Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - The Legend, Cultural Connotation and Development of Dragon Boat Race

The Legend, Cultural Connotation and Development of Dragon Boat Race

Legend, cultural connotation and development of dragon boat race: Dragon boat race is one of the customs of China Dragon Boat Festival and one of the most important folk activities. So why is there a dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival? The following is the legend of dragon boat race compiled by me for your reading!

The legend of dragon boat racing

Dragon boat race is an important activity of Dragon Boat Festival, which is very popular in southern China. Sacrificing the water god or dragon god is the earliest sacrificial activity of the Yue people in ancient times, and its origin can be traced back to the end of primitive society. Dragon boat race, also known as dragon boat race, has a history of 1500 years in China. It has been listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list. 20 10 Dragon Boat Race will become the official event of Guangzhou Asian Games.

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was no river on the west bank, only a small and dirty ditch. One day, a fisherman caught a small snake in a ditch. This little snake is very strange. There are nine shiny scales on its tail. As soon as the fisherman touched the fish scale, the snake's eyes shone with begging light, which was very pitiful. The fisherman felt sorry for it, touched its scales and put it back in the ditch. Who knows that the nine scales suddenly fell, and the little snake danced and turned into a little dragon. It turned out to be a dragon in the sky. Because I broke the dogma and was punished by the jade emperor, I became like this. It has nine locks on its tail? It's nine shiny scales on the tail of a small snake. The Jade Emperor once said: Unless you get the spirit of the sun, this lock should be opened. ? Just now, the fisherman inadvertently opened the Millennium shackles on Xiaolong. In order to thank the fisherman, Xiaolong kept turning around in the ditch, spouting water from his mouth and pouring it into the small ditch. Slowly, this small ditch became a big river (now the West Bank River), which brought rich crops to the West Bank. In order to commemorate this dragon, people call the villages along the river Longtouzhai, Shanglongshou and other villages. On the day when the dragon ascended to heaven, that is, the Dragon Boat Festival, a dragon boat race was held to celebrate.

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, the dragon boat will be rowed on the fifth day of May 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.

Actually? Dragon boat race? 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. The Miao nationality in Guizhou is held from May 25th to 28th of the lunar calendar? Dragon Boat Festival? Celebrate the success of transplanting rice seedlings and wish a bumper harvest. Yunnan Dai compatriots competed in dragon boat races at the Water-splashing 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), Taiwan Province Province began to hold dragon boat races. 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 Hong Kong, races are also held.

In addition, dragon boat racing was first introduced to neighboring countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Britain. 1980, the dragon boat race was included in the national sports competition in China and held every year? Qu Yuan Cup? Dragon boat race. 1991June 16 (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), the first international dragon boat festival was held in Yueyang, China, Qu Yuan's second hometown. Hold the ceremony before the game, keep the traditional ceremony and inject new modern factors. Dragon head sacrifice? . ? Leading? Was carried into the Quzi Temple, and the athletes were handed over to the leaders? Shang Hong? After (tying the red ribbon), the priest read the eulogy and took it as the leader? Turn on the light? (that is, it will be sunny). Then, all the people who participated in the Dragon Boat Festival bowed three times, carried the dragon head to the Miluo River and hurried to the dragon boat race. More than 600,000 people participated in competitions, expositions and evening activities, which is unprecedented. Since then, Hunan has regularly held the International Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat races will be widely spread all over the world.

Cultural Connotation of Dragon Boat Race in Dragon Boat Festival

? Dragon boat race? This is a custom that has existed since the Warring States Period. During the Warring States period, people carved dragon-shaped canoes with drums and held competitions to entertain gods and people. At this time, the dragon boat race is a semi-religious and semi-entertainment program in the ceremony. Sacrifice to Qu Yuan is closely related to dragon boat race in Hunan and Hubei areas. Perhaps after the deaths of Qu Yuan, Cao E and Wu Zixu, local people also used soul boats to send their souls for burial, so there is this custom. But besides commemorating Qu Yuan, the dragon boat race has been given different meanings in various places.

