What is the difference between the ancient Dragon Boat Festival and the modern Dragon Boat Festival?

First, hang "Three Friends of Dragon Boat Festival"

Ai, Acorus calamus and garlic are called "Three Friends of Dragon Boat Festival". In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Dragon Boat Festival was also called "Mulan Festival", and Jingchu had the custom of picking Ai. To pick wormwood, you should start before the cock crows. Choose the most humanoid wormwood and take it back and hang it on the door. Some even tie wormwood into the shape of a tiger, and then stick wormwood leaves on it. Folium Artemisiae Argyi and Rhizoma Acori Graminei contain aromatic oil, which has the same bactericidal effect as garlic. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the summer solstice is approaching, which is the time when cold and heat alternate. Attention should be paid to everything from diet to dressing and action.

There is a proverb in Baoshan County: "If you don't eat Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, you can't send cold clothes;" After eating the Dragon Boat Festival Zongzi, freeze it three times. "In ancient times, people lacked scientific concepts and mistakenly thought that all diseases were evil spirits. Therefore, on the Dragon Boat Festival, people use calamus as the sword, wormwood as the whip and garlic as the hammer, which are also called "three weapons", thinking that they can repel snakes, insects and germs and eliminate evil spirits.

Second, write spells.

In addition to exorcising ghosts with "Three Friends of Dragon Boat Festival", there is also an important method of exorcising ghosts, that is, hanging spells indoors to ward off evil spirits. Hang exorcism symbols and some strict rituals. If required, it must be written at sunrise or noon on the Dragon Boat Festival. Writing materials must be made of raw Zhu, and saltpeter must be placed in inkstones and among writing people. The more popular spells are: "On the fifth day of May, the red mouth and white tongue disappear" and so on. Shanghainese are used to hanging the statue of Zhong Kui at the entrance of Dragon Boat Festival, which is the continuation and evolution of this custom to ward off evil spirits. In addition, similar to this custom, there is realgar wine on the child's forehead. On the morning of the festival, women put mugwort on children's ears and calamus on their heads, and then write a "king" on their foreheads with realgar wine. It is said that this can make all ghosts afraid and save their lives.

Third, eat "Huang Wu"

China Jiangnan folk Dragon Boat Festival has the custom of eating "Huang Wu". "Huang Wu" refers to eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted egg yolk and realgar wine. In the myth and legend "The Legend of the White Snake", the white lady drinks realgar wine, showing the original shape of the snake. Therefore, people think that poisonous insects such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes can be cracked with realgar wine, and drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival can exorcise evil spirits and detoxify and maintain good health.

Fourth, wear five-color lines.

In ancient China, five colors were worshipped, which were 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 when it rains heavily in summer or takes a shower for the first time. 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.

Folk custom of making and wearing sachets in Nanyang. Fragrant cloth bags are generally embroidered with colored cloth and flower thread, and the center of the fragrant cloth bag is filled with natural spices, such as realgar, folium Artemisiae Argyi powder, Herba Agastaches and Rhizoma Atractylodis. When mixed, these spices not only have lasting fragrance, but also can drive away pests around them, eliminate diseases and refresh the mind.

V. Dragon Boat Race

There are sayings about rowing and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival, such as "all the troops set out together to save Qu Yuan" and "shouting drum music to scare off the dragon". This activity is held around the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is a huge spontaneous festival cultural activity. Dragon boats are dragons and boats. Ancient emperors went out to patrol the river, the sea, the lake and the river, and the end looked like a dragon, which was called dragon boat or dragon boat. The dragon boat race in Jingzhou in May is held at the beginning and end of ordinary wooden boats, with a dragon head and a dragon tail tied temporarily, and there are also special dragon boats. Nowadays, many southern areas facing rivers, lakes and seas hold dragon boat races with ethnic characteristics every year.