The specific customs and activities of the Dragon Boat Festival mainly include: picking dragon boats, hanging wormwood and calamus, gathering at noon, washing herbal water, flying kites, swinging, putting up "noon symbols", tying white locks, drinking water at noon, soaking in dragon boat water, putting paper dragons, serving lunch, holding dragon boats, lighting moxa sticks, smoking Atractylodes lancea, giving incense fans, drying ginger for a hundred days and so on.
Specific introduction:
Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon Boat Race is a multi-person collective rowing competition, an important activity of Dragon Boat Festival, a ceremony of ancient dragon totem and a heritage. It is an important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is still very popular in the southern coastal areas of China. After it was spread abroad, it was deeply loved by people all over the world and formed an international competition. Archaeology shows that about 7000 years ago, the ancestors of coastal reproduction used canoes to fish offshore. According to the first excavation report of Hemudu site, as early as 7000 years ago, ancient ancestors had carved wooden boats out of single wood and rowed them with wooden paddles. Dragon boat was originally carved into the shape of Jackie Chan by canoe, and later developed into a dragon boat made of wood. Among the records of the origin of dragon boat in ancient books, it first appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to Wen Yiduo's Dragon Boat Festival examination, there was a custom of rowing dragon boats in wuyue water town more than 1000 years ago, in order to pray for avoiding common floods and droughts by offering sacrifices to the totem-dragon.
Hanging wormwood and calamus
On the Dragon Boat Festival, people regard inserting wormwood and calamus as one of the important contents. Every family sweeps the courtyard, inserts calamus and moxa sticks in their eyebrows and hangs them in the hall. It is believed that wormwood also has the function of exorcising evil spirits and attracting happiness. During the Dragon Boat Festival, hanging wormwood on the door has become a habit and a custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. Acorus calamus is a perennial aquatic herb, and its long and narrow leaves also contain volatile aromatic oil, which is a medicine for refreshing, strengthening bones, eliminating stagnation, killing insects and sterilizing. Acorus calamus leaves are sword-shaped, which can ward off evil spirits when inserted at the door. Therefore, alchemists call it "water sword", and later it is extended to "common sword", which can cut thousands of evil spirits. Wormwood represents a hundred blessings and is a kind of herbal medicine that can cure diseases. Inserting it at the door can make you healthy.
Herbal cleaning water
Washing herbal water is one of the customs of Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon Boat Festival is the day with the most Chinese herbal medicines in a year, and medicines are everywhere at noon. Washing herbal water at noon can cure skin diseases and dispel evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival, many places in China have the custom of collecting herbs, boiling herbs and soaking in water, and the medicinal properties of the Dragon Boat Festival herbs play a vital role in it. Herbal water, that is, Mulan soup recorded in ancient books, was first recorded in Xia Zhengxiao in the late Western Han Dynasty, which was about the custom of washing herbal water. But the orchids in this paper are not orchids, but Eupatorium odoratum or compositae herbs, which have a fragrant smell and can be decocted and soaked in water. Volume 22 of Miscellaneous Medicine Collection quotes the lost article of Miscellaneous Medicine Collection at the Age of Jingchu: "On May 5, competing for miscellaneous medicine can cure all diseases." This custom still exists today and is widely popular. In Guangdong, children use wormwood wheat medicine or wormwood, cattail, impatiens, magnolia and other flowers to boil and wash, while teenagers and adult men take a bath on the river and beach, which is called dragon boat washing water to wash away bad luck and bring good luck. In Hunan, Guangxi and other places, cypress leaves, anemone roots, wormwood, calamus, peach leaves, etc. are boiled into liquid medicine for bathing, regardless of gender, age and family.
Worship gods and ancestors
Sacrificing to God and ancestors is one of the important customs of Dragon Boat Festival. "Heaven and earth are the foundation of life; Ancestors are the foundation of class. " Heaven and earth are the foundation of life, ancestors are the foundation of life, and ancestor worship is the custom of inheriting filial piety. According to the folk concept, a person's ancestors, like heaven, earth and god, should be seriously worshipped. Because the ancestors' "spirit in heaven" always cares about and watches over future generations, earthly people should pray and repay their protection and blessing through sacrifices.
Peixiangnang
Wearing sachets is one of the traditional customs of Dragon Boat Festival. The sachet is usually filled with some Chinese herbal medicines with fragrance and resuscitation, which have the effects of fragrance, insect repellent, plague prevention and disease prevention. Duanyang tied his arm with four-color thread and wore a sachet, which was exquisite and exquisite. The sachet, also known as sachet, sachet and purse, is usually made by wrapping perfume with five-color silk thread, or cotton wrapped with colored satin or cloth, mixing powder of Chuanxiong, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Rhizoma Sparganii, Scutellariae Radix, Flos Caryophylli, Asari, Gan Song, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Glycyrrhrizae Radix, realgar powder, etc., and then embroidering with colored silk thread, with red, green and hanging at the bottom.
