Is dragon boat racing a custom in Chaoshan?

Dragon boat race is an important activity of Dragon Boat Festival, which is very popular in southern China. It was originally a sacrificial activity of the ancient Yue people to worship the water god or the dragon god, and its origin may have started at the end of primitive society. Dragon boat race is a traditional folk water sport and entertainment project in China, which has been circulating for more than two thousand years. It is mostly held on festive festivals, and it is a multi-person collective rowing competition. According to historical records, the dragon boat race started in memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. It can be seen that dragon boat racing is not only a kind of sports and entertainment, but also reflects the patriotism and collectivism in people's hearts. The size of dragon boats varies from place to place. The competition is to set sail at the same time within a specified distance, and decide the ranking in turn when reaching the finish line. The dragon boat races of all ethnic groups in China are slightly different. Most Han people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival every year. The captain is generally 20-30 meters, and each ship has about 30 sailors. The word "the origin and development of the dragon boat" was first found in the ancient book Mu Chuan Volume V in the pre-Qin period: "The son of heaven rides a bird boat and the dragon boat floats in the marsh." In "Nine Songs to the King", scholars also think that "flying dragon" refers to the dragon boat. Xiang Jun is a poem about Xiang Jun rowing a dragon boat and sinking it into the river (similar to throwing a trace into the river) to mourn a historical figure. This coincides with the images of "Soul Boat" and "Dragon and Silk Painting with Figures" in Chu State, which can confirm each other. "The Chronicle of Jingchu" records: "May 5th is called Lan Festival. ..... it's a day, a race, and a fight for miscellaneous drugs. " Since then, countless people have been recorded in poems, notes and local chronicles.

Dragon boats are different from ordinary boats, with different sizes and different numbers of radial hands. For example, the dragon boat in Huangpu and the suburbs of Guangzhou is 33 meters long, with about 80 people on the road 100. Nanning Dragon Boat is more than 20 meters long, and each boat has about 50 or 60 people. In Miluo County, Hunan Province, Dragon Boat 16-22 meters long, with 24-48 people holding hands. Fujian Fuzhou Dragon Boat 18m long, 32 people holding hands. Dragon boats are generally long and narrow, with headdresses and dragon tails at the stern. The colors of the faucet are red, black and gray, which are similar to the head of the dragon lantern and have different postures. Generally, it is wood carving and painting (also made of paper or yarn). The dragon tail is mostly carved from whole wood and scales. In addition to the dragon head and tail, the dragon boat is decorated with gongs and drums, flags or hull paintings. For example, the dragon boat in Shunde, Guangdong Province is decorated with dragon cards, dragon tail flags and handsome flags, embroidered with couplets, flowers and plants, embroidered with patterns such as dragon wind and eight immortals. Generally, dragon boats don't have that much decoration, they are all decorated with pennants and hanging colors. Ancient dragon boats were also gorgeous, such as Dragon Pool Race (painted by Wang Zhenpeng in Yuan Dynasty). In the picture, the dragon's dragon head is tall and huge, beautifully carved, its tail is high and curly, and it has several layers of double eaves pavilions. If it is realistic, it can prove the beauty of ancient dragon boats. Another example is Dianshizhai Pictorial. The dragon boat in Wuhu painted by Qu Zi is also high with a dragon head and a floor on it. In some areas, the dragon boat still has an ancient style and is very beautiful.

Dragon boat race is the main custom of Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, people who originated in the ancient State of Chu were reluctant to part with the death of the sage Qu Yuan, and many people rowed boats to save people. 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.

In fact, the "Dragon Boat Race" existed as early as the Warring States Period. Carving dragon-shaped canoes in drums and playing race games are semi-religious and semi-entertaining programs to entertain gods and people in the ceremony. Later, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, the dragon boat races in different places were given different meanings.

Before the dragon boat race, please invite dragons to offer sacrifices to the gods. For example, before the Dragon Boat Festival in Guangdong, you should go out of the water, worship the Nanhai God in the Nanhai Temple, install the dragon head and tail, and then prepare for the race. And buy a pair of paper cocks and put them on the dragon boat, thinking that they can keep the boat safe (vaguely corresponding to the ancient bird boat). Fujian and Taiwan went to Mazu Tempel to worship. Some directly kill chickens in dragon festival by the river, and the dragon first drops blood, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.