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. 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.

Before the dragon boat race, various sacrificial ceremonies and commemorative ceremonies will be held. Generally speaking, incense sticks are lit and paper money is burned, offering sacrifices for chicken, rice, meat, 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, good luck? Express people's inner good wishes.

Development of Dragon Boat Race in Dragon Boat Festival

stage of development

As a water sport, dragon boat race has experienced three basic forms: utilitarian, commemorative and competitive.

The utilitarian dragon boat race refers to the dragon boat race in the initial stage, which is roughly in the pre-Qin period in terms of time. In primitive times, our ancestors fished in the water and competed in crossing the river, especially in fighting for their lives and saving lives and water in floods.

The commemorative dragon boat race was formed in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties and continues to this day. The Local Customs of Wu People in Zhou Dynasty is the earliest document to record the dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival, which shows the Three Kingdoms period. Dragon Boat Festival race? Has become the norm. Dragon Boat Race is the earliest document commemorating Qu Yuan, and it is the information left by Wu Jun, Tang Daizong Valley and Wei Zhi in Liang Dynasty. Among them, Wei Zhi wrote in the record:? Qu Yuan went to Miluo in May to watch the sun, but the natives chased him to Dongting. The boat on the lake was too small to get help. Is that what the song said? How to cross the lake? Therefore, it is the drama of a racing car to come back from fighting drums and go to the pavilion in the race, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Its cars are fast, songs are loud, land and water, audiences are like clouds, and counties are straight. ? Since then, the folklore of the Dragon Boat Festival has been unified. In memory of Qu Yuan? On this closely linked theme.

The competitive dragon boat race was formed in 1970s and 1990s, and its development can be traced back to the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament held in 1976. Since then, dragon boat racing has become a modern sport, and the craze has swept over more than 30 countries around the world. Internationally, dragon boat is basically a competitive sport. 1980, the dragon boat race was included in the national sports competition in China and held every year? Qu Yuan Cup? Dragon boat race. 1991June 16 (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), the first international dragon boat festival was held in Yueyang, China, Qu Yuan's second hometown. Hold the ceremony before the game, keep the traditional ceremony and inject new modern factors. Dragon head sacrifice? . ? Leading? Was carried into the Quzi Temple, and the athletes were handed over to the leaders? Shang Hong? After (tying the red ribbon), the priest read the eulogy and took it as the leader? Turn on the light? (that is, it will be sunny). Then, all the people who participated in the Dragon Boat Festival bowed three times, carried the dragon head to the Miluo River and hurried to the dragon boat race. More than 600,000 people participated in competitions, fairs and parties. Later, Miluo City, Hunan Province conveniently held the International Dragon Boat Festival on the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Declare non-legacy

2010May 18, the Ministry of Culture of China announced the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage recommended projects (newly selected projects). Joint declaration by Yuanling County, Hunan Province, Wanjiang District, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, tongren city City and zhenyuan county City? Dragon boat race? Traditional sports, entertainment and acrobatics selected and included in intangible cultural heritage.

Dragon Boat Racing

Introduction of dragon boat

Dragon boats vary in size and the number of spokes. Generally, it is long and narrow, with a headdress faucet and a dragon tail 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. The ancient dragon boat is also gorgeous, such as the Dragon Pool Tournament, in which the dragon boat's dragon head is tall, huge, beautifully carved, the dragon tail is high and curly, and the dragon body has several layers of pavilions with double eaves. If it is realistic, it can prove the beauty of ancient dragon boats. In some areas, dragon boats still have ancient customs.

The size of dragon boats varies from place to place. For example, the dragon boat in Huangpu and its suburbs in 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. Is the dragon boat in Miluo City, Hunan Province 16? 22 meters, scratch your hand 24? 48 people. Fujian Fuzhou Dragon Boat 18m long, 32 people holding hands. 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.

