The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four major festivals of the year. May is a poisonous month, the fifth day is a poisonous day, and the noon of the fifth day is a poisonous time, which is the end of the three poisons. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the "end of May". May is the beginning of the entire hot days, five poisonous snakes began to be active, ghosts and demons will be rampant, these will give people, especially to the children who have nothing to worry about and no resistance to bring disaster, must be concentrated in the end of the day in May for the children to eliminate the disaster and prevent the poison, therefore, people also said that the Dragon Boat Festival in May is the "Children's Day" or The "Dolls Festival".
The Dragon Boat Festival is the traditional habit of Chinese people for more than two thousand years, due to the vast area, many nationalities, part of Mongolia, Hui, Tibet, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Buyei, Korea, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, She, Lahu, water, Naxi, Daur, Mulao, Qiang, Gelao, Sibe, Pumi, Ewenke, Yugu, Eroqin, and other ethnic minorities have also been this festival, coupled with a lot of stories and legends! The festival not only has many different names, but also has different customs in different places. Its content is mainly: the daughter back to his mother's home, hanging Zhong Kui statue, welcome the ghost ship, avoiding Wu, posting Wu Ye Fu, hanging calamus, wormwood, swim in the hundred diseases, Pei Xiangbao, ready to sweet, dragon boat race, than the martial arts, batting, swinging, to the children painted with xionghuang, drinking xionghuang liquor, calamus wine, eat five poisonous cakes, salted eggs, rice dumplings, and seasonal fruits, etc., in addition to superstitious color of the activities have disappeared, the rest of the so far spread all over China and the neighboring countries. Some activities, such as dragon boat races, have been newly developed, breaking through time and geographical boundaries to become international sporting events.
On November 24, 2005, Korea applied for the "Dragon Boat Festival" to be officially recognized by UNESCO as an "oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity". This is a profound lesson for the Chinese in the protection of their cultural heritage.
Legend of Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient traditional festival that began in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. There are many origins and legends of the Dragon Boat Festival, only the following four are introduced:
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the "Dragon Boat Festival". Duan is the "beginning", "first" meaning. The first five days can be called the end of the five. Lunar calendar to the Earth's branches of the month, the first month of building c, February for the d, in turn to May for the noon, so that May for the month of noon, "five" and "noon" through, "five" and for the number of Yang, so the Dragon Boat Festival also known as Duanwu is also known as the fifth, heavy five, Duanyang, in the day, etc.. From the historical point of view, "Dragon Boat Festival" two words were first seen in the Jin Zhou Zhi "land and customs": "mid-summer Dragon Boat Festival, cooking rasping corn". Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of the Han Chinese people in China. The essential activities of this day gradually evolved into: eating zongzi, dragon boat racing, hanging calamus, moxa, fumigation Cangzhu, Angelica dahurica, drink xionghuang wine. It is said that eating rice dumplings and dragon boat racing, is to commemorate the Qu Yuan, so after the liberation of the Dragon Boat Festival was named "Poet's Day" to commemorate the Qu Yuan. As for hanging calamus, moxa leaves, fumigate Cangzhu, Angelica dahurica, drink Xionghuang wine, it is said to be in order to suppress the evil spirits. Although the Dragon Boat Festival every year, but about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, but not very clear, summarized, roughly the following said.
One, to honor Qu Yuan said. This is the earliest from the Southern Liang Dynasty Wu Jun "continued Qi Harmony" and the Northern Zhou Zong hours "Jing Chu chronicle" records. It is said that Qu Yuan on the fifth day of May threw himself into the Miluo River, after his death for the dragon trapped, the world mourned, every day to throw five-color silk dumplings in the water to drive mosquitoes and dragons. And rumor has it that, Qu Yuan cast Miluo River, the local people heard immediately rowing boats to rescue, thousands of straight line to Dongting Lake, the end of the Qu Yuan's body is not seen. At that time, coinciding with the rainy day, the lake boat together gathered at the shore of the pavilion. When people learned that is to salvage the wise minister Qu Daifu, once again braved the rain, scrambling to paddle into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to send their condolences, people swung their boats on top of the river, and only thereafter gradually developed into dragon boat races. 'It seems that the Dragon Boat Festival to eat zongzi, dragon boat races and commemorate Qu Yuan related to the Tang Dynasty Wenxiu 'Dragon Boat Festival' poem as evidence: "Festival points Dragon Boat Festival since who said, the rumors of the ages for Qu Yuan. I can laugh at the empty Chu River, can not be washed straight minister injustice."
