Origin of the name

The word "Duan" means "Initial", so "Duanwu" means "First Five". The first five days". According to the calendar, May is the month of "Wu", so "Duanwu" gradually evolved into the current "Dragon Boat Festival". The Yanjing chronicle recorded: "the first five for the May single five, cover the word of the end of the transcription."

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

The legend of the Dragon Boat Festival

During the Warring States period, when Chu and Qin were fighting for hegemony, the poet Qu Yuan was ranked as the right doctor, and was highly valued by the king of Chu. Later on, Qu Yuan's ideas were opposed by the old guard, led by Jin Shang, a senior official, who continued to denigrate Qu Yuan in front of King Huai of Chu, who gradually distanced himself from Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan, who had great ambitions, was doubly distressed, and with uncontrollable melancholy and grief, he wrote such immortal poems as "Li Sao" and "Tian Xiang".

In 229 BC, Qin captured eight cities in Chu, and then sent an envoy to ask King Huai of Chu to go to Qin to negotiate peace. Qu Yuan saw through the Qin king's plot and risked his life to go to the palace to present the advantages and disadvantages, but King Huai of Chu not only refused to listen to him, but also expelled Qu Yuan from Ying capital. King Huai of Chu went to the meeting as scheduled, and was imprisoned as soon as he arrived at Qin. King Huai of Chu had a lot of regrets and became sick with depression, and died in Qin three years later. Soon after King Hali Xiang of Chu assumed the throne, the King of Qin sent troops to attack Chu, and King Hali Xiang withdrew from the capital in fear, and the Qin soldiers captured Ying. Qu Yuan, on his way to exile, heard the bad news of the death of King Huai of Chu and the destruction of Ying one after another, he was disillusioned and sighed longingly to the sky, and threw himself into the Bioluo River, which was rolling with rapids. Fishermen on the river and the people on the bank heard Qu Yuan doctor threw himself into the river, have come to the river to salvage Qu Yuan's body, while bringing the dumplings, eggs into the river. Some of the Langzhong also put the yellow wine poured into the river, in order to drug faint scaly dragon water beasts so that the body of Dr. Qu Yuan from harm.

Since then, every year in early May, Qu Yuan cast the river martyrdom day, the people of Chu to the river rowing dragon boat, cast zongzi, in order to commemorate the great patriotic poet, the Dragon Boat Festival customs have been passed down.

Duanwu, also known as Duanwu, is one of the largest traditional festivals in China. The meaning of "end" and "first" is the same, said "Duanwu" is also known as the "first five"; Duanwu "Five" word and "Wu", according to the order of the Earth's branches, May is the "Wu" month. And because of the noon for the "Yang Chen", so the end of five also called "Duan Yang". May 5, the month, the day is five, so weigh five, also known as lunch. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival also has many aliases, such as: Summer Festival, Bath Orchid Festival, Daughter Festival, Day in the Festival, the ground wax, Poet's Day and so on. The Dragon Boat Festival's alias of the many, indirectly explains the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival vulgar manifold. The fact is exactly the same. On the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, to date, at least four or five say, such as: commemorating Qu Yuan said; Wu Yue national totem sacrifice said; from the three generations of the summer solstice festival said; bad month and bad day to drive to avoid said, and so on.

To date, the most widely influential point of view of the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan said. In the field of folk culture, our people associate the Dragon Boat Race and the eating of zongzi at the Dragon Boat Festival with Qu Yuan. Commonly said that after the Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, the local people hurt its death, they boat rescue, because of the custom of the race; also said that people often put food into the water to sacrifice Qu Yuan, but more for the dragon to eat, and then because of Qu Yuan's prompting to use the neem leaves wrapped rice, wrapped around the outside of the colorful silk, made into a later zongzi kind of.

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as "Dragon Boat Festival". The end is the "beginning", "the beginning" of the meaning. The first five days can be called the end of the five. Lunar calendar to the Earth's branches of the month, the first month of building c, February for the d, in turn to May for the noon, so that May for the month of noon, "five" and "noon" through, "five" and for the number of yang, so the Dragon Boat Festival also known as Duanwu is also known as the fifth, heavy five, Duanyang, in the day, etc.. From the historical point of view, "Dragon Boat Festival" two words were first seen in the Jin Zhou Zhi "land and customs": "mid-summer Dragon Boat Festival, cooking rasping corn". Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of the Han Chinese people in China. The essential activities of this day gradually evolved into: eating zongzi, dragon boat racing, hanging calamus, moxa, fumigation Cangzhu, Angelica dahurica, drink xionghuang wine. It is said that eating rice dumplings and dragon boat racing, is to commemorate the Qu Yuan, so after the liberation of the Dragon Boat Festival was named "Poet's Day" to commemorate the Qu Yuan. As for hanging calamus, moxa leaves, fumigate Cangzhu, Angelica dahurica, drink Xionghuang wine, it is said to be in order to suppress the evil spirits. Although the Dragon Boat Festival every year, but about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, but not very clear, summarized, roughly the following said.

