Grab dragon water
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, just before dawn, the family living by the Miluo River rushed to the river to pick a load of "dragon water" for the family to wash their faces, comb their hair or take a bath, so as to seek the protection of Qu Yuan, wash away all their illnesses and ensure the family's safety.
Throw zongzi
Miluo people will throw zongzi into the river as a sacrifice to Qu Yuan. According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Qu Yuan dreamed that bamboo rice was eaten by fish and shrimp. He said, "Rice can be wrapped in the leaves of Zongzi, and the tip of Zongzi is sharp, and fish and shrimp mistake it for water chestnut, and then tie it up with colorful silk thread." Since then, people have replaced the original bamboo tube rice with dumplings.
Acorus calamus with wormwood
Legend has it that one year on the fifth day of May, a local lame Taoist came to the door to eat. Every household sent a note that said, "Insert wormwood leaves during the Dragon Boat Festival, and be carefree.". After the Dragon Boat Festival, a plague suddenly fell from the sky, and all the families who planted mugwort leaves in front of the door survived. All the families who didn't plant mugwort leaves were in born to die. Afterwards, people thought that this lame Taoist priest was the embodiment of Qu Yuan's salvation. The saying that "On the afternoon of May 5th, Qu Yuan rode Ai Hu and held a calamus sword to exorcise demons and return to the underworld" came from this.
Dragon Boat Racing
At that time, Qu Yuan was martyred in the river, and Miluo people rowed hundreds of boats to salvage it, and threw the bamboo rice on the Dragon Boat Festival into the river to prevent the river fish from biting its body. Since then, local people have used dragon boat races to summon Qu Yuan's soul every year.
Peixiangnang
On the Dragon Boat Festival, children wear sachets not only to ward off evil spirits, but also to decorate their heads. The sachet contains realgar, cinnabar and fragrant medicine, wrapped in silk cloth and tied into a string with five-color silk thread. It has different shapes and is exquisite and eye-catching.
Do you know much about the Dragon Boat Festival custom in Miluo now? In addition to the above, there are banquets, eating zongzi, drinking realgar wine, stealing Shenmu, carving bibcock and singing hymns. These customs have been listed as intangible cultural heritage.