Dragon Boat Festival Customs in Shanwei

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional folk festival in China, which is also one of the most important festivals of the year in the hometown of Hailufeng, Shanwei, commonly known as the "May Festival", and there are a variety of festivals in the hometown of the festival customs on that day.

Speaking of the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, the earliest accepted theory is, of course, to commemorate the Qu Yuan said, and this theory is still y rooted. This is the earliest from the Southern Liang Dynasty Wu Jun "continued Qi Harmonic Records" and the Northern Zhou Dynasty Zong Jing "Jing Chu years and times" records. It is said that Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month, and after his death, he was trapped by a dragon, and the world mourned him and threw five-colored silk dumplings into the water to drive away the dragon on this day. It is also rumored that Qu Yuan cast Miluo River, the local people heard immediately rowing boats to rescue, has been traveling to the Dongting Lake, and finally did not see the body of Qu Yuan. At that time, it was a rainy day, and the boats on the lake gathered together by the pavilion on the shore. When people learned that is to salvage the wise minister Qu Daifu, once again braved the rain, scrambling to row into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to send condolences, people swinging boat on the river, and then gradually developed into a dragon boat race. It seems that the Dragon Boat Festival to eat zongzi, dragon boat racing and commemorate the Qu Yuan related to the Tang Dynasty Wenxiu "Dragon Boat Festival" poem as evidence; "Festival points Dragon Boat Festival since who said, ancient rumors for Qu Yuan. I can laugh at the emptiness of the Chu River, but I can't wash away the injustice of the upright ministers". In addition, there are also "welcome Tao Shen said", "sacrificing dragons said", "bad day said", "summer solstice said", etc., the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is various, and the Dragon Boat Festival has been said to be the most important festival in the world. The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival has a variety of sayings, but to commemorate the Qu Yuan said the most extensive impact. Because of the great personality of Qu Yuan, poetry, people are also willing to put this anniversary to him.

In Hailufeng hometown, about from the second day of May this day, each family will begin to make preparations for the festival, of course, in addition to purchasing some of the worship of the gods and ancestors of the goods, the most important is to do brown. On the fifth day of the first month, a festive atmosphere envelops the whole village, and all kinds of customs will be held one by one on this day. Dragon Boat Rowing

In the old language of Land and Sea, it is called "Dragon Boat Rowing", and there is a children's rhyme which has been passed down for a long time: "The Cicada with Grief"

"Cold Grief Patrol, Calling Uniformity

Calling to the May Festival, people pick up the boat

Pick up my sister's door foot over the Golden Gua

Jin Gua Suo Suo Chih, Married to a man

Married to the back wall

Married to the back wall

Married to the sea Qian

Married to the horseshoe crab

The horseshoe crab has not crawled yet, married to the shrimp

Shrimp has not jumped yet, married to the parrot bird

The parrot bird eats wine and drinks, and reads the scriptures

Reads scriptures, and builds a boat

Builds a boat and walks around, and knows how to play the dog

Paradise walks, and knows how to plant the yam

This is a great way to plant a good taro

To plant a fat taro, and to plant the yam

Planting taro is fat, and you know how to carry porcelain

Take porcelain and carry flat stretches, and you know how to hinge shirts

Hinge shirts are long and short, and you know how to make turtles

The turtles are big and thin, and you know how to weave damask

Weaving damask, you can steal and insert your husband's triple rice

Customers are robbed of their husbands' money, and they die of hunger.

............". May Festival steak dragon boat can be said to be the top priority of the festival. However, due to the river and other conditions, not every village and town will hold this activity. In Hailufeng, mainly the main towns of Shanwei, Haicheng, Donghai and other towns will be held, and the scene is also more voluminous.

On the day of Dragon Boat Festival, the bridge side as well as the river bank are crowded with people clamoring to watch the dragon boat race. The dragon boat consists of three parts: the head, the body and the tail. It is said that the new boat launched to sacrifice the dragon head. Before the race, a ceremony is held to start the race: the dragon boat and paddlers pay homage to the Goddess of Mercy, and some also pay homage to Mazu, with only one purpose - to "win the race". The length of the dragon boat is about 10 meters, 7 pairs of paddlers, a coxswain and a ringer, with the referee's order, the dragon boat is heard to drums, the athletes paddling arms, and strive to swim upstream. The drummer is in charge of the whole boat, the paddler just paddles, and the coxswain keeps the direction steady. When the bid to enter the climax, the paddle splash can cover the entire boat, the shore to watch the masses do not see the dragon boat, only to see a group of "cloud dragon" in the river running. The two boats in the opposite direction after a few hundred meters each to the bottom of the old and new bridges to turn back, who was the first to arrive at the original starting position is to win. The first to reach the original starting position is the winner. The first to win the prize will be accompanied by suona, and will be given a tour of the river, the streets, and so on. The players are happy to congratulate each other, the people are happy to have a good time, all immersed in the festival celebrations.

