The method of hand-made origami dragon boat is as follows:
1. Fold the long side of a rectangular paper in half and unfold it, fold the two corners along the edge into triangles and unfold it;
2. Turn over and fold the short side up along the intersection of the creases and then unfold it, and organize the triangle along the creases;
3. Fold the two sides of the two corners along the center line. , sort out the sharp corners along the creases and flatten them;
4. Fold the two lower corners along the center line, and press creases along the bottoms of the two sharp corners;
5. Fold both sides inward along the crease, and fold the back of the paper in half along the center line;
6. Fold the corners of both sides upward into triangles, and fold the ends upward along the crease. Fold the middle parts of both sides upward;
7. Fold the two sharp corners of the head in half twice in the opposite direction, and fold the sharp corners of the mouth in half twice in the opposite direction.
The historical origin of dragon boating
Dragon boating is a traditional custom during the Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it originated from the ancient Chu people who were reluctant to leave their virtuous minister Qu Yuan and threw himself into the river. Many people rowed boats to chase and save him. They scrambled to catch up to Dongting Lake, but there was no trace of him. After that, people rowed dragon boats every May 5th to commemorate it. He rowed dragon boats to disperse the fish in the river to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body. The custom of racing was popular in Wu, Yue and Chu. In fact, "dragon boat racing" existed long before Qu Yuan.
Mr. Wen Yiduo's "Dragon Boat Test" said that more than a thousand years before Qu Zi threw himself into the river, the custom of dragon boat rowing had already existed in the Wuyue water town. The purpose was to worship the totem - the dragon, and to Pray to avoid common floods and droughts. "Wenzhou Prefecture Chronicles" written by Wanli in the Ming Dynasty records: "The race started from Goujian, King of Yue, and was used for praying in the water town of Yongjia." Ye Shi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote a poem: "A village and a boat are all over the country, and the flags and feet are flying everywhere, praying for good luck and praying for the race. , prohibition is useless but is cool."
It can be seen that the ferry races in Wenzhou area originated from the ancient Yue dragon totem worship sacrificial activities, which were mainly used to pray for peace and a good harvest. At present, there are two theories about the origin of dragon boats: the Wuyue people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and the Yuanling in northwest Hunan.