On the Tradition of Dragon Boat Festival

First, the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival:

The first edition of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great poet in history. This statement is widely circulated throughout the country and is most recognized by the people. Qu Yuan was a native of Chu in the Warring States Period. Like San Lv, he was a left-leaning official and doctor. Qu Yuan was honest, worried about the country and the people, and devoted himself to the political reform of the country. However, he was repeatedly attacked and persecuted by villains. In addition, Chu Huaiwang is fatuous and ignorant, and he doesn't distinguish between loyal subjects and traitors. Qu Yuan, who was full of loyalty to the monarch and love for the people, was alienated and exiled, and finally died in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May in grief and despair. People only commemorate him on the Dragon Boat Festival, and have the custom of eating zongzi and racing dragon boats.

The second version of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Wu Zixu. Wu Zixu's famous ministers, Chu people, fathers and brothers were all killed by the ruthless King Chu Ping. Later, Wu Zixu fled to the State of Wu, helping the State of Wu to enrich the country and make peace, and helping the State of Wu conquer the State of Chu. After the Fifth World War, he entered the capital city of Chu. At that time, King Chu Ping was dead, and Wu Zixu dug a grave and whipped the corpse three hundred times to avenge his father and brother. After the death of He Lv, the king of Wu, his son Fu Cha succeeded to the throne, and Wu became stronger. He attacked Yue and won it in one fell swoop. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, made peace, and Fu Cha agreed. At this time, Fu Cha, the prince of Wu, was carried away by the victory and began to be arrogant, refusing to listen to harsh advice. Wu Zixu suggested that he completely eliminate Yue State to avoid future troubles. Instead of listening, Fu Cha believed the slanderers who framed Wu Zixu and forced Wu Zixu to commit suicide. Before he died, Wu Zixu said to his neighbor, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Wujing, watching the Vietnamese army enter the city to destroy Wu." Then he drew his sword and committed suicide. Fu Cha was furious when he learned this. On May 5th, he put Wu Zixu's body in a leather bag and threw it into the river. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.

The third edition of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Cao E, the filial daughter of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river, but she fished for several days without finding the body. At that time, Cao E, a filial daughter, was only 14 years old. She was heartbroken and cried by the river day and night. Seventeen days later, he jumped into the river on the fifth day of May, and five days later, he surfaced with his father's body in his arms. Cao E's Xiaogan is earth-shattering and widely circulated among the people. At that time, scholars and writers mourned and praised Cao E for looking for his father's filial piety in the river. The tomb of the dutiful daughter Cao E is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang today. There is a monument in front of the tomb, which is said to be written 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 town where she lived was renamed Cao E Town, and the river where Cao E died was renamed Cao E River. People also come to pay homage to Cao E on the fifth day of May, when she jumped into the river to look for her father.

The fourth edition of the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qiu Jin, a modern revolutionary poetess. Qiu Jin, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, alias Ruiqing and Xiong Jing, No.1 Jianhu Woman, with a small print of Jade Valley. When I was young, I was good at poetry and songs, and I liked riding and fencing. She has the reputation of Mulan and Qin Liangyu in modern times. Joining the revolution at the age of 28 had a great influence. He planned a revolutionary uprising. Unfortunately, he was arrested by the Qing soldiers at the meeting and persevered. On the fifth day of June in the thirty-third year of Guangxu, he died heroically in Xuanhengkou, Shaoxing. Although Qiu Jin was martyred on the fifth day of June, later generations admired his poems and people and mourned his heroic deeds, so they compared him with the patriotic poet Qu Yuan and held a memorial ceremony on the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate the heroine and poetess.

Second, the main customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are:

1, Dragon Boat Race

Dragon boat race is the main custom of Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it originated in ancient times. Because Chu people could not bear to be separated from the sage Qu Yuan, they died in the river, and many people rowed to catch up and save. 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.

2. Eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival

Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of China people. Zongzi, also known as "corn millet" and "tube zongzi". It has a long history and various patterns. On the morning of Dragon Boat Festival, every family eats zongzi to commemorate Qu Yuan. Zongzi is usually wrapped the day before, cooked at night and eaten in the morning. Jiaozi is mainly made of tender reed leaves which are rich in ponds, and bamboo leaves are also useful in some areas, collectively called zongye. The traditional form of zongzi is a triangle, which is generally named after the inner pulp. Glutinous rice dumplings are called zongzi, adzuki bean dumplings are called adzuki bean dumplings, and jujube dumplings are called jujube dumplings, which are collectively called glutinous rice dumplings. Jujube jiaozi homophones "junior high school", so it eats the most. Children who plan to study can win the championship early. In the past, Jinshi ate jujube jiaozi on the morning of taking the imperial examination. Up to now, on the morning of the entrance examination day in middle schools and universities, parents have to make jujube jiaozi for the candidates.

3. Wear sachets

Children wear sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is said to mean to ward off evil spirits and plague. Actually, it is used to decorate the inner head. The sachet contains cinnabar, realgar, and fragrant medicine. It is wrapped in silk, and the fragrance is overflowing. Then it is tied into a rope with five-color silk threads, and made into various shapes of strings, which are small and lovely. In some cities in southern China, young men and women also use sachets to express their deep love.

