First, the dragon boat race.
Dragon boat race is the main custom of Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, people who originated in the ancient Chu state were reluctant to part with the death of the sage Qu Yuan, and many people rowed boats to save people. They scrambled to catch up with each other and disappeared when they reached Dongting Lake. After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. Dispel the fish in the river by rowing a dragon boat to avoid eating Qu Yuan's body.
Second, eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival.
Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of people in Song and Ming Dynasties. Zongzi, also called "corn millet" and "Zongzi". It has a long history and various models.
According to records, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, millet was wrapped into horns by leaves of zinia latifolia, which was called "horny millet" at that time. Rice packed in bamboo tubes is sealed and baked, which is called "tube zongzi". At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, millet was soaked in plant ash water. Because the water contains alkali, millet is wrapped in leaves and cooked, which becomes Guangdong sour rice dumplings.
Third, the sachet:
On the Dragon Boat Festival, children in Song and Ming Dynasties wore sachets, which is said to ward off evil spirits and plague. In fact, they are used to decorate the chest. There are cinnabar, realgar and fragrant medicine in the sachet, which is wrapped in silk cloth and full of fragrance, and then tied into a rope with five-color silk thread to make a string of bracelets with different shapes, all kinds of exquisite and lovely.
Four, hanging calamus:
There is a folk proverb that says, "Willows are inserted in Qingming Festival, and Ai is inserted in Dragon Boat Festival". During the Dragon Boat Festival, people put wormwood and calamus as one of the important contents. Every family sweeps the courtyard, puts calamus and moxa sticks between their eyebrows and hangs them in class. Acorus calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi, Liu Hua, garlic and dragon boat flower are made into human or tiger shapes, which are called Ai Ren and Ai Hu. It is made into garlands and decorations, which are beautiful and fragrant, and women compete to wear them to ward off evil spirits.
Dragon Boat Festival is also a "health festival" handed down from generation to generation. On this day, people sweep the courtyard, hang mugwort leaves, hang calamus, sprinkle realgar water, drink realgar wine, stir up turbidity, remove rot, sterilize and prevent diseases. These activities also reflect the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. Collecting herbs during the Dragon Boat Festival is a common custom of all countries and nationalities in China.