In Miluo County, Hunan Province, before the dragon boat race, you must go to Quzi Temple to worship the dragon head, put red cloth on the dragon head, and then race the dragon boat, not only to worship the dragon god, but also to commemorate Qu Yuan. In Zigui, Hubei, Qu Yuan's hometown, there is also a ceremony to worship Qu Yuan. The custom of offering sacrifices to Qu Yuan is recorded in Geography of Sui Shu: "Swift and swift, its songs are noisy, and the audience is like a cloud." Interpretation of Du Jingqu in Yuxi, Liu Tang: "Du Jing began in Wuling, and now it is in harmony with it, with a salty voice:' Where is it', which means four valleys." It can be seen that in the two lakes region, Qu Yuan's sacrifice is closely related to the dragon boat race. Maybe after Qu Yuan's death (and Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc. ), locals also use soul boats to send souls for burial, so this custom exists.

Another example is Zhejiang, where they commemorate Cao E with dragon boat races. According to "Biography of Women in the Later Han Dynasty", Cao E threw herself into the river. According to folklore, she went into the river to find her father's body. There are many sacrifices in Zhejiang. Dianshizhai Pictorial Sacrifice to Cao E depicts the scene of people sacrificing Cao E in Huiji area.

The competition in Shandong and Wudi (Jiangsu) is to commemorate Wu Zixu, so Suzhou has an old habit of offering sacrifices to Wu Zixu on the Dragon Boat Festival and holding competitions on the water to commemorate it. There is also a memorial ceremony in Guangxi, and there is also a memorial ceremony in Fuzhou.

All kinds of sacrificial ceremonies and commemorative ceremonies are nothing more than burning incense and burning money for roast chicken, cooking rice, burning meat, offering fruit, zongzi and so on. Nowadays, these superstitious ceremonies are rare, but in the past, when people went to the Dragon Palace to offer sacrifices, the atmosphere was very serious, praying for a bumper harvest in agriculture, good weather, evil spirits and all the best, and wishing boating safety. In people's words, "to be auspicious" expresses people's inner good wishes.

At the beginning of the official competition, the atmosphere was very warm. Song of Race Crossing written by Zhang Jianfeng, a poet in the Tang Dynasty: ... The clothes on both sides of the strait smell fragrant, and the silver hairpin shines on the frost blade. The drums rang three times and the red flag opened; Two dragons jumped out of the water. Shadow waves fly to Wan Jian, and drum waves sound like thunder. The drums are getting closer and closer, and the two dragons look at the mark, just like a moment. People on the slope thundered and the poles were dizzy. The front boat won the bid to launch, and the rear boat lost momentum and waved. "These poems vividly depict the magnificent scenery of the dragon boat race. Women usually don't go out, but now they are competing to see the dragon boat, and the silver hairpin is shining; The dragon boat under the command of the red flag of the war drum comes and falls like a flying sword, and the drums sound like thunder; The finish line is marked with colored poles. The dragon boat is approaching the target quickly ... The modern dragon boat race is similar, but the rules are a little stricter. In recent years, international dragon boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all over the world.

Besides speed races, there are other activities, such as dragon boat rowing. For example, the dragon boat goes to the countryside, that is, rowing the dragon boat to a familiar village nearby to play and gather. Sometimes the dragon boat also has various tricks, which means performing. For example, the dragon boat in Guangzhou, hand in hand with blades inserted into the water, and then picked up, let the water splash; People at the bow and stern stamped the boat rhythmically, making the dragon boat rise and fall like Youlong. In Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province, some dragon boats had their tails trodden very low, causing the dragons to look up, and the sharp waves at the bow of the dragon jetted out from Longkou, like a dragon swallowing clouds and spitting rain.

And boat races. For example, in "Jing Xun in Huainanzi", "Dragon boat flies at the head and blows for entertainment" means rowing dragon boats, rocking boats, playing music and paddling in the water. "Dream of Liang Lu" records that there were "six dragon boats swimming in the lake" in Hangzhou in the Southern Song Dynasty. There are dragon boats on the lake, which is only part of the boat tour.

Emperors in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties all liked to watch dragon boats by the water, which also belonged to games and the like. It is recorded in the Book of Old Tang Dynasty that both of them have the deeds of "watching the game". The seventh volume of Dream of China in Tokyo records the custom of the Northern Song Emperor watching the dragon boat race in Jinming Pool of Linshui Temple. Among them are floats, musical boats, boats, painting boats, dragon boats and tiger boats. Watch and play music and a 40-foot-long dragon boat. Besides the dragon boat, other boats are also lined up to bid for entertainment. Zhang Song Zeduan's "Jin Chiming Won the Bid" depicts this scene. The Ming emperor watched the dragon boat in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai, and watched the warriors in the Imperial Shooting Prison gallop and shoot arrows. In the Qing Dynasty, races were held in Fuhai and Yuanmingyuan, and both Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors went to watch them.

