The first edition of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great poet in history. This statement is widely circulated throughout the country and is most recognized by the people. Qu Yuan was a native of Chu in the Warring States Period. Like San Lv, he was a left-leaning official and doctor. Qu Yuan was honest, worried about the country and the people, and devoted himself to the political reform of the country. However, he was repeatedly attacked and persecuted by villains. In addition, Chu Huaiwang is fatuous and ignorant, and he doesn't distinguish between loyal subjects and traitors. Qu Yuan, who was full of loyalty to the monarch and love for the people, was alienated and exiled, and finally died in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May in grief and despair. People only commemorate him on the Dragon Boat Festival, and have the custom of eating zongzi and racing dragon boats.
The second version of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Wu Zixu. Wu Zixu's famous ministers, Chu people, fathers and brothers were all killed by the ruthless King Chu Ping. Later, Wu Zixu fled to the State of Wu, helping the State of Wu to enrich the country and make peace, and helping the State of Wu conquer the State of Chu. After the Fifth World War, he entered the capital city of Chu. At that time, King Chu Ping was dead, and Wu Zixu dug a grave and whipped the corpse three hundred times to avenge his father and brother. After the death of He Lv, the king of Wu, his son Fu Cha succeeded to the throne, and Wu became stronger. He attacked Yue and won it in one fell swoop. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, made peace, and Fu Cha agreed. At this time, Fu Cha, the prince of Wu, was carried away by the victory and began to be arrogant, refusing to listen to harsh advice. Wu Zixu suggested that he completely eliminate Yue State to avoid future troubles. Instead of listening, Fu Cha believed the slanderers who framed Wu Zixu and forced Wu Zixu to commit suicide. Before he died, Wu Zixu said to his neighbor, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Wujing, watching the Vietnamese army enter the city to destroy Wu." Then he drew his sword and committed suicide. Fu Cha was furious when he learned this. On May 5th, he put Wu Zixu's body in a leather bag and threw it into the river. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.
The third edition of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Cao E, the filial daughter of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river, but she fished for several days without finding the body. At that time, Cao E, a filial daughter, was only 14 years old. She was heartbroken and cried by the river day and night. Seventeen days later, he jumped into the river on the fifth day of May, and five days later, he surfaced with his father's body in his arms. Cao E's Xiaogan is earth-shattering and widely circulated among the people. At that time, scholars and writers mourned and praised Cao E for looking for his father's filial piety in the river. The tomb of the dutiful daughter Cao E is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang today. There is a monument in front of the tomb, which is said to be written by Jin. Later, in order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, Cao E Temple was built where Cao E threw himself into the river. The town where she lived was renamed Cao E Town, and the river where Cao E died was renamed Cao E River. People also come to pay homage to Cao E on the fifth day of May, when she jumped into the river to look for her father.
The fourth edition of the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qiu Jin, a modern revolutionary poetess. Qiu Jin, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, alias Ruiqing and Xiong Jing, No.1 Jianhu Woman, with a small print of Jade Valley. When I was young, I was good at poetry and songs, and I liked riding and fencing. She has the reputation of Mulan and Qin Liangyu in contemporary times. Joining the revolution at the age of 28 had a great influence. He planned a revolutionary uprising. Unfortunately, he was arrested by the Qing soldiers at the meeting and persevered. On the fifth day of June in the thirty-third year of Guangxu, he died heroically in Xuanhengkou, Shaoxing. Although Qiu Jin was martyred on the fifth day of June, later generations admired his poems and people and mourned his heroic deeds, so they compared him with the patriotic poet Qu Yuan and held a memorial ceremony on the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate the heroine and poetess.
Second, the custom of Dragon Boat Festival.
1, Dragon Boat Race
Before the dragon boat race, please invite dragons to offer sacrifices to the gods. For example, before the Dragon Boat Festival in Guangdong, you should go out of the water, worship the Nanhai God in the Nanhai Temple, install the dragon head and tail, and then prepare for the race. And buy a pair of paper cocks and put them on the dragon boat, thinking that they can keep the boat safe (vaguely corresponding to the ancient bird boat). Fujian and Taiwan went to Mazu Tempel to worship. Some directly kill chickens in dragon festival by the river, and the dragon first drops blood, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.
At the beginning of the official competition, the atmosphere was very warm. Modern dragon boat races are basically the same, but the rules are a little stricter. In recent years, international dragon boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all over the world.
