Dragon Boat Racing Customs and Cultural Connotations

Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were in mourning and flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to him. The fishermen rowed up their boats and went back and forth on the river to salvage his real body. They scrambled and chased him to Dongting Lake when he was nowhere to be seen. After that, every year on May 5, they rowed dragon boats to commemorate him. The dragon boat is used to disperse the fish in the river, so that the fish do not eat Qu Yuan's body.

Dragon boat racing customs - dragon boat racing cultural connotations

Dragon boat racing cultural connotations

Dragon boat racing has developed to the present has become a teamwork sports, in the 2010 Asian Games is included in the competition, but in the minds of the ancients, dragon boat racing is not a simple sports, but the ancient people for a better life. But in the minds of the ancients, dragon boat racing was not just a sport, it was the ancient people's hope for a better life.

"Dragon boat racing" is a custom that existed during the Warring States period. During the Warring States period, people paddled canoes carved into the shape of dragons in the sound of drums, and did racing games to entertain the gods and people, and at this time, the dragon boat race was a half-religious, half-entertainment program in the rituals. In the two lakes region, the sacrifice of Qu Yuan and dragon boat racing is closely related. Maybe after the death of Qu Yuan and Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc., the local people also used the soul boat to send their souls to burial, so there is this custom. However, in addition to honoring Qu Yuan, the dragon boat race is also given different symbols by people in different parts of the world.

Before the dragon boat racing, the first to invite the dragon, sacrificing to the gods. Such as Guangdong dragon boat, before the Dragon Boat Festival to get up from underwater, sacrificed in the South China Sea Temple in the South China Sea God, after the installation of the dragon head, dragon tail, and then ready to race. And buy a pair of paper rooster on the dragon boat, that can bless the boat safe. Min, Taiwan is to the Mazu Temple worship. Some directly in the river to sacrifice the dragon head, kill the chicken blood on the dragon head, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.

Dragon boat race will be held before a variety of rituals, commemorative ceremonies, are generally pointing incense and candles, burning paper money, chicken, rice, meat, fruit, dumplings and so on. Today, these superstitious colors contained in the ceremony has been rare, but in the past, people worship the Dragon God Temple atmosphere is very serious, and pray for a good harvest, wind and rain, to the evil spirits, bustling disaster, everything is going well, but also to bless the boating safety. In the words of the people, "to have a good luck", to express the good wishes of people's hearts.

Customs of Dragon Boat Racing

On the fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival, if you happen to be traveling on the Dragon Boat Festival, you might want to check out the different customs of the dragon boat races around the country. In addition to downtown Fuzhou City, there are many places in the country that retain interesting customs for dragon boat races.

Quanzhou: The peculiar custom of dragon boat racing on land.

Location: Chongwu Ancient City, Hui'an County.

Quanzhou Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Race activities and other places in southern Fujian almost the same, but only Hui'an County, Chongwu Ancient City, the custom is more special.

In the early years, Chongwu also had dragon boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival, but unlike other places, the locals mainly wished the gods and exorcisms to be held on the sea before the typhoon season was approaching. Legend has it that after an accident in a dragon boat race one year, people decided not to race dragon boats on the sea and switched to dragon boats on land.

Now, the local people's Dragon Boat Festival is not only a dragon boat race, there are land dragon boat activities, very lively. It is said that, according to local traditional customs, when swimming in the dragon boat people have to sing the "A snail song", the lyrics to the effect of requesting the gods to eliminate disasters.

Guizhou: Miao Dragon Boat Festival.

Location: Qingshui River, Kaili.

In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival of the Han Chinese has the custom of dragon boat racing. Miao people living in Kaili City, Guizhou also have the custom of racing dragon boats in the Dragon Boat Festival in the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Han's Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, while the Miao Dragon Boat Festival on the twenty-fourth to the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar **** four days. Dragon Boat Festival in Miao called "what urn" (meaning that rowing dragon boat), also known as "Lou urn" (meaning to eat dragon meat).

The Dragon Boat Festival is generally held on the Qingshui River, the Qingshui River through the Kerry also known as the Dragon River, every year in May of the lunar calendar, the Miao people living here to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Miao dragon boat made of cedar, denominator boat and the two sides of the boat three parts, the mother boat boat center before and after *** six cabin, four cabin loaded with dragon boat festival during the friends and relatives gifted pigs, Miao dragon boat made of cedar, denominator boat and the two sides of the boat three parts, the mother boat boat before and after the center of the boat *** six compartments, four compartments loaded with the dragon boat festival during the friends and relatives gifted pigs, goats, geese, and racing sailors food, the two sides of the sub boat is for sailors to paddle the land. Sub-boat is the place for sailors to paddle. Miao rowing dragon boat is standing paddle ', unlike the Han Chinese sitting paddle.

Dragon boat racing, each boat sailors have thirty or forty, by the highest status when the boat drummer, the boat sailors have to listen to the drummer's command, according to the rhythm of the drums swinging paddle racing. There is also a little boy dressed in women's clothing, head wearing Miao women's silver jewelry to beat the gong. And then elected a most knowledgeable water helm as the helmsman, good strength of the strong man stood in the bow of the boat. In addition, there are also people responsible for the start of the race, leaving the village, return to the village on the boat when the earth cannon, etc., peculiar customs.

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon Boat Racing is a Dragon Boat Festival custom, but also the Han Chinese in the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important folk activities, in southern China is very popular, in the north there is also the habit of paddling dry dragon boat. About its origin, there are a variety of sayings, there are sacrifices to Cao E, sacrifices to Qu Yuan, sacrifices to the water god or dragon god and other sacrificial activities, its origin can be traced back to the end of primitive society.

Speaking of the origin of dragon boat racing, the origin of the most extensive on the commemoration of Qu Yuan Yuan said and Yuanling Discus said.

In Memory of Qu Yuan

According to the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), Qu Yuan was a minister of King Huai of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He advocated for the promotion of the virtuous, the rich, the strong, and the united Qi and Qin were strongly opposed by the aristocrats Zilan and others, Qu Yuan was greedy to go to his post, was driven out of the capital city, and exiled to the Yuan and Xiang basin. While in exile, he wrote the immortal poems "Li Sao" and "The Question of Heaven" and "The Nine Songs", in which he worried about his country and the people. In 278 B.C., the Qin army attacked the capital of Chu, and Qu Yuan could not bear to abandon his country, so on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, after writing his final poem "Huai Sha", he threw himself into the Miluo River and died.

Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu mourned his death and flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to him. The fishermen rowed their boats up and down the river to salvage his real body. They scrambled and chased him to Dongting Lake when he was nowhere to be seen. After that, every year on May 5, they rowed dragon boats to commemorate him. By rowing the dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river, so that the fish do not eat Qu Yuan's body.