When did the dragon boat race start?

Dragon boat race is an important activity of Dragon Boat Festival, which is very popular in southern China. It was originally a sacrificial activity of the ancient Yue people to worship the water god or the dragon god, and its origin may have started at the end of primitive society. Dragon boat race is a traditional folk water sport and entertainment project in China, which has been circulating for more than two thousand years. It is mostly held on festive festivals, and it is a multi-person collective rowing competition. According to historical records, the dragon boat race started in memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. It can be seen that dragon boat racing is not only a kind of sports and entertainment, but also reflects the patriotism and collectivism in people's hearts. The size of dragon boats varies from place to place. The competition is to set sail at the same time within a specified distance, and decide the ranking in turn when reaching the finish line. The dragon boat races of all ethnic groups in China are slightly different. Most Han people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival every year. The captain is generally 20-30 meters, and each ship has about 30 sailors.

source and course

The word dragon boat was first seen in the pre-Qin ancient book "Mu Chuan Volume 5": "The son of heaven rides a bird boat, and the dragon boat floats in the marsh." In "Nine Songs to the King", scholars also think that "flying dragon" refers to the dragon boat. Xiang Jun is a poem about Xiang Jun rowing a dragon boat and sinking it into the river (similar to throwing a trace into the river) to mourn a historical figure. This coincides with the images of "Soul Boat" and "Dragon and Silk Painting with Figures" in Chu State, which can confirm each other. "The Chronicle of Jingchu" records: "May 5th is called Lan Festival. ..... it's a day, a race, and a fight for miscellaneous drugs. " Since then, countless people have been recorded in poems, notes and local chronicles.

Dragon boats are different from ordinary boats, with different sizes and different numbers of radial hands. For example, the dragon boat in Huangpu and the suburbs of Guangzhou is 33 meters long, with about 80 people on the road 100. Nanning Dragon Boat is more than 20 meters long, and each boat has about 50 or 60 people. In Miluo County, Hunan Province, Dragon Boat 16-22 meters long, with 24-48 people holding hands. Fujian Fuzhou Dragon Boat 18m long, 32 people holding hands. Dragon boats are generally long and narrow, with headdresses and dragon tails at the stern. The colors of the faucet are red, black and gray, which are similar to the head of the dragon lantern and have different postures. Generally, it is wood carving and painting (also made of paper or yarn). The dragon tail is mostly carved from whole wood and scales. In addition to the dragon head and tail, the dragon boat is decorated with gongs and drums, flags or hull paintings. For example, the dragon boat in Shunde, Guangdong Province is decorated with dragon cards, dragon tail flags and handsome flags, embroidered with couplets, flowers and plants, embroidered with patterns such as dragon wind and eight immortals. Generally, dragon boats don't have that much decoration, they are all decorated with pennants and hanging colors. Ancient dragon boats were also gorgeous, such as Dragon Pool Race (painted by Wang Zhenpeng in Yuan Dynasty). In the picture, the dragon's dragon head is tall and huge, beautifully carved, its tail is high and curly, and it has several layers of double eaves pavilions. If it is realistic, it can prove the beauty of ancient dragon boats. Another example is Dianshizhai Pictorial. The dragon boat in Wuhu painted by Qu Zi is also high with a dragon head and a floor on it. In some areas, the dragon boat still has an ancient style and is very beautiful.

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, the "Dragon Boat Race" 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, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, the dragon boat races in different places were given different meanings.

Before the dragon boat race, please invite dragons to offer sacrifices to the gods. For example, before the Dragon Boat Festival in Guangdong, you should go out of the water, worship the Nanhai God in the Nanhai Temple, install the dragon head and tail, and then prepare for the race. And buy a pair of paper cocks and put them on the dragon boat, thinking that they can keep the boat safe (vaguely corresponding to the ancient bird boat). Fujian and Taiwan went to Mazu Tempel to worship. Some directly kill chickens in dragon festival by the river, and the dragon first drops blood, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.

In Miluo County, Hunan Province, before the dragon boat race, you must go to Quzi Temple to worship the dragon head, put red cloth on the dragon head, and then race the dragon boat, not only to worship the dragon god, but also to commemorate Qu Yuan. In Zigui, Hubei, Qu Yuan's hometown, there is also a ceremony to worship Qu Yuan. The custom of offering sacrifices to Qu Yuan is recorded in Geography of Sui Shu: "Swift and swift, its songs are noisy, and the audience is like a cloud." Interpretation of Du Jingqu in Yuxi, Liu Tang: "Du Jing began in Wuling, and now it is in harmony with it, with a salty voice:' Where is it', which means four valleys." It can be seen that in the two lakes region, Qu Yuan's sacrifice is closely related to the dragon boat race. Maybe after Qu Yuan's death (and Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc. ), locals also use soul boats to send souls for burial, so this custom exists.

Another example is Zhejiang, where they commemorate Cao E with dragon boat races. According to "Biography of Women in the Later Han Dynasty", Cao E threw herself into the river. According to folklore, she went into the river to find her father's body. There are many sacrifices in Zhejiang. Dianshizhai Pictorial Sacrifice to Cao E depicts the scene of people sacrificing Cao E in Huiji area.

The competition in Shandong and Wudi (Jiangsu) is to commemorate Wu Zixu, so Suzhou has an old habit of offering sacrifices to Wu Zixu on the Dragon Boat Festival and holding competitions on the water to commemorate it. There is also a memorial ceremony in Guangxi, and there is also a memorial ceremony in Fuzhou.

All kinds of sacrificial ceremonies and commemorative ceremonies are nothing more than burning incense and burning money for roast chicken, cooking rice, burning meat, offering fruit, zongzi and so on. Nowadays, these superstitious ceremonies are rare, but in the past, when people went to the Dragon Palace to offer sacrifices, the atmosphere was very serious, praying for a bumper harvest in agriculture, good weather, evil spirits and all the best, and wishing boating safety. In people's words, "to be auspicious" expresses people's inner good wishes.

At the beginning of the official competition, the atmosphere was very warm. Song of Race Crossing written by Zhang Jianfeng, a poet in the Tang Dynasty: ... The clothes on both sides of the strait smell fragrant, and the silver hairpin shines on the frost blade. The drums rang three times and the red flag opened; Two dragons jumped out of the water. Shadow waves fly to Wan Jian, and drum waves sound like thunder. The drums are getting closer and closer, and the two dragons look at the mark, just like a moment. People on the slope thundered and the poles were dizzy. The front boat won the bid to launch, and the rear boat lost momentum and waved. "These poems vividly depict the magnificent scenery of the dragon boat race. Women usually don't go out, but now they are competing to see the dragon boat, and the silver hairpin is shining; The dragon boat under the command of the red flag of the war drum flies and falls like a flying sword, and the war drum thunders; The finish line is marked with colored poles. The dragon boat is approaching the target quickly ... The modern dragon boat race is similar, but the rules are a little stricter. In recent years, international dragon boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all over the world.