Besides speed races, there are other activities, such as dragon boat rowing. For example, the dragon boat goes to the countryside, that is, rowing the dragon boat to a familiar village nearby to play and gather. Sometimes the dragon boat also has various tricks, which means performing. And boat races.
2. tie five-color silk thread
Ying Shao's "Custom Pass" records: "On May 5, Sun tied his arm with colorful silks, named" Long life, one to continue life, one to fight for soldiers, one to fight for five colors, and one to fight for soldiers and ghosts, so that people would not get sick. " Multicolored silk is not a colorful silk thread, but a combination of certain red, yellow, blue, white and black silk threads.
In ancient China, five colors were worshipped, which were 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. The five-color line cannot be broken or discarded at will, and can only be thrown into the river when it rains heavily in summer or takes a shower for the first time. It is said that children wearing five-color thread can avoid the harm of snakes and scorpions; Throwing it into the river is to let the river wash away plagues and diseases and make children safe and healthy.
Step 3 hang your wallet
When I was young, Guangji quoted the miscellaneous notes when I was young and said, "The Dragon Boat Festival is made up of red and white, and the colored lines run through it, making it look like a flower." Another kind of "mussel powder bell": "On the fifth day, mussel powder is placed in silk and decorated with cotton, if there are several beads. Let the children take it to absorb sweat. " The things in these carry-on bags have changed several times, from sweat-absorbing mussel powder, amulets to ward off evil spirits, copper coins and realgar powder to sachets filled with spices, and their production has become increasingly exquisite, becoming a unique folk art of the Dragon Boat Festival.
4. Hanging mugwort leaves, calamus and garlic
Ai, Acorus calamus and garlic are called "Three Friends of Dragon Boat Festival". In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Dragon Boat Festival was also called "Mulan Festival", and Jingchu had the custom of picking Ai. To pick wormwood, you should start before the cock crows. Choose the most humanoid wormwood and take it back and hang it on the door. Some even tie wormwood into the shape of a tiger, and then stick wormwood leaves on it. Folium Artemisiae Argyi and Rhizoma Acori Graminei contain aromatic oil, which has the same bactericidal effect as garlic. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the summer solstice is approaching, which is the time when cold and heat alternate. Attention should be paid to everything from diet to dressing and action. There is a proverb in Baoshan County: "If you don't eat Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, you can't send cold clothes;" After eating the Dragon Boat Festival Zongzi, freeze it three times. "In ancient times, people lacked scientific concepts and mistakenly thought that all diseases were evil spirits. Therefore, on the Dragon Boat Festival, people use calamus as the sword, wormwood as the whip and garlic as the hammer, which are also called "three weapons", thinking that they can repel snakes, insects and germs and eliminate evil spirits.
In Jiangnan, drinking calamus wine on Dragon Boat Festival is a custom, so its medicinal effect is more direct. Usually, Acorus calamus is chopped before the festival, mixed with realgar, soaked in wine, and can be drunk on holidays.
5. Write a spell.
In addition to exorcising ghosts with "three friends of Dragon Boat Festival" such as Ai, Acorus calamus and garlic, there is also an important method of exorcising ghosts, that is, hanging spells indoors to ward off evil spirits. Hang exorcism symbols and some strict rituals. If required, it must be written at sunrise or noon on the Dragon Boat Festival. Writing materials must be made of raw Zhu, and saltpeter must be placed in inkstones and among writing people. The more popular spells are: "On the fifth day of May, the red mouth and white tongue disappear" and so on. Shanghainese are used to hanging Zhong Kui at the gate of Dragon Boat Festival, which is the continuation and evolution of this custom of exorcism. In addition, similar to this custom, there is realgar wine on the child's forehead. On the morning of the festival, women put mugwort on children's ears and calamus on their heads, and then write a "king" on their foreheads with realgar wine. It is said that this can make all ghosts afraid and save their lives.
Step 6 shoot willow trees
Northerners' Dragon Boat Festival Celebration Game-Shooting Willow. It is said that this kind of competitive activity appeared in Liao Dynasty and lasted until the end of Qing Dynasty.
On the morning of Dragon Boat Festival, people will shoot willows and release horses. First, cut a section of green skin from the middle and upper part of the willow trunk to make it white as a bull's eye. Then the contestants galloped in turn and shot at the white place with bows. After shooting down Necole Liu, whoever can catch the broken willow will be the winner. "Jin Li Shizhi": "Because of the customs of Liao country, the willow was planted in the ground for several inches on the fifth day of Jin Dynasty, and its skin was peeled and white. First, one person gallops, and then gallops with featherless arrows. It is best to break the willow tree by hand to relax. What can't be picked up is second. Every shot must be drummed to help. " In the Ming Dynasty, birds were stored in gourds and shot. This festival competition didn't become a habit until the late Qing Dynasty.