There will be a dragon boat in the evening. In Wujin, Zhejiang, there used to be a night dragon boat race with small lights hanging on all sides. Night Dragon Boat appeared at Wu Tong Bridge in Sichuan from 1982. The boat is decorated with electric lights, fireworks and floating river lanterns, which are dazzling. In a few places in Zhejiang, piles of floating flames are set up on the water surface, so that dragon boats covered with lanterns can pass through the flames.

There is also a dry dragon boat, which is a simulated dragon boat race on land. For example, "Nanchang County Records" says: "Dragon boat was dried on May 5th, so that several people (y6, * * *) gathered things together, passed flowers on behalf of drums, and filled the thoroughfare. Scholars and women gave money to pray and fought for firecrackers to eliminate disasters." Wuyi county, Zhejiang province used to have the custom of pushing dragon boats in dry land, which was also thought to ward off evil spirits. In addition, Foshan, Dongguan and Xinyi in Guangdong all have the custom of rowing dragon boats in dry land, which is actually a dance, but the date is not necessarily on the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat in dry land is the most spectacular in Foshan in autumn. Another example is recorded in Huizhou Fuzhi: "On May 5th, I sailed a boat to meet the gods and drive away the epidemic, taking bamboo as the object. Painting is like mud, and twelve people worship the gods and walk around the city. " There are also little dragon boats for children to make toys.

When rowing a dragon boat, there are many dragon-like songs that are sung for fun. For example, when rowing dragon boats in Zigui, Hubei, there is a complete singing, and songs and songs are based on the integration of local folk songs and ballads. The song is magnificent and passionate, which is the legacy of "praise and harmony". Another example is the Dragon Boat Song in Nanxiong County, Guangdong Province. After the dragon boat was launched in April, it was sung until the Dragon Boat Festival, and the performance was very extensive. Dragon boat songs, which spread in Guilin, Lingui and other places in northern Guangxi, were sung by many speakers during the competition, and some people called them. Most of their performances are related to the customs of Dragon Boat Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, and their songs have a far-reaching and touching influence. Guangxi Folk Music Anthology includes Lingui County (four dragon boat songs) suite, which is lively and enthusiastic, and it must be very touching to sing.

In addition, I want to talk about the female dragon boat. In the past, women were not allowed to participate in dragon boat races in many places, and it was considered unlucky for women to touch the dragon boat. Nowadays, women's dragon boat teams have appeared all over the country, and heroic women are brave enough to win glory and compete for the first place, not weaker than men.

Just as there are dragon dances and phoenix dances in the Spring Festival, there are also dragon boats and phoenix boats in the Dragon Boat Festival. As mentioned earlier, the origin of phoenix boat comes from ancient black boat and stork boat. In ancient times, there were phoenixes in the court (such as "Tianfu Guangji" in the Ming Dynasty), and there were phoenixes racing among the people. "Guangdong Capsule" contains: "The dragon boat hangs the doctor and the phoenix boat hangs the sky, all of which win in five days. In the summer of Gengwu, Shi Qiaocun in Panyu gathered in Wanjin to make a phoenix boat, ten feet long and three feet wide, with the ends held high. On both sides, the wings are relaxed and gathered together, and the temple is squatting, so that you can visit the water town after worshipping. " After 1964, Phoenix regatta appeared in Hong Kong. This phoenix boat is a little short, and can take 16 players. It is decorated with a feather crown and a feather tail, and is played by female players. It is indeed a good form of competition, and it is auspicious with dragons and phoenixes.

There are dragon and phoenix boats in some places. "Shunde County Records" contains: "Daliang Dragon Boat is strange and gorgeous." But it's gone now. The dragon boat in Miluo County, Hunan Province, has a dragon head in front and a phoenix tail in the back. Phoenix tail is fan-shaped, wrapped in red paper and inserted in the stern, like a rectangular tail. It can also be called dragon and phoenix boat. Dragon and phoenix boats seem to be traces left by the fusion of dragon boats and bird boats.