How often does Han race the dragon boat every year? Dragon Boat Festival? Hold, the captain is generally 20? 30 meters, about 30 sailors on each ship. Is the Miao nationality from May 24th to 27th every year? Dragon Boat Festival? It is about 20m long and 1 m wide. It is made up of three straight and thick fir trees dug into a trough and tied together. There is a mother ship in the middle and two sub-ships on both sides. Each ship has 38 sailors, an old man is a drummer and a child disguised as a woman is a drummer. In the competition, as soon as the guns were heard, the sailors paddled along with the sound of gongs and drums.

The dragon boat race of the Dai nationality is held in June and July (about ten days after Tomb-Sweeping Day) every year in the Dai calendar? Songkran Festival? Each ship has 600 sailors, 4 helmsmen and 4 pilots. During the competition, one person beat the gong to command, and the sailors paddled forward according to the rhythm of the gong. There are also women involved in this activity.

The Miao people's dragon boat race is held from May 24th to 27th every year. Dragon Boat Festival? It was held to celebrate the victory of transplanting rice seedlings in the dragon boat race and to wish a bumper harvest. The captain is about 20 meters long and the width is 1 meter. It is made up of three straight and thick fir trees dug into grooves and tied together. Each ship has 38 sailors, one of whom is a drummer and the other is a drummer. In the competition, as soon as the guns were heard, the sailors paddled along with the sound of gongs and drums.

As for the official dragon boat race, Zhang Jianfeng's Dragon Boat Race vividly depicts the magnificent scenery of the dragon boat race. 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 colorful poles; The dragon boat is approaching the target quickly. Modern dragon boat races are basically the same, but the rules are a little stricter. International dragon boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all over the world.

Competition base

Tongren city (Bijiang District) has a long history and has become a representative national cultural symbol. In 2009, tongren city (now Bijiang District) was awarded? China, the hometown of traditional dragon boats? 20 1 1, Tongren Dragon Boat, as a traditional sport, was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

The Dragon Boat Base is located in Ming Paradise, which is built on the Jinjiang River. The picturesque scenery here not only shows the landscape charm of Jinjiang Scenic Area, but also shows the local dragon boat culture. Theme activities such as Dragon Boat Festival Experience and Dragon Boat Festival Health Culture will inherit the dragon boat culture, attract tourists and create new tourism experience projects. Visitors can experience the fun of the Dragon Boat Festival here at any time, and take part in the Dragon Boat Festival activities with strong local characteristics, such as making zongzi, weaving colored ropes, Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat rowing, Dragon Boat Festival water splashing and so on.

Over the years, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Daming Border Town Scenic Area has held many large-scale national dragon boat races, such as China Dragon Boat Race and China Dragon Boat Open. In addition, the annual Tongren Dragon Boat Festival also has a rich mass base. During the annual competition, dragon boat lovers from all over the country will come to Daming Border Town to watch the dragon boat race.

Location of Dragon Boat Base: Guizhou? Tongren city (Bijiang District). Daming border town scenic spot

Arrival route:

1. Daming Border Town Scenic Area is located in Bijiang District (Crystal Pavilion), tongren city City, Guizhou Province, 3 kilometers away from tongren city Railway Station, 2.5 kilometers away from Tongren expressway Exit (South), 20 kilometers away from Tongren Phoenix Airport and 50 kilometers away from Hunan Fenghuang Ancient City (Expressway). It is very convenient to reach the scenic area.

2. Bus route: There is a sightseeing line 1 in Tongren City, which goes directly to Daming Border Town Scenic Area (fare 1.5 yuan).

Cultural transmission

With the footprints of overseas Chinese all over the world, the Dragon Boat Festival fever is gradually emerging in western countries. Among overseas Chinese in Europe and America and cultural lovers in China, the celebration of Dragon Boat Festival is mainly in the form of dragon boat race, which is combined with sports culture in western countries. In Germany, the Dragon Boat Festival is translated into Drachenbootfest, and the drums of the 20 16 Dragon Boat Race on Lake Ulster in Hamburg are ringing. The picture shows the GrandElyseeHamburg Dragon Boat Team participating in the event.

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