Customs and humanistic culture of Dragon Boat Festival

Guangdong people have many unique customs to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, but many customs are rarely heard of now, such as hanging sachets and lighting moxa sticks. The customs passed down in Guangdong now mainly include dragon boat fishing, eating zongzi, hanging mugwort sticks, flying kites (kites), having a big lunch for the whole family, and taking a bath with medicine (boiling bitter grass and wheat medicine to bathe children, and young people will go to the seaside or river to bathe). In order to adapt to this hot weather, Guangdong, located in the subtropical zone, took various measures to prevent viruses, relieve summer heat and avoid disasters on May, and gradually formed various customs. The southern river network is vertical and horizontal, and water sports have a long history. In Jiangnan water town, the dragon boat is roasted every year on the fifth day of May to welcome the tide god. Guangdong people call the dragon boat race "dragon boat", which was called "imperial boat" more than 700 years ago. Cantonese people not only inherit culture through customs, but also make the Dragon Boat Festival more festive. Although eating zongzi is a tradition of holiday customs, it is actually a summer food for people to adapt to the natural ecological environment and recuperate their bodies. In addition to the custom of eating zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival has rich connotations of national epidemic prevention and fitness. In order to prevent heatstroke, the ancients used various methods such as eating, washing, smoking and smelling.

Jiangsu province:

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jiading County, people, rich or poor, have to buy stone fish (commonly known as mandarin fish) to cook. There is also a saying in Yizheng County, "When pants, buy yellow croaker". On the Dragon Boat Festival in Nanjing, families use a box of clear water, plus a little realgar and goose eye money. The whole family washes their eyes with this kind of water, which is called "breaking the eyes of fire". It is said that it can protect them from eye diseases for a year. There is a dragon boat show in Wujin at night. In the evening, small lanterns are hung around the dragon boat, and flutes and drums sing harmoniously.

Zhejiang province:

Students from rural schools in Tonglu County pay tribute to their teachers during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is called "Yisi". The doctor collects medicine at noon, and it is said that the doctor is in heaven that day.

Hebei province:

It is said that drilling well water is avoided in Beiping Dragon Boat Festival, and it is often pre-pumped before the festival, in order to avoid well poisoning. On Dragon Boat Festival, street vendors also sell cherry mulberries. It is said that they eat cherry mulberries on Dragon Boat Festival, but they can't eat flies by mistake all year round. "Five Poison Cakes", which are cakes decorated with five poisonous insect patterns, are sold in various food stores. Luanxian county lets men and women in-laws give gifts to each other on the Dragon Boat Festival. On the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhao County, the local government will hold a banquet in the south of the city, inviting the literati in the city to feast and compose poems, which is called "stepping on the willow".

Shandong province:

On the Dragon Boat Festival in zouping county, everyone needs a drink every morning, which is said to ward off evil spirits. Rizhao Dragon Boat Festival wraps five-color lines around children, and they have to wear them to the first rain after the festival before they are untied and thrown into the rain. On the Dragon Boat Festival in Linqing County, boys under seven wear symbols (necklaces made of wheat barnyard grass), girls wear pomegranate flowers and yellow cloth shoes made by their mothers, and draw five kinds of poisonous insects on the vamps with a brush. It means killing five kinds of poisonous insects with Qu Yuan's ink. On the morning of Dragon Boat Festival, Jimo washes his face with dew.

Shanxi Province:

On the Dragon Boat Festival in Xiezhou, men and women wear mugwort leaves, which is called "expelling diseases", while young children tie a hundred ropes around their necks. It is said that this is "tying dragons for Qu Yuan". During the Dragon Boat Festival in the Western Zhou Dynasty, villages would offer sacrifices to the Dragon King and hang paper in the fields. The Dragon Boat Festival in Huairen County is also called "Zhumen". The Dragon Boat Festival in Dingxiang County requires students to give gifts to their teachers. Lu 'an Mansion uses steamed dumplings made of wheat flour, called "white dumplings", and presents them to each other together with zongzi.

Shaanxi province:

On the Dragon Boat Festival in Xing 'an League, local officials lead their subordinates to watch the game, which is called "stepping on a stone". At the Dragon Boat Festival in Xingping County, a small corn is sewn with silk, and a small doll is sewn below it, which is called "playing with dolls". The Dragon Boat Festival in Tongguan County is called "town disease", and there are Pu Ai and paper cows sticking to the door.

