant, and women compete to wear it to ward off evil spirits.

The fifth step is to bolt the five-color silk thread

In ancient China, five colors were revered and regarded as auspicious colors. Therefore, in the early morning of the festival, the first important thing for adults after getting up is to tie five-color lines on their wrists, ankles and necks. Children are not allowed to talk when tying the thread. The five-color line cannot be broken or discarded at will, and can only be thrown into the river during the first heavy rain in summer or the first bath. It is said that children wearing five-color thread can avoid the harm of snakes and scorpions; Throwing it into the river is to let the river wash away the plague and disease.

6. Drink Pu wine, realgar cinnabar wine and spray wine.

Realgar is also a kind of medicinal material, which is said to kill all kinds of poisons. The custom of drinking realgar wine on Dragon Boat Festival is very popular in the Yangtze River valley. As the saying goes, "drinking realgar wine will cure all diseases." Chronology of Jingchu: "Acorus calamus is carved or shredded to cool the wine." Pu wine is fragrant and refreshing. Later, realgar and vermilion were added to the wine. Feng Ming Yingjing's "Overview of the Moon Order": "On the fifth day, cinnabar wine was used to ward off evil spirits and detoxify, and the forehead, chest, hands and feet were dyed with wine, so there was no danger of cobra (a poisonous snake mentioned in ancient books)." We also sprinkled some things on the walls, doors and windows to avoid poisonous insects. "This custom is very widespread. Realgar mixed with water and wine can be disinfected indoors, and drinking general sprinkling is also quite beneficial.

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, drink realgar wine, stir up turbidity, 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.

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Dragon Boat Festival has existed for more than 2000 years since the Warring States Period. Let's start with the word "Dragon Boat Festival". "End" is the beginning, "noon" is a hot summer, and noon is between11:00-13: 00, which is the hottest time of the day, while Dragon Boat Festival is the hottest time of the year.

There are different opinions about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, among which the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan has the most extensive influence. There is also a saying that the Dragon Boat Festival was originally a festival for China people to get rid of diseases and prevent epidemics.

To commemorate Qu Yuan

In 278 BC, Qin Jun conquered the capital of Chu. Seeing that his motherland was invaded, Qu Yuan was heartbroken. On May 5th, he threw himself into the Miluo River.

After Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were heartbroken and flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to Qu Yuan, and had the custom of racing dragon boats and eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival.

In memory of Wu Zixu

Wu Zixu helped Wu to attack Chu, and suggested that the state of Yue be completely destroyed, but Fu Cha, the prince of Wu, did not listen.

Zixu said to his neighbor, "When I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Jason Wu to watch the Vietnamese army enter the city to destroy Wu" and then committed suicide. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.

In memory of filial daughter Cao E

Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river and didn't see her body for several days. At that time, Cao E, the filial daughter, was only fourteen years old, crying day and night by the river.

17 days later, he also threw himself into the river on May 5, and fished out his father's body five days later. Later, in order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, Cao E Temple was built where Cao E threw himself into the river.