Ancient Baiyue region of the worship and belief in the dragon totem.
Duanwu originated in China's southern Baiyue, is an ancient folk festival, originated in China, initially in China's ancient Baiyue region worship of the dragon totem tribes in the form of dragon boat races sacrificed to the dragon ancestor of the festival. There are also originated from the bad month and bad day, summer season, storage orchid bathing and commemorate Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, Cao E and other sayings.
2 What are the traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival
1, picking the dragon boat
Swimming dragon, in Raoping County, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, every Dragon Boat Festival, people will use bamboo and paper made of pink, brown, green, purple, red, yellow six colors of the dragon boat "Swimming Dragon" from the first day of the fifth month of the Lunar Calendar to the sixth day of the first day of the fifth month of the Lunar Calendar, every day. Parade in turn.
2, fumigation Cangzhu
Fumigation Cangzhu is one of the traditional Dragon Boat Festival customary activities in the folk with Cangzhu disinfection of the air, that is, the natural Cangzhu bundled together, the burning of the thin smoke produced not only gives off a fragrance, but also can drive away mosquitoes, refreshing.
3, hit the noon water
Duanwu Festival "hit the noon water" is prevalent in the southern coastal areas of the traditional customs, hit the noon water that is the day of the Dragon Boat Festival between 11:00 and 13:00 noon in the well to play water, the ancients to play up the noon water is considered to be very lucky water, the water at this time is the most able to ward off evil spirits. Heavy noon of the day at noon, Yang plus Yang, so the "noon water" has "extreme Yang water" of the name; also known as Longmei water, water, etc. Yang. The day of the noon of Yang Qi is the most abundant, the Dragon Boat Festival at noon to drive away the best, with the effect of warding off evil spirits, purifying the body, in addition to the obstacles.
4, medicine
Picking medicine is one of the ancient Dragon Boat Festival. Folk believe that the midday noon, Yang Qi is strong, is the most medicinal day of the year, the Dragon Boat Festival is medicine everywhere. Dragon Boat Festival, when in midsummer, when its time is also, everything grows, its potential to flourish, is a time of strong growth of herbs.
5, to avoid the five poisons
Duanwu in the minds of ancient northerners is a poisonous day, the evil day, in the folk beliefs of this idea has been passed down, so there are all kinds of peace, to avoid the five poisons of the custom. The five poisons refer to centipedes, poisonous snakes, scorpions, geckos and toads, which were the five most poisonous animals prevalent in the north in ancient times.
6, painting forehead
Duanwu Festival, the custom of smearing children's foreheads with Xionghuang, the cloud can be driven away to avoid poisonous insects. Typical method is to use the male yellow wine in the children's forehead painting "king" word, a borrowing of the male yellow to drive away poison, the second borrowing tiger ("king" like the tiger's forehead pattern, and the tiger is the king of beasts, because of the substitution of the tiger) in order to quell the evil. Qing Fu-cha Dunzong "Yanjing times and years": "Each to the Danyang, since the first day of the first day, take the andrographis sprinkled with wine, coated with children's collars and between the nose and ears, in order to avoid poisons." In addition to the forehead, nose and ears coated, can also be coated elsewhere, with the same intention. Shanxi "Hequ County" cloud: "Dragon Boat Festival, drink andrography wine, coated with children's forehead and two hands, feet heart, ... said that in addition to disease prolonged life."