Dragon boat rowing in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is of great significance to commemorate Qiu Jin, a native-born modern female democratic revolutionary. The night dragon boat is decorated with lights and shuttles, and the scene is moving and interesting. The Miao people in Guizhou hold the Dragon Boat Festival from May 25th to 28th of the lunar calendar to celebrate the success of transplanting rice and wish a bumper harvest. Yunnan Dai compatriots competed in dragon boat races at the Water-splashing Festival to commemorate the ancient hero Yan Hongwo. Different nationalities and regions have different legends about dragon boat rowing. To this day, dragon boat races with different characteristics are held every year in many areas near rivers and lakes in the south.

In the 29th year of Qing Qianlong (1736), Taiwan Province Province began to hold dragon boat races. At that time, Jiang, the chief executive of Taiwan Province Province, held a friendly match in Fukeji Half Moon Pool in Tainan City. Now, Taiwan Province Province holds a dragon boat race on May 5th every year. In Hong Kong, races are also held.

In addition, dragon boat racing was first introduced to neighboring countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Britain. From 65438 to 0980, the dragon boat race was included in the national sports competition in China, and the "Qu Yuan Cup" dragon boat race was held every year. 1991June 16 (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), the first international dragon boat festival was held in Yueyang, China, Qu Yuan's second hometown. Holding the "Dragon Head Festival" before the competition not only retains the traditional ceremony, but also injects new modern factors. The "dragon head" was carried into Quzi Temple. After the athletes painted the dragon head red (tied with a red ribbon), the priest read out the sacrificial ceremony and "lit up" the dragon head. Then, all the people who took part in the Dragon Boat Festival bowed three times, carried the dragon head to the Guluo River and hurried to the dragon boat race. More than 600,000 people participated in competitions, expositions and evening activities, which is unprecedented. Since then, Hunan has regularly held the International Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat races will be widely spread all over the world.

There is also a legend that a long time ago, there was no river in Zou Wei, only a small and dirty ditch. One day, a fisherman caught a small snake in a ditch. This little snake is very strange. There are nine shiny scales on its tail. As soon as the fisherman touched the fish scale, the snake's eyes shone with begging light, which was very pitiful. The fisherman felt sorry for it, touched its scales and put it back in the ditch. Who knows that the nine scales suddenly fell, and the little snake danced and turned into a little dragon. It turned out to be a dragon in the sky. Because I broke the dogma and was punished by the jade emperor, I became like this. It has nine strands on its tail-a small snake has nine shiny scales on its tail. The Jade Emperor once said, "This lock can't be opened unless it is positive." Just now, the fisherman inadvertently opened the Millennium shackles on Xiaolong. In order to thank the fisherman, Xiaolong kept turning around in the ditch, spouting water from his mouth and pouring it into the small ditch. Slowly, the small ditch became a big river (now Qingshui River in Zou Wei), which brought a bumper harvest to Zou Wei. In order to commemorate this dragon, people call the villages along the river Longtouzhai, Shanglongshou and other villages. On the day when the dragon ascended to heaven, that is, the Dragon Boat Festival, a dragon boat race was held to celebrate.

From 65438 to 0984, the former State Sports Commission decided to list the dragon boat race as a sport and held the "Qu Yuan Cup" dragon boat race.

Dragon boat races have a long history. After it was introduced to foreign countries, it was deeply loved by people all over the world and formed an international competition. 1983, China sent a team to participate in the dragon boat race for the first time, winning two championships in one fell swoop. 1984 International Dragon Boat Race was held in Hong Kong. A total of 16 teams from the United States, Germany, Japan, Britain, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Macau and Hong Kong participated. China won the championship again. Dragon Boat Race is widely held in the south of China, and has formed the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat race is an important activity of Dragon Boat Festival, which is very popular in southern China. It was originally a sacrificial activity of the ancient Yue people to worship the water god or the dragon god, and its origin may have started at the end of primitive society. Quanzhou Dragon Boat Festival is similar to other places, but Huian Chongwu is special. In earlier years, Chongwu also had Dragon Boat Race, but it was different from other places. It is mainly an exorcism activity held at sea before the typhoon season. It is said that later, due to an accident in a certain year, the dragon boat race at sea was stopped, and the dragon boat race was changed to the upper reaches of the land. Singing "Arrow Song" during the parade, the lyrics are to ask the gods to eliminate disasters, but it has not been held for nearly a hundred years. From this point of view, the dragon boat race and Youlong boat race in Chongwu, like the custom of "picking lotus", are all forms of dragon worship in folk beliefs, that is, using the power of the dragon king to ward off evil spirits and eliminate disasters and ensure peace.