The Dragon Boat Festival was initially a festival in which the ancient ancestors worshipped the dragon ancestor, and later, because of the legendary poet Qu Yuan threw himself into the river at the end of the festival, it will be used as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan, and in some places there are commemorations of Wu Zixu, Cao E and Jie Zi Tui, etc. The festival is a celebration of the ancient ancestor of the Dragon Boat Festival, which is a festival of the ancient ancestors.

1, from the ancient ancestors sacrificed to the dragon ancestor

Duanwu Festival is the ancient Hundred Yue held dragon totem worship activities of the festival, the dragon has been the Wu Yue national totem, later evolved into a national totem worship; is in the ritual of the dragon, and then gradually have the habit of paddling the dragon boat. Wu Yue ancestors to "dragon" as a totem, and every year in the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, held a grand totem sacrifice.

2, from commemorating the Qu Yuan

This argument is widely spread throughout the country, and is also most recognized by the people.

Historical records, 278 BC on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Chu state doctor, patriotic poet Qu Yuan heard the news of the Qin army attacked the capital of Chu, grief and indignation, heart like a knife, although the heart of the country, but unable to return to heaven, and then chose to die to show their will, determined to write down the last pen of the "Wyatt Sand," holding the stone into the Miluo River, the martyrdom of his country.

The people along the river had to lead the boat racing to salvage, along the water, so as to avoid the fish and shrimp spoiled Qu Yuan's body, an old physician to bring a altar of yellow wine poured into the river, said that the drug to stun the dragon and water beasts, so as to avoid harming Dr. Qu.

Later for fear of rice balls for the dragon to eat, people came up with neem leaves wrapped rice, wrapped in colorful silk, the development of brown. Later became the custom of eating rice dumplings. This custom continues to this day, has been more than two thousand years.

After that, on the fifth day of the fifth month of every year, there is a dragon boat race, eat zongzi, drink xionghuang wine custom, in order to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

3, from the commemoration of Wu Zixu

The second legend of the Dragon Boat Festival, which is widely circulated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, commemorates Wu Zixu at the end of the Spring and Autumn period.

Wu Zixu's ancestor, Wu Ju, was famous for his uprightness in admonishing King Zhuang of Chu, so his descendants were also famous in Chu. The Wu Zixu family was persecuted in Chu and defected to Wu. He was highly utilized by King Helu of Wu, who defeated Chu, subdued Qi and Jin in the north, and subdued the Yue in the south, and was rewarded with the title of Duke of Xiangguo.

Wu Zixu believed that the state of Yue should be annihilated in one fell swoop, but Wu Zixu, who was slandered by great fortune-tellers, refused to listen to the idea of "uniting Qi and fighting against Yue", and gave Wu Zixu a sword to kill himself in 484 BC. In 484, Wu Zixu was given a sword to kill himself. Zixu killed himself in anger, and left his family to gouge out his eyes after his death, and hang them on the east gate to watch the Yue army destroy Wu with their own eyes.

Wu Zixu's body was wrapped in owl leather and thrown into the Qiantang River. When Wu was destroyed by King Goujian of Yue, Fu-chai was ashamed to see Wu Zixu in the underworld, and covered his eyes with a white cloth before he raised his sword to kill himself.

Since Wu Zixu's body was sunk in the Qiantang River before Qu Yuan's, some literature suggests that the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is associated with Wu Zixu, not Qu Yuan.

4, from the filial daughter Cao E

Cao E is the Eastern Han Dynasty Shangyu people, his father drowned in the river, a few days to see the body, the filial daughter of the Cao E was only fourteen years old, day and night along the river crying. After seventeen days, she threw herself into the river on May 5, and five days later, she carried out her father's body. The story was passed down as a myth, and was then passed down to the governor of the county, who made Dushan erect a monument for it, and had his disciple Handan Chun make a eulogy in praise of it. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Cao E, a filial daughter.

5, from jie zi push

Jie zi push is the cold food festival and the Qingming festival origin legend protagonist, can also be considered the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival and jie zi push related. According to Cai Yong's work on qin music, "Qin Cultivation," the Dragon Boat Festival was held in honor of the sage Jie Zi Tui, who was a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The origin of the word "Dragon Boat Festival"

The word "Dragon Boat Festival" originally meant "positive". The word "Wu" means "middle", and this day at noon is the middle of the day. The ancients used the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branches as a carrier, the Heavenly Stem carries the way of Heaven, the Earthly Branches carries the way of the Earth, and the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branches are set up to match the movement of heaven and earth and the personnel of heaven and earth, and the epochs are universal, the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branches.

Mid-summer noon day dragon in the sky, the dragon star in the south of the mid-heaven, for the whole year the run of the circumference of the heavens is the most "in the right" position, both "in the" and "in the right," is the Great luck and prosperity. Ancient people have always respected the middle, the right way, "neutral" way in this performance. In addition, the end also has a "first" meaning, so Wu (five) the first day of the month, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Dragon Boat Festival