What are the origins and characteristics of the Dragon Boat Festival?

The origin and characteristics of Dragon Boat Festival;

First, the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, there are many kinds of arguments today:

1, in memory of Qu Yuan

According to the historian Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng, Qu Yuan was a minister of Chu Huaiwang in the Spring and Autumn Period. He advocated the use of talents, empowerment, and prosperity, and advocated joint resistance to Qin, which was strongly opposed by others. Qu Yuan was forced to leave his post, was driven out of the capital and exiled to the Yuan and Xiang river basins. During his exile, he wrote immortal poems such as Li Sao, Tian Wen and Tian Wen, which have a unique style and far-reaching influence (therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Poet's Day). In 278 BC, Qin Jun conquered Kyoto of Chu. Seeing that his motherland was invaded, Qu Yuan was heartbroken, but he was always reluctant to give up his motherland. On May 5th, after writing his masterpiece Huai Sha, he died in Miluo River and wrote a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life.

Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were so sad that they flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to Qu Yuan. The fisherman paddled the boat and fished for his real body back and forth on the river. A fisherman took out rice balls, eggs and other foods prepared for Qu Yuan and threw them into the river, saying that ichthyosaurs, shrimps and crabs were full and would not bite the doctor. People followed suit after seeing it. An old doctor took an altar of realgar wine and poured it into the river, saying that he would stun the dragon water beast with medicine so as not to hurt Dr. Qu. Later, people were afraid that rice balls would be eaten by dragons, so they came up with the idea of wrapping rice with neem leaves and then wrapping it with colored silk to make it develop into brown seeds.

After that, on the fifth day of May every year, there is the custom of dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine. In memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

2. In memory of Wu Zixu.

The second legend of the Dragon Boat Festival, which spread in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, commemorates Wu Zixu in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Wu Zixu, a famous Chu national, and his father and brother were all killed by the King of Chu. Later, Zixu abandoned the dark and went to Wu to help Wu to attack Chu, and entered the capital city of Chu in the Five Wars. At that time, King Chu Ping was already dead. Zixu dug a grave and whipped 300 bodies to avenge his father's murder. After the death of He Lu, the king of Wu, his son Fu Cha succeeded to the throne. Wu Jun's morale was high and he was defeated by Yue. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, made peace, and Fu Cha agreed. Zi Xu suggested the complete elimination of Yue, but Fu Cha didn't listen. Wu was massacred and bought by the state of Yue. He was framed by slanderers. Fu Cha believed him and gave him a sword. Zi Xu died. Zixu, a loyal minister, feels like death. Before he died, he said to his neighbors, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Jason Wu, watching the Vietnamese army enter the city and destroy Wu." Then he killed himself. Fu Cha was furious after hearing this. On May 5th, he wrapped Zixu's body in leather and threw it into the river. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.

3, in memory of filial daughter Cao E said

The third legend of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the filial daughter Cao E who saved her drowning father in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 23-220). 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. This was passed down as a myth, and then to the governor of the county government, who made it a monument for disciple Han Danchun to make a eulogy.

The tomb of the filial daughter is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province today, and there is a monument made by Jin. Later, in order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, Cao E Temple was built where Cao E threw himself into the river. The village where she lived was renamed Cao E Town, and the place where Cao E died was named Cao E River.

4. The totem sacrifice theory of the ancient Yue people.

A large number of cultural relics unearthed in modern times and archaeological studies have confirmed that in the Neolithic age, there was a cultural relic with geometric prints and pottery ruins in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. According to experts' inference, the remaining clan is Baiyue clan, a clan that worships dragon totem in history. The decorative patterns and historical legends on unearthed pottery show that they have the custom of tattooing constantly, live in a water town and compare themselves to the descendants of dragons. Among its production tools, there are a large number of stone tools, as well as small bronzes such as shovels and chisels. As daily necessities, the printed pottery ding used for cooking food is unique to them and is one of the symbols of their ethnic group. Until the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were still more than 100 Vietnamese people, and the Dragon Boat Festival was a festival for their ancestors. During thousands of years of historical development, most Baiyue people have integrated into the Han nationality, and the rest have evolved into many ethnic minorities in the south. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival has become a festival for the whole Chinese nation.

Second, the characteristics of the Dragon Boat Festival:

1, eat zongzi and send zongzi.

Every Dragon Boat Festival, many people always pack a bunch of zongzi at home-two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, housewives often start to get busy and marinate ribs with soy sauce, wine and sugar. Jiaozi wrapped in red bean paste, red beans must also be cooked and mashed, stirred with lard and sugar and fried until dark red and shiny; Increase the glutinous rice one by one to white fat; Wash the palm leaves bought on the street. Palm leaves must be fresh. Zongzi wrapped in fresh palm leaves often has the smell of bamboo, but the old leaves don't have such a good smell.

