Customs of Chaozhou Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is also called the May Festival in Chaoshan, and falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. Investigating the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, on the one hand, it is commonly known as the fifth month of the lunar calendar. On the other hand, there are three fives in every month, namely, the fifth day, the fifteenth day and the twenty-fifth day. The fifth day is the fifth day, which began in May. Because the "fifth day" and "noon" are homophonic, it is called the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May.

There are many customs and activities in chaozhou people during the Dragon Boat Festival, such as drinking "dragon beard water" in the morning, putting mugwort leaves at the door, picking greens in the mountains, eating zongzi balls and racing dragon boats.

In the morning, it is said that the fifth day of May is the birthday of the dragon. On this day, the water sprayed from the tap can cure diseases. Therefore, people take water from pits, ditches and streams outside on this morning and put it in their own water tanks for the whole family to eat and drink and pray for peace for one year.

Artemisia argyi is a perennial herb of Compositae, also known as Artemisia argyi. chaozhou people has used Artemisia argyi to ward off evil spirits and eliminate epidemics since ancient times. Chaozhou folk songs include: "Pinellia ternata in May of Dragon Boat Festival, hanging lintels to exorcise evil spirits ..." On the Dragon Boat Festival, chaozhou people put wormwood on the door to pray for peace. Artemisia argyi has a strong fragrance, and some people put it in sachets to treat diseases and keep fit. Modern medical research shows that Folium Artemisiae Argyi contains volatile oil, and the main component is absinthe. It also contains tannic acid, potassium chloride and trace vitamins B, C and A. Absinthe has a strong bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect, can also excite the vasoconstriction center and motor center, and has the function of improving human immune function. Therefore, the folk custom of hanging moxa and inserting moxa on Dragon Boat Festival in ancient times is also a simple and feasible method of air disinfection, insect repellent and sterilization, which has certain scientific truth and is still worth advocating today.

Dragon Boat Race Chaozhou has a folk song "Bao He Er Wei grabs the first bid", which vividly reflects the folk custom of Chaozhou folk dragon boat race. Chaozhou rivers and ponds crisscross. Dragon boat festival, dragon boat race. The gongs and drums are loud, flags are flying, paddles are like wings, and medals are competing for each other. The street is empty, and water is splashed on it. It's very lively. The tide poem "Dragon Boat Festival" says: "Dragon Boat Festival clouds open and showers collect, and dragon boats race across the river; My heart was in a hurry with the drums and I forgot Qu Yuan's sorrow that day. " This is the poet's description of people watching the dragon boat race.

Although the custom of dragon boat racing in Chaozhou is not fashionable, the Dragon Boat Festival is still full of fun. With the arrival of summer, festival sacrifices are different from other festivals. For housewives, it is very convenient to rub jelly jiaozi. Mix a proper amount of sweet potato flour and water into a soft dough. When the water in the pot boils, rub the soft dough into thin strips with both hands and put it in the pot, preferably with even vermicelli. After cooking, pick it up and put it in a bowl or bowl, dry it and rub it into a ball. When eating, cut it into small pieces with thread and eat it with powdered sugar. Cool and refreshing, suitable for summer.

Zongzi is made on the Dragon Boat Festival. Chaozhou City's glutinous rice dumplings are mainly salty and sweet, which is called "double spelling". Salt includes eggs, ham, lotus root, mushrooms and dried shrimps. The sweetener is mung bean paste. Glutinous rice and salty sweet materials are wrapped in bamboo leaves into corner balls, tied tightly with salty grass and cooked in a pot. Tear the bamboo leaves apart when eating, which is extremely fragrant and delicious. People have the custom of giving each other jiaozi.

There is also an alkali zongzi, which is made of glutinous rice mixed with alkali. Boil the glutinous rice until it is semi-bright yellow, and it is slightly bitter and sweet after eating. According to legend, alkali balls can kill scabies in the stomach. Eating powdered sugar is a diet therapy.

At noon on Dragon Boat Festival, we eat pearl flower soup, sweet with sugar and salty with boiled pork. Legend has it that eating at this time can improve eyesight and disinfect.

Part from Wang Chao (Text/Anonymous)