Eating rice dumplings, peaches and plums

Land and Sea abundance is called "rice dumplings barley" in common language, but it is not wrapped in rice dumplings leaves like "rice dumplings" elsewhere, but it is made into a soft cake, which can be cut into squares. And fillings are not as diverse as other dumplings, almost no filling, seems to be the use of glutinous rice flour and flour to add some brown sugar stirred and steamed into the pastry. However, there is an indescribable flavor that is still fresh in our minds. Of course, people most remember is angular wrapped in zongzi leaves, this small zongzi cohesion with a long history, contains a deep cultural connotation and national plot. As early as in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, there are historical records, it is said that the people along the Miluo River at that time in order to preserve the patriotic poet Qu Yuan's body, with zongzi feeding the river's dragon fish and shrimp. In the Song Dynasty, "Tokyo Meng Hua Records" reads, "Today, the world makes zongzi on May 5, Miluo's legacy." In the continuation of more than two thousand years today, before the festival to eat zongzi, send each other zongzi to worship festival, many families have to dip glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves, package zongzi, its color varieties are becoming more and more varied. From the filling, there are bean paste, fresh meat, ham, egg yolk and other fillings. The custom of eating rice dumplings, for thousands of years, in China prevailed, and spread to neighboring countries.

As for the May Festival this day to eat peach and plum, such a custom seems to be only in the hometown of Hailufeng area, the specific reasons are not known, probably because the peach and plum is the May and June seasonal fruits, just as festivals, or to treat the guests with. Receive "midday water"

May Festival this day, each family will also receive midday water. Usually take a basin or bucket with water and put calamus, ai, banyan leaves, etc. placed on the roadside, after noon, it is said that the water can be preserved for a long time without rotting, ready for the future with medicines; and those calamus and so on and then put in a pot of boiled water, used to take a bath and wipe your body, it is believed that can get rid of the disease to remove the evil spirits. The so-called noon water, refers to the Dragon Boat Festival at noon on the well water. When I was a child, I remember that on the day of the May Festival, every family in the village picked buckets to the well to draw water, an endless stream of village wells of water will be grabbed by the villagers to draw all the water, and even dried up, some villagers had to go to the neighboring villages to draw water for use. According to the custom, the midday water, put calamus, moxa sticks, banyan leaves, etc. placed in a pot and boiled, used to bathe and wipe the body, can get rid of diseases and evil, which may be credible, traditional Chinese medicine would have been the principle of the herb to wash the body. And it is said that the noon water used to brew tea and wine is particularly fragrant, raw drink even has the miraculous effect of curing diseases. There is a proverb: "Wash the eyes at noon (eyes), Ming to if Wu drongo". In some rural areas is the Dragon Boat Festival water is regarded as God's water, that day to the streams and rivers to hit the water to bathe, wash their heads, cook.

Sacrificing Gods and Ancestors

On the morning of the May Festival, every family in the village first worships the gods in their homes as well as the gods in the neighborhood of the town, and then sacrifices to their ancestors in the village ancestral hall. Like other major festivals, every family prepares pork, chickens, ducks, and other food, and takes incense and candles, and then comes to the village ancestral hall early to take up a place to put it in order, and after that burns incense and prays to worship the spirits of the forefathers. The whole ancestral hall from inside to outside full of sumptuous food, the scene is particularly spectacular.

In Hailu Feng, May Day this day, the mouth of each family but also inserted wiping grass, moxa calamus, banyan leaves and other plants, especially to be inserted in the home of the gods. I remember when I was a child, one or two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, I would ask a few friends to go to the village to pick these kinds of grass, take a long handmade hook pole, in the village of the century-old banyan tree hooked down a few banyan branches to hold to take home to the parents, one by one, inserted in the gods. Mugwort can be said to be the sacred grass often used by the people of the Hailufeng area for New Year's festivals and red and white events, and is said to have the symbolism of driving away demons and evil spirits. Mugwort represents inviting hundred blessings, is a kind of herb that can cure diseases, people in the May Festival will wipe grass, Ai durum flower, garlic, dragon boat flower, made into a circle hanging in the lintel window sill, in order to seclude the evil and drive away the miasma. Calamus as a sword, inserted in the lintel, has the divine effect of expelling demons and ghosts. Dragon Boat Festival is also passed down from ancient times, "Health Festival", people in this day, sweeping the courtyard, hanging moxa sticks, hanging calamus, stirring up turbidity in addition to corrosion, sterilization and disease prevention. Worshiping the gods and ancestors, inserting grass, mugwort, calamus and banyan leaves. Mugwort is the sacred grass often used by the people of Hailufeng for New Year's festivals and red and white events, and it has the symbolism of driving away demons and evil spirits. Mugwort represents inviting a hundred blessings and is a kind of herb that can cure diseases. In the May Festival, people will make circles of Mugwort, Mugwort, Garlic, and Dragon Boat Flowers and hang them on the lintel and window sills in order to drive away evils and miasma. Calamus as a sword, inserted in the lintel, has the divine effect of expelling demons and ghosts. Dragon Boat Festival is also passed down from ancient times, "Health Festival", people in this day, sweeping the courtyard, hanging moxa sticks, hanging calamus, stirring up turbidity in addition to corrosion, sterilization and disease prevention. There are also sacrifices to the gods and ancestors and other activities, which reflect the fine traditions of the Chinese nation.