Hu Pu 'an's "Records of China Ethnic Customs: Records of Tiantai Years Old" describes that Tiantai people offer horns and millet (that is, zongzi) on the Dragon Boat Festival. In the records of Yuhuan Temple in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty, there are also records of bamboo sticks wrapped in glutinous rice giving each other millet. In addition, the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival include: posting five poison maps, hanging mugwort leaves, calamus swords, eating realgar wine, spraying realgar wine in the corner and so on.

2. Insert calamus and Folium Artemisiae Argyi

Besides eating, you can find many different places on this day. Before the festival, the number of people selling calamus, mugwort leaves and sachets will suddenly increase, but at ordinary times, calamus and mugwort leaves are relatively rare. On the Dragon Boat Festival, early in the morning, villagers from nearby villages came to the city to carry burdens, while vendors shouted for colorful sachets and sachets. The air seems to be full of the fragrance of grass and strong medicinal smell. "Zongzi is fragrant, and the kitchen is fragrant; Artemisia argyi leaves, full of fragrance; Acorus calamus is inserted in the door frame, and when you go out, you can see that the wheat is yellow; There is Duanyang here! " Many people in the corridor hung two calamus swords specially decorated with red paper. Old people say that mugwort leaves and calamus are good things to ward off evil spirits. Don't worry about evil words, but I do know that Artemisia argyi is a herbal medicine and can be used for moxibustion, so it is trusted by folk customs. For example, if the eyes are red and swollen, it can be quite effective to boil eggs with wormwood leaves, peel them off and roll them on your eyes. During the Dragon Boat Festival, smoking acupuncture points with lighted mugwort leaves can also cure diseases. When I was a teenager, I scoffed at everything the old man said, but now I dare not forget to draw a conclusion. Practice has proved that the life experience of the elderly is quite useful.

In addition, Artemisia argyi has another advantage, which can repel mosquitoes. When I was a child, I liked to enjoy the cool outdoors. As long as I light mugwort leaves, mosquitoes will not dare to come near me. It is more effective than the existing mosquito-repellent tablets and mosquito-repellent incense, and smells good. Speaking of mosquito repellent, there used to be a realgar "cannon", which emitted thick and pungent smoke after being ignited and placed under the bed, beside the well and other places where there were many mosquitoes and flies. Soon, people found dead mosquitoes and flies everywhere. Sanmen, Wenling, Yuhuan and other places, in the Dragon Boat Festival, there is also the custom of taking medicine baths. A large pot of black liquid medicine is made by decocting Folium Artemisiae Argyi, Rhizoma Acori Graminei, Verbena, Cirsium japonicum, Rhizoma Cyperi, Herba Houttuyniae, and Folium Menthae. The old man said that after washing the "afternoon grass bath", there will be no boils on his body for a year, and most children are unwilling to take a bath. Modern people have no such taste for the Dragon Boat Festival.

3. Drink realgar wine. In fact, when realgar is mixed into yellow rice wine, it becomes realgar rice wine. But there are not many people who drink realgar wine now, saying it is harmful. In fact, the taste of realgar wine is not good, it is too strong. But many people fell in front of the house, and realgar wine was spilled everywhere. The child's forehead was also painted with the word "Wang" by adults. Just as eating zongzi is related to commemorating Qu Yuan, drinking realgar wine is also related to the story of the white snake: the white snake who has cultivated for thousands of years admires earthly life, turns into a white snake, and becomes a loving couple with Xu Xian. Fahai, on the other hand, regarded the White Snake as a demon and secretly instructed Xu Xianqiang to persuade the White Snake to drink realgar wine at noon. As a result, the white lady showed her true colors. This is due to Fahai's trouble-people fall in love with transvestites, and he insists on bringing the bar to the bar. In fact, there is such a beautiful and affectionate woman, whether human or demon or mortal, it is worthwhile to fall in love once. What's more, falling in love with goblins is so exciting. Although it didn't happen in our local area, everyone here will tell this story on the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate the tradition of our Chinese nation.

4, a five-color silk thread.

Five-color silk thread is called longevity thread, which is used to exorcise ghosts. Because the Dragon Boat Festival is the Five Poisons Day, not an auspicious day. In rural areas such as Tiantai, there is still a saying that it is called the day of avoiding children. On this day, sachets and sachets are also indispensable. In the past, women would sew sachets, wrap aromatic drugs such as Atractylodes lancea and Realgar with silk, or weave mesh bags with mothballs, which meant expelling insects and evil spirits. In fact, in Taizhou, there is a unique custom, that is, "sending the Dragon Boat Festival", also called "looking at the Dragon Boat Festival". In Taizhou dialect, it means looking forward, that is, every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, the married daughter will bring her husband and children, as well as some local products such as pig's feet, fish, chickens and ducks (now mostly high-end gifts) to her parents' home for reunion.

5. Dragon boat race. Most of them are in memory of the great poet Qu Yuan. As you can imagine, gongs and drums are loud, and ships are flying around like arrows. It must be fierce.