First, to commemorate Qu Yuan said. This is the earliest from the Southern Liang Dynasty, Wu Jun "continued Qi Harmony" and the Northern Zhou Zong hours of "Jing Chu chronicle" records. It is said that Qu Yuan on the fifth day of the fifth month to throw himself into the Miluo River, after his death for the dragon trapped, the world mourned, every day to throw five-color silk dumplings in the water to drive mosquitoes and dragons. Another rumor, Qu Yuan cast Miluo River, the local people heard immediately rowing boats to rescue, a thousand straight line to the Dongting Lake, the end of Qu Yuan's body. At that time, coinciding with the rainy day, the lake boat together gathered at the shore of the pavilion. When people learned that is to salvage the wise minister Qu Daifu, once again braved the rain, scrambling to paddle into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to send their condolences, people swung their boats on top of the river, and only thereafter gradually developed into dragon boat races. 'It seems that the Dragon Boat Festival to eat zongzi, dragon boat races and commemorate Qu Yuan related to the Tang Dynasty Wenxiu 'Dragon Boat Festival' poem as evidence: "Festival points Dragon Boat Festival since who said, the rumors of the ages for Qu Yuan. Can laugh at the Chu River is empty, can not wash the straight minister injustice."

Second, to welcome the Tao God said. This is from the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Cao E Stele". In the Spring and Autumn period, Wu Zixu, a loyal minister of Wu, died of injustice, turned into a god of the waves, the world mourned and sacrificed, so there is a Dragon Boat Festival.

Third, the Dragon Festival said. This argument comes from Wen Yiduo's "Dragon Boat Festival", and "Dragon Boat Festival's historical education". He believes that the fifth day of May is the ancient Wuyue region, "dragon" of the tribe held a totem sacrifice day. The main reasons are; (a) the two most important activities of the Dragon Boat Festival eat zongzi and race, are related to the dragon. Zongzi into the water is often stolen by the mosquito dragon, while the race is used in the dragon boat. (B) the race and the ancient wu yue local relationship is particularly deep, and wu yue people also have broken hair tattoo "to like the dragon" custom. (C) in ancient times on the fifth day of May, there are "colorful silk tie arm" folk custom, which should be "like the Dragon" tattoo custom remains.

Fourth, the evil day said. In the pre-Qin era, it is generally believed that May is a poisonous month, the fifth is a bad day. Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals" in the "Midsummer" chapter provides that people in May to abstain from sex, fasting. In the Xia Xiaozheng, it is written, "This day is for storing medicines in order to remit the poisonous energy." Dadailei" in the record, "the fifth day of the fifth month of the animal orchids for the bath" to bathe to drive away evil spirits that the fifth day of the death of the legend is also a lot of. The Historical Records of the Grand Historian (史记-孟尝君列传) recorded that the famous Grand Historian Meng Chang Jun (孟尝君) was born on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. His father asked his mother not to give birth to him, believing that "the son of the month of May, longer than the household Qi, will be unfavorable to his parents." According to an anonymous article in the book "Customs", "It is said that if a child is born on the fifth day of the fifth month, the male will harm his father and the female will harm her mother. Wang Chong, author of "Lun Heng", also recorded: "taboo to lift the first month, May son; to the first month, May son to kill the father and mother, shall not be lifted also." In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the great general Wang Zhenxiao was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, so his grandfather named him "Zhenxiao". Song Huizong Zhao Ji was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, from childhood foster outside the palace. It can be seen that the ancient May 5 as a bad day, is a common phenomenon. Can be seen from the pre-Qin later, this day are unlucky day. In this way, in this day plug calamus, moxa to drive away ghosts, lavender, dahurica and drink andrographis to avoid the epidemic, is a logical thing.

Fifth, the summer solstice. This view of Liu Deqian in the "" Dragon Boat "" and "" Chinese traditional festivals "", put forward three main reasons: (a) the authoritative work of years and times "" Jing Chu years and times "" did not mention the May 5 to eat zongzi holiday customs, but to eat zongzi written in the summer solstice. As for the Jingdu, the Sui dynasty Du Daiqing made the "jade candles BaoDian" it is classified as a summer solstice recreational activities, it is not necessarily for the salvage of the great poet Qu Yuan cast into the river. (b) Some elements of the Dragon Boat Festival customs, such as "stepping on a hundred grasses", "fighting a hundred grasses", "picking miscellaneous medicines", etc., actually have nothing to do with Qu Yuan. (C) years and years of winds and customs Hua Ji Li" on the Dragon Boat Festival, the first explanation is: "the day leaf is the sun, when the Dragon Boat Festival that is the middle of summer, so the Dragon Boat Festival can also be called the days in the festival. This is the earliest origin of the Dragon Boat Festival when the summer solstice. Tui Dang out, and to commemorate the Qu Yuan said the most extensive impact. Because of Qu Yuan's personality and art, people are also willing to attribute this anniversary to him.

Customs of the Dragon Boat Festival:

Eating dumplings, dragon boat races, etc.

Meaning

To commemorate the anniversary of the death of the loyal minister Wu Zixu (because King Wu Fuchai put Wu Zixu's body in leather and threw it into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month). Commemorates Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet of Chu.

Commemorates the death of Cao E, a filial daughter of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who saved her father's life by throwing herself into the river (Cao E threw herself into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month, and carried out her father's body five days later).

Commemorates the inauguration of Qiu Jin.

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