Gansu province:

Picking roses on Dragon Boat Festival in Jingning area is mainly based on honey pickling. Zhenyuan county presented a fragrant fan, a Luo Qi, a towel handkerchief and a Ai Hu to the newlyweds during the Dragon Boat Festival. Children also invite their fathers and brothers to entertain their teachers, which is called "enjoying the festival". On the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhang Xi 'an County, the shepherd boy worships the mountain gods. Accumulated salary mountain, chicken calls before burning, commonly known as "burning mountain" [2 1] The Dragon Boat Festival in Gaoyou is quite special. There are customs such as tying a hundred scorpions, sticking five poisons, sticking symbols, emitting yellow smoke and eating "Twelve Red". Children hang "duck eggs", that is, choose beautiful duck eggs, put them in colorful lines and hang them on their chests.

Sichuan province:

Shizhu has the custom of "going out during the Dragon Boat Festival". Four people use two bamboo poles to lift the wide table covered with red carpet. A Taoist priest riding a tiger weaves bamboo sticks on the carpet. Beating gongs and drums, marching in the street. In ancient times, there was a custom of "typing" on the Dragon Boat Festival in western Sichuan. In the 21st year of Guangxu (1895), this custom stopped because of the sudden conflict between Touli and foreign missionaries. Leshan, Xinjin and other places also hold grand commodity fairs during the Dragon Boat Festival. Mianyang City and Suining City have a tradition of eating noodles during the Dragon Boat Festival [similar to jiaozi, cooking with bread stuffing], and the specific origin remains to be verified.

Jiangxi province:

Jianchang Prefecture takes a bath with herbal water at noon to prevent scabies, and Xinchang County drinks realgar cinnabar wine, which is called "opening eyes".

Hubei province:

In Bahe Town, Huanggang City, people greet Nuo people on the Dragon Boat Festival and use tattoos of corollas and golden bells to drive away the epidemic. In Zigui County, Yichang City, May 13, 14 and 15 are the Dragon Boat Festival, and there are also activities to commemorate Dr. Qu. On this day, there is also the custom of sunbathing children, that is, putting a basin of water in the sun, and then bathing the children when the water is hot. It is said that it can wash away filth and disease. May 15th is also called "Daduanyang", and May 25th is also called "Zhongyang". Eating zongzi and drinking Pu wine is the same as the Dragon Boat Festival.

Hunan province:

On the Dragon Boat Festival in Youxian County, rich pregnant women eat with flowers, poor people prepare chicken wine, and collect money with bamboo clips in front of the dragon boat faucet to pray for safe production. The government of Yuezhou regards this game as a disaster and a disease. Also known as "sending plague", when the grass boat comes to flood.

Fujian province:

Fuzhou Dragon Boat Festival is an old custom, so the daughter-in-law gives shroud, shoes and socks, zongzi and fans to her in-laws. In Jianyang County, 5th is the King Day of Sun-drying capsules, and people make sauces on this day. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shanghang County, the boat was tied with reeds and a dragon-shaped play was performed at the water's edge, which was called dragon boat race. After the Dragon Boat Race in Xianyou County, paper was presented at Huxiao Beach to commemorate Qi Jiguang's drowning here during Jiajing period. Before Shao Wufu's Dragon Boat Festival, women used crimson yarn as a bag. Five-color velvet is the winning surface, and the colored thread is tied. The girl hung upside down on her back and was called "Dou Niang".

Hainan province:

During the Dragon Boat Festival, all parts of Hainan will hold dragon boat races and other activities as in the Central Plains. In addition to dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, hanging calamus and wormwood, there is another place in Hainan that is well known to the people on the island, that is, washing dragon water and taking herbal baths.

Taiwan Province Province:

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan Province Province, many people hung portraits of Acorus calamus, wormwood and Zhong Kui at the door. Adults drank realgar wine and children wore sachets, which is said to have the function of avoiding evil spirits and keeping peace. For businessmen, Dragon Boat Festival is a good business opportunity to market folk culture. Every year, they try their best to attract attention by selling zongzi. There are all kinds of strange zongzi in Taiwan Province Province, and many people are willing to show their creativity. Tainan Dragon Boat Festival does not eat zongzi, but eats a kind of food called "fried pile" (also called "fried hammer"). This custom is also related to Zheng Chenggong. Taiwan Province Province, like the mainland, has the most lively and lively Dragon Boat Festival. The major rivers in all parts of Taiwan Province Province hold grand dragon boat races on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon Boat Festival originated in China. Originally, it was a totem festival for the tribes who worshipped dragon totem in Baiyue area (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the south area). Before the Spring and Autumn Period in Baiyue area, it was customary to hold totem festivals in the form of dragon boat races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Later, because Qu Yuan, a poet of the State of Chu (now Hubei) in the Warring States period, threw a huge stone into the Miluo River that day, the ruler took the Dragon Boat Festival as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan in order to establish the label of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism. In some areas, Wu Zixu and Cao E are also commemorated.