Pick "Dragon Boat Festival"
Choosing "Dragon Boat Festival Bear" means that during the Dragon Boat Festival in the past, the "hairy-footed son-in-law" (Ningbo people called the engaged future son-in-law "hairy-footed son-in-law") had to pick a heavy gift and carry a Redmi basket to the woman's house, which was called "Dragon Boat Festival Bear".
Zhuyangxiang
In Lun Heng, written by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the etiquette and custom of "casting the year of Yang" during the Dragon Boat Festival were recorded: "The year of Yang takes fire from the sky, and at noon in May, five stones are melted and cast into vessels, which makes them glow with excitement. When they rise to the sun, fire will come, which is also the way to get real fire. " The ancients thought that there were three fires at noon, when the sun was shining. At this time, it is the best time to melt gold and cast mirrors, and the cast bronze mirrors have incredible power. The custom of using mirrors to ward off evil spirits is widely used and passed down in the southern coastal areas. It is often seen that children who are born soon are wearing silver mirrors and other decorations. This kind of silver ornaments and small mirrors are used by children to ward off evil spirits. Newly built temples and Taoist temples are often decorated with bronze mirrors in the middle of the roof. Even above the doors and windows of new buildings in modern residential areas, you can often find hanging mirrors, which are used to ward off evil spirits. This shows that the cultural belief that mirrors ward off evil spirits is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Bolt five-color silk thread
Five-color silk, also known as five-color silk and multicolored silk. The ancient and popular names are Zhusuo and Zhusuo. Those tied to mosquito nets and cradles are also called wanzhuan ropes and health ropes. Ying Shao's "Customs Pass" said: "On May 5, colorful silks tied their arms, named long life, one-dimensional life, one soldier, one color, one place, and soldiers and ghosts, so that people would not get sick." In ancient China, five colors were revered and regarded as auspicious colors. Therefore, in the early morning of the festival, the first important thing for adults after getting up is to tie five-color lines on their wrists, ankles and necks. Children are not allowed to talk when tying the thread. Traditionally, thick red, green, yellow, white and black silk threads are twisted into colorful ropes and tied around children's arms or necks. From May 5th, it was not until the birthday of Qi Ma Year on Tanabata that they were untied and burned together with Jin Jun ... There is also a saying that on the first rainy day after the Dragon Boat Festival, cutting colorful threads and throwing them in the rain means that the river will wash away plagues and diseases, which means that it can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck for a year.
Soak in dragon boat water
During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is a traditional custom in southern China to soak in dragon boat water. People call the strong water around the Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat water, dragon water and dragon precipitation. And think that this kind of water is auspicious and has the function of ward off evil spirits. On the midsummer Dragon Boat Festival, the black dragon star soars due south. In folk beliefs, the dragon is an auspicious thing and the master of wind and rain. Dragons fly in the sky and clouds and rain. Naturally, around the Dragon Boat Festival every year, the warm and humid air flow in southern China is active, and when it meets the cold air from north to south in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan and other places, there will often be continuous and large-scale heavy precipitation. When the heavy precipitation comes during the Dragon Boat Festival, the water level of the river rises rapidly, providing a good venue for dragon boat fishing. According to tradition, soaking in dragon boat water means good luck and all the best. Every year when dragon boat water comes, people will take their families to the river to wash dragon boat water. The ancients believed that dragon boat water had the functions of exorcising evil spirits, cleaning the body, washing away bad luck and bringing good luck.
Accompanying roll-call brigade
Longevity wisp is a kind of jewelry worn on Dragon Boat Festival. Longevity wisp is also called longevity wisp, longevity wisp, longevity thread, hundred rope, less ice, colorful wisp and so on. , with different names and similar shapes and functions. During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is made of five-color silk, or hung at the door, or worn around the child's neck, or tied on the child's arm, or hung on the bed curtain, cradle and other places. It is said that it can eliminate evil spirits, avoid disasters and diseases and prolong life. This custom began in the Han Dynasty. Ying Shao wrote "Lost Customs" in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "In the afternoon, tie your arms with colorful silks to avoid ghosts and soldiers, so that people will not get sick. One is a long-lived ghost fire, and the other is a soldier. "
fly a kite
Flying kites during the Dragon Boat Festival is also a custom in southern China. During the Dragon Boat Festival, children flying kites is called "disaster relief". Kites are paper kites. It is a toy. Paste paper or silk on a bamboo pole and other skeletons, and pull a long line tied to it, so that it can be lowered into the sky under the action of the wind. Belongs to an aircraft that only uses aerodynamic force.