7. Play polo
Ming Taizu's bow map. Bowing, that is, playing polo, is also one of the main economic and recreational activities in the northern Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was a fan of this sport.
Playing polo is also one of the ways to play the Dragon Boat Festival. Polo is riding a horse and hitting with a stick. In ancient times, it was called bowing. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is a saying in Cao Zhiming's name that "there is a sentence in a row". In Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty, there was a wide stadium, and emperors such as Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Jing Zong all liked polo. Ma Qiutu, in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, depicts the prosperity of polo in the Tang Dynasty: more than 20 horses galloped at high speed and their ponytails were tied up. Players are wearing shawls, boots and sticks, hitting each other one by one. Analysis of Golden Branches records the traditional custom of polo as a festival in Liao country, and polo is played on Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival. Li Shizhi also recorded that Jin people hit the ball during the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "Ball Play Music" dance team. In the Ming Dynasty, polo was still popular. According to the general examination of continued literature, Ming Chengzu hit the ball and shot the willow many times in Dongyuan. In the Ming Dynasty's "Music Map of Xuanzong", there are scenes of Xuanzong enjoying polo. At that time, Wang Zhi, an official, wrote a poem about watching the game in the afternoon: "Jade is like a golden horse, carved with seven treasures." When you fly, you will be shocked and feel the stars. The incitement page has become three wins, and joy is the first. Qingyun follows the footsteps and winds in the eastern end of the temple. "In front of the Baiyun Temple in Beijing, there are also rules for the masses to ride horses and hit the ball. There were polo in the Temple of Heaven in Qing Dynasty, and polo didn't disappear until the middle of Qing Dynasty. Antique polo recently appeared in Xi, which made this ancient sport reappear in China after years of disappearance.
8. Collect herbs
This is one of the oldest customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. "Xia Zhengxiao" contains: "Store medicine this day to remove toxic gas." 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." After Wei, Qi Yao Minshu? There is a record of catching toads in May in Miscellaneous Notes, which is also used in medicine. Later, 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. This custom of catching toad medicine originated from the legend of "toad fighting for soldiers" in Han Dynasty. Another example is the custom of "collecting herbs" on the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianli, Hubei Province, which is also collecting herbs. 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.
9. Zhong Kui.
(1) Dancing in Zhong Kui, Disturbing in Zhong Kui: Since the Jin Dynasty, dancing in Zhong Kui, Disturbing in Zhong Kui, and blessing the town houses are important contents of the Dragon Boat Festival and the Spring Festival.
(2) hang a picture of Zhong Kui. Zhong Kui's earliest paintings are said to come from the painter Wu Daozi. According to Shen Kuo's Meng Qian Bu Bi Tan in the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Tang Ming was ill for nearly a month and suddenly dreamed of two ghosts. The imp stole the purple sachets of the Jade Emperor and Yang Guifei and ran away. GREAT GHOST caught the little devil, gouged out his eyes, then smashed it and spit it out. "I'm Zhong Kui," GREAT GHOST said. "I am a person who can't lift martial arts successfully. I swear to your majesty that I will kill pests for the world." When the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty woke up and recovered from his illness, he called the painter Wu Daozi and asked him to draw a picture of catching ghosts at the gate according to the scene in his dream. Taoist wrote a pen and became a hero. After seeing it, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was exactly the same as his dream and was amazed. Later, Zhong Kui's paintings gradually entered the folk, mostly painting in the Dragon Boat Festival in May or a few days before and after the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Qing Dynasty, most residents in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces south of the Yangtze River hung photos of Zhong Kui at the gate or hall in May of the lunar calendar to drive away evil and attract good luck.
10, eat zongzi
Zongzi "Zongzi is fragrant, fragrant kitchen." Folium Artemisiae Argyi smells fragrant. Peach branches are inserted in the grating, and you can see the wheat yellow when you go out. It's sunny here, sunny there and sunny everywhere. "
This is a popular song describing the ancient Dragon Boat Festival. Generally speaking, people all over the world have the same custom of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival. Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival is the same in China. Now zongzi is more diverse and colorful. Nowadays, glutinous rice is generally wrapped in glutinous rice shells, but the color contained in it depends on local specialties and customs. The more famous ones are longan, meat, crystal, lotus seeds, candied fruit, chestnut, spicy, sauerkraut, ham and salted eggs.