Step 4 hang wormwood

The folk proverb of hanging wormwood says, "Insert willow in Qingming Festival and wormwood in Dragon Boat Festival". On the Dragon Boat Festival, people regard inserting wormwood and calamus as one of the important contents. Every household should sweep the courtyard, put calamus and moxa sticks in the eyebrows of the door and hang them in the main room. Acorus calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi, Liu Hua, Garlic and Dragon Boat Flower are made into human or tiger shapes, which are called Ai Ren and Ai Hu. It is made into garlands and decorations, beautiful and fragrant, and women compete to wear it to ward off evil spirits. Dragon Boat Festival is also a "health festival" handed down from ancient times. On this day, people sweep the courtyard, hang mugwort leaves, hang calamus, sprinkle realgar wine, drink realgar wine, stir up turbidity, remove rot, sterilize and prevent diseases. These activities also reflect the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. It is a common custom for all countries and ethnic groups in China to collect herbs on the Dragon Boat Festival.

5. Bell statue

It is the custom of Dragon Boat Festival to jump at Zhong Kui Gate to catch ghosts. In the Jianghuai area, bells and statues are hung in every household to ward off evil spirits. Emperor Kaiyuan of Tang Dynasty returned to the palace after giving a lecture in Lishan, and malaria was rampant. He dreamed that two ghosts, one big and one small, were running around the temple wearing red crotch pants and stealing Yang Guifei's sachet and the jade emperor of the Ming Dynasty. GREAT GHOST, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat, caught the child, gouged out his eyes and swallowed it in one gulp. When asked by the Ming emperor, GREAT GHOST said: My surname is Zhong Kui, that is to say, I am the best martial artist. I am willing to exorcise evil spirits for your majesty. When the Ming emperor woke up, malaria was cured. So I asked Wu Daozi, the painter, to draw a portrait of Zhong Kui catching ghosts according to what I saw in my dream, and ordered all the people to post it on the Dragon Boat Festival to exorcise evil spirits.

6, hanging purse and bolt five-color silk thread

Ying Shao's "Customs Pass" records: "On May 5, the arms were tied with colorful silks, which were called Longevity Silk, One Continuation Silk, One Order of Soldiers, One Order of Five Colors Silk, and One Order of Zhu Suo, so that soldiers and ghosts would not get sick."

In ancient China, five colors were revered and regarded as auspicious colors. Therefore, in the early morning of the festival, the first important thing for adults after getting up is to tie five-color lines on their wrists, ankles and necks. Children are not allowed to talk when tying the thread. The five-color line cannot be broken or discarded at will, and can only be thrown into the river during the first heavy rain in summer or the first bath. It is said that children wearing five-color thread can avoid the harm of snakes and scorpions; Throwing it into the river is to let the river wash away plagues and diseases and make children safe and healthy.

The eighth volume of Meng's Dream of China in Tokyo records: Dragon Boat Festival artifacts, hundred ropes, mugwort flowers, silver drums, beautifully painted fans, fragrant candy, small dumplings and white balls. Perilla frutescens, Acorus calamus and Papaya are all chopped, mixed with incense and medicine, and wrapped in a plum-red box. From May 1 day, the day before Dragon Boat Festival, peaches, willows, sunflowers, leaves of Pu Ye, Buddha, Taoism and wormwood are sold. The next day, every household was spread out at the door and fed with five-color water polo and tea wine. He also nailed Ai Ren to the door, and the scholars handed him a banquet.

Chen Yuanliang's Notes on the Year of the Year quoted Miscellaneous Notes on the Year of the Year as saying, "The Dragon Boat Festival is decorated with red and white, colored thread to make it flower-shaped, or tied or nailed to the door to make it red and white, which is also called Qian Chu." Another kind of "mussel powder bell" says: "On the fifth day, mussel powder is placed in silk and decorated with cotton, if you count the beads. Let the children take it to absorb sweat. " The contents of these carry-on bags have changed several times, from sweat-absorbing mussel powder, exorcism symbols, copper coins, and realgar powder to sachets filled with spices, and they have become increasingly exquisite and become a unique folk art of the Dragon Boat Festival.

7. Similarly, drinking realgar wine: This custom is very popular among people in the Yangtze River valley.

Realgar is also a kind of medicinal material, which is said to kill all kinds of poisons. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Shaanxi people will soak realgar in wine and put realgar wine on children's ears, nose, forehead, wrists and ankles. It is said that this practice can keep mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos and spiders away from the body.

8. Travel to all diseases: This custom prevails in the Dragon Boat Festival custom in Guizhou.

Wandering all kinds of diseases, also known as walking all kinds of diseases, is a traditional folk cultural activity of the Han nationality spread in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Guizhou. It is a kind of fitness exercise to eliminate all diseases through sightseeing and walking, mainly among women, the elderly, children or the infirm. The custom of Dragon Boat Festival is very popular in Guizhou. Men, women and children go out to play and wear new clothes. At noon 1 o, the roads, mountains and trees are crowded with people, holding flowers and plants, and they are happy. Go home at night to cook flowers and take a bath. Old people are called "wandering all diseases" and "washing all diseases". People who don't go out for a walk and don't wash all their illnesses will not be lucky all year round. It has pinned the good wishes of the working people of the Han nationality to exorcise evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for blessings.