1, origin.

There are many theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, such as in memory of Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu and Cao E, as well as the theory of driving away the evil moon and the evil day, and the theory of national totem sacrifice in wuyue, but it is well known that the Dragon Boat Festival is said to commemorate Qu Yuan, a poet of Chu State in the Warring States Period, who committed suicide in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May.

2. Customs.

To wrap and eat zongzi, zongzi is also called jiaoshu and zongzi. Different regions have different names and different styles, but the time to eat zongzi has been the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year for thousands of years. It is said that people eat zongzi to commemorate Qu Yuan, but in fact, there were records about zongzi as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, and it was called jiaoshu when glutinous rice was wrapped into a horn.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, millet was soaked in plant ash water. Because the water contained alkali, the millet was wrapped in leaves to form a quadrangle, and cooked, which became Guangdong alkaline rice dumplings.

According to legend, the custom of dragon boat racing originated in the ancient Chu people because they could not bear to part with Qu Yuan, a sage, and died in the river. Many people rowed boats to catch up with the rescue, but when they reached Dongting Lake, there was no trace. Some people thought that dragon boat rowing was to disperse the fish in the river so as not to eat Qu Yuan's body, and then they rowed dragon boats every May 5 to commemorate him.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, people will soak realgar in wine and put realgar wine on children's ears, nose, forehead, wrists and ankles.

The custom of wearing colorful ropes originated in the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Dragon Boat Festival was also called Children's Day. It was to wear colorful ropes for children during the Dragon Boat Festival. When it rained for the first time after the Dragon Boat Festival, it was picked and thrown into the rain. The colorful ropes would turn into dragons and take away some bad things.

Inheritance and development of Dragon Boat Festival;

Dragon Boat Festival was originally held for the tribes who worshipped dragon totem in ancient Baiyue area. Before the Spring and Autumn Period in Baiyue area, it was customary to hold tribal totem sacrifice in the form of dragon boat race on the middle of the day. According to prehistoric cultures such as Hemudu site, canoes and wooden paddles were used for race as early as 7,000 years or earlier.

According to textual research, the prerequisite for dragon boat race must be in the rice-producing and multi-river port areas, which is the characteristic of southern China.