Secondly, it is said to welcome the god of Tao. This is from the Eastern Han Dynasty "Cao E Stele". In the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu, a loyal minister of Wu, died of injustice, turned into the Tao God, the world mourned and sacrificed, so there is the Dragon Boat Festival.
Three, the Dragon Festival said. This argument comes from Wen Yiduo's "Dragon Boat Festival", and "Dragon Boat Festival's historical education". He believes that the fifth day of May is the ancient Wuyue region "dragon" of the tribe held a totem sacrifice day. The main reasons are; (a) the two most important activities of the Dragon Boat Festival eat zongzi and race, are related to the dragon. Zongzi into the water is often stolen by the mosquito dragon, while the race is used in the dragon boat. (B) the race and the ancient wu yue local relationship is particularly deep, and wu yue people also have broken hair tattoo "to like the dragon" custom. (C) in ancient times on the fifth day of May, there are "colorful silk tie arm" folk custom, which should be "like the Dragon" tattoo custom remains.
Four, said the evil day. In the pre-Qin era, it is generally believed that May is a poisonous month, the fifth is a bad day. Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals in the chapter of "Zhong Xia Ji" provides that people in May to abstain from sex, fasting. The Xia Xiaozheng (夏小正)recorded that "medicines were stored on this day in order to purify the poisonous qi." Dadailei" in the record, "the fifth day of the fifth month of the animal orchids for the bath" to bathe to drive away evil spirits that the fifth day of the death of the legend is also a lot of. The Historical Records of the Grand Historian (史记-孟尝君列传) recorded that the famous Grand Historian Meng Chang Jun (孟尝君) was born on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. His father asked his mother not to give birth to him, believing that "the son of the month of May, longer than the household Qi, will be unfavorable to his parents." According to an anonymous article in the book "Customs", "It is said that if a child is born on the fifth day of the fifth month, the male will harm his father and the female will harm her mother. Wang Chong, author of "Lun Heng", also recorded: "taboo to lift the first month, May son; to the first month, May son to kill the father and mother, shall not be lifted also." In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the great general Wang Zhenxiao was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, so his grandfather named him "Zhenxiao". Song Huizong Zhao Ji was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, from childhood foster outside the palace. It can be seen that the ancient May 5 as a bad day, is a common phenomenon. Can be seen from the pre-Qin later, this day are unlucky day. In this way, in this day plug calamus, mugwort to drive away ghosts, lavender, dahurica and drink andrographis to avoid the epidemic, is a logical thing.
Fifth, the summer solstice said. This view of Liu Deqian in the "" Dragon Boat "" and "" Chinese traditional festivals "", put forward three main reasons: (a) the authoritative work of years and times "" Jing Chu years and times "" did not mention the May 5 to eat zongzi holiday customs, but to eat zongzi written in the summer solstice festival. As for Jingdu, the Sui dynasty Du Daiqing made the "jade candle BaoDian" it is classified as a summer solstice recreational activities, it is not necessarily for the salvage of the great poet Qu Yuan cast the river. (b) Some elements of the Dragon Boat Festival customs, such as "stepping on a hundred grasses", "fighting a hundred grasses", "picking miscellaneous medicines", etc., actually have nothing to do with Qu Yuan. (C) years and years of winds and customs Hua Ji Li" on the Dragon Boat Festival, the first explanation is: "the day leaf is the sun, that is, the Dragon Boat Festival is the middle of the summer, so the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the day in the festival. This is the earliest origin of the Dragon Boat Festival when the summer solstice. Tui Dang out, and to commemorate the Qu Yuan said the most extensive impact. Because of Qu Yuan's personality and art, people are also willing to attribute this anniversary to him.