Collect herbs
Collecting herbs is one of the ancient customs of Dragon Boat Festival. Folk believe that the strong noon sunshine is the most vigorous day of herbal medicine in a year, and the Dragon Boat Festival is full of medicinal flavor. Dragon Boat Festival is in midsummer, just in time, everything grows and has great potential, which is the time when herbs grow vigorously. During the Dragon Boat Festival, many places in China have customs such as smoking mugwort leaves, hanging calamus and drinking medicinal liquor, among which Chinese herbal medicine plays a vital role. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, "Li Jixia Zheng Xiao" contained: "Store medicine this day to disinfect the gas." In the Southern Song Dynasty, Volume 22 of Collection of Miscellaneous Drugs quoted the lost article of Jing Chu Sui Ji: "On May 5, competing for miscellaneous drugs can cure all diseases." In the miscellaneous notes of Qi Yaomin's Book at the end of Wei Dynasty, there is a record of catching toads in May, which is also used in pharmacy. Many areas have the custom of catching toads on the Dragon Boat Festival. For example, in Jiangsu, toads are harvested at noon and their foam is punctured to make traditional Chinese medicine toad venom. People in Hangzhou also give their children toads, saying that summer can reduce fire and prevent sores. On the 5th, Mo Ding was put into the toad's mouth, hung and dried, and became a toad ingot, which could be dissipated by applying it to the abscess. Herb picking is because the stems and leaves of herbs are mature and have good medicinal properties around the Dragon Boat Festival, and this custom was formed on this day.
Drink water at noon
During the Dragon Boat Festival, "drinking water at noon" is a traditional custom prevailing in the southern coastal areas. Drinking water at noon means drawing water from the well between 1 1 and 13 on the Dragon Boat Festival. The ancients regarded noon water as auspicious water, and the water at this time can ward off evil spirits best. In the middle of noon, the yang is added to the sun, so "noon water" is called "extremely yang water"; Also known as Lombok Water and Zhengyang Water. On this day, the sun is the strongest at noon, and the effect of exorcism is the best at noon, which has the effects of exorcism, purification of the body and elimination of obstacles. Tainan has a tradition of striking iron with water at noon. Using the yang of water at noon can make all kinds of ironware more durable. It is said that the water used to make tea and wine at noon is particularly mellow, and drinking raw water even has a miraculous effect on treating diseases. There is a folk proverb in southern Fujian that says "washing your eyes at noon is as bright as black"; He also said, "It's better to have a sip of water at noon and take tonic for three years."
Post the noon symbol
In the old days, some places in Guangdong had the custom of posting "noon symbols". After lunch, everyone posted the "noon symbol". The operator uses a piece of yellow paper about an inch wide and nearly a foot long. With vermilion, the words "at noon on May 5, the official disease is not oral disease, and snakes, insects, rats and ants are eliminated" are written on it. Hang calamus, phoenix tail, mugwort leaf, etc. Tie a string of garlic on the gate and coat it with vermilion to ward off evil spirits. Some people also put small couplets written in yellow paper on the door: "Aiqi welcomes all blessings, and universal health eliminates all evils."
Xinbao craft
People in Guangzhou attach great importance to the Dragon Boat Festival. The old custom is to send the festival from the second day to the fourth day of the fifth lunar month. Young "new hugs" (daughters-in-law) use a "full box" of 64, which contains zongzi, pork, raw chicken, eggs, fruit, wine and so on. Go back to your parents' house to congratulate your elders. Girls and children hang sachets, which are woven with five-color silk thread. The sachet is filled with sandalwood, star anise, pepper and Huang Liu. It is usually given by a newly married wife. On the one hand, it reflects the goodness of new wives, on the other hand, it also reflects their skills, commonly known as "new skills."
Send disaster
Sending disasters is an ancient Dragon Boat Festival folk custom popular in some places in southern China. The main purpose of this folk custom is to exorcise evil spirits and eliminate disasters. After washing hands and eyes with boiling water at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, it is called "sending disaster". Another form is to greet the gods coming out of the temple in the social environment and go out for a parade, which means that the gods land on the people, patrol the countryside and bless the environment. Daogong, use water and stickers to exorcise evil spirits.
Smoked atractylodes rhizome
Smoking Atractylodes lancea is one of the traditional activities of Dragon Boat Festival. In the folk, Atractylodes lancea is used to disinfect the air, that is, to bind the natural Atractylodes lancea together. The fine smoke produced after burning will not only give off fragrance, but also drive away mosquitoes, which is refreshing.
Bean grass
Fighting grass is a folk game originated from collecting herbs. When you go out at noon, you can find some exotic flowers and plants to compete with each other, and the novelty or variety will win. Its origin is unknown, and it is generally believed to be related to the emergence of traditional Chinese medicine. Before the Han Dynasty, there was no grass fighting drama (Textual Research on Popular Events in Past Dynasties, Shang Dynasty). Fighting grass reports the names of flowers and grass to each other in the form of confrontation, which is both interesting in plant knowledge and literary knowledge. Children hook, pinch and pull each other with petioles. If you break it, you lose, and then change a leaf to fight.