Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - What's the story of Qu Yuan's Dragon Boat Festival?

What's the story of Qu Yuan's Dragon Boat Festival?

The story of Qu Yuan's Dragon Boat Festival is:

Legend has it that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a Chu poet in the Warring States Period, who committed suicide in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May. Qu Ping, formerly known as Qu Yuan, was born in Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei Province) at the end of the Warring States Period and descended from 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. It is said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed for rescue, and all the way to Dongting Lake, but Qu Yuan's body was never seen. It was raining at that time, and the boats on the lake gathered at the pavilion on the shore.

When people learned that it was to salvage the sage Dr. Qu, they went out in the rain and rushed into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to mourn, people rowed on rivers, and later it gradually developed into a dragon boat race.

People were afraid that fish in the river would eat his body, so they went home and threw rice balls into the river to prevent fish and shrimp from ruining Qu Yuan's body. Later, eating zongzi became a custom. Eating zongzi and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival seems to be related to commemorating Qu Yuan, as evidenced by Wen Xiu's poem "Dragon Boat Festival" in the Tang Dynasty: "The festival is divided into Dragon Boat Festival, and it is rumored that it is Qu Yuan. It is ridiculous that the Chu River is empty and cannot be washed directly. "

Qu Yuan's Dragon Boat Festival custom;

1, Dragon Boat Race

Dragon boat race is the most important custom of Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, after the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet of Chu, Chu people did not give up his death and rowed all the way to Dongting Lake. At the same time, people also hope to disperse the fish and shrimp in the river by rowing dragon boats, so as to avoid Qu Yuan's body being hurt by fish.

Step 2 eat zongzi

Most people eat zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, or buy or make it themselves, and almost zongzi has become the standard of the Dragon Boat Festival. Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is also related to the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. After Qu Yuan's death, the Chu people threw zongzi into the river, hoping that the fish would eat zongzi instead of hurting Qu Yuan's health. Eating zongzi slowly has also become an important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival.

3. Wear sachets

On this day, parents will put sachets on their children. On the one hand, wearing sachets will make children look cuter and feel more festive. On the other hand, it means to ward off evil spirits and plagues, and it places people's good wishes for children to be happy and disease-free.

Step 4 hang calamus

It is also an important thing to plant Artemisia argyi and Acorus calamus during the Dragon Boat Festival. On this day, people will clean the courtyard early in the morning, and then insert calamus and moxa sticks on the gate to drive away ghosts and pin people's hopes for a better life.