〖Origin of commemorating Qu Yuan〗
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, "Qu Yuan and Jiasheng", Qu Yuan was a minister of King Huai of Chu during the Warring States period. He advocated the promotion of the virtuous, the rich and the strong, and strongly advocated the alliance of Qi against Qin, was strongly opposed by the aristocrat Zilan and others, Qu Yuan was gluttonous to go to his post, was driven out of the capital, and was exiled to the Yuan and Xiang basins. During his exile, he wrote such immortal poems as "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions" and "Nine Songs", which are unique and far-reaching (thus, the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Poets' Festival). In 278 B.C., the Qin army attacked the capital of Chu. Qu Yuan saw his motherland being invaded, and his heart was cut to pieces, but he could not bear to give up his motherland, and on the 5th of May, after writing his final poem "Huai Sha", he threw himself into Miluo River and died, composing a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life.
Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were in mourning and flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to him. Fishermen rowed up their boats and salvaged his real body back and forth on the river. A fisherman took out for Qu Yuan prepared rice balls, eggs and other food, "flop, flop" thrown into the river, said that the fish and lobsters and crabs eat enough, will not go to bite the body of Dr. Qu. People see have followed suit. An old physician to bring a altar of yellow wine poured into the river, said to be drug stunned dragon water beasts, so as not to harm Dr. Qu. Later, for fear of rice balls for the dragon to eat, people came up with a neem leaf wrapped in rice, wrapped in colorful silk, developed into a brown.
After that, on the fifth day of the fifth month of every year, there is a dragon boat race, eat zongzi, drink xionghuang wine custom; in order to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.
[Originated from commemorating Wu Zixu〗
The second legend of the Dragon Boat Festival, which is widely circulated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, commemorates Wu Zixu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC). Wu Zixu, a native of Chu, had his father and brother killed by the king of Chu. Later, Wu Zixu abandoned his darkness and ran to Wu to help Wu conquer Chu, and entered Ying City, the capital of Chu, in five battles. At that time, King Ping of Chu had already died, and Zixu dug up his grave and whipped his body 300 times to avenge the killing of his father and brother. After the death of King Helu of Wu, his son Fu Chai succeeded to the throne. The Wu army had high morale and won a hundred battles, and the Yue kingdom was greatly defeated, and King Goujian of Yue asked for peace, which Fu Chai agreed to. Zixu suggested that the state of Yue should be completely destroyed, but Fu-chai refused to listen to him, and Wu's Dazai, who had been bribed by the state of Yue, framed Zixu with slanderous rumors, and Fu-chai believed him and gave Zixu a sword, which he used to kill himself. Zixu was a loyal man, and he was very happy to die. Before he died, he told his neighbors, "After I die, I will dig out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Wu Jing to see the Yue army enter the city to destroy Wu", and then he killed himself. Fu Chai was furious at the news, and he ordered to take Zixu's body and put it into a leather bag to throw it into a big river on the fifth day of the fifth month, so it is said that Duanwu Festival is a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.
〖Originally Commemorating the Filial Daughter Cao E〗
The third legend of the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates a filial daughter, Cao E, who saved her father's life and threw herself into the river in the Eastern Han Dynasty (23--220 A.D.). Cao E is the Eastern Han Dynasty Shangyu people, his father drowned in the river, a few days to see the body, the filial daughter of Cao E was only fourteen years old, day and night along the river crying. After seventeen days, she threw herself into the river on May 5, and carried her father's body out five days later. The story was passed down as a myth, and the story was passed down to the governor of the county, who made Dushan erect a monument for it, and had his disciple Handan Chun write a eulogy in praise of it.
The tomb of Cao E, a filial daughter, is located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and the monument to Cao E is said to have been written by Wang Yi of the Jin Dynasty. To commemorate Cao E's filial piety, the descendants built the Cao E Temple at the place where she threw herself into the river where she lived
The Cao E Temple is located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.