The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. On this day, every household has to eat rice dumplings, wear sachets, taste salted eggs, etc. The Origin and Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and has a history of more than 2,000 years. There are many theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. Due to the long history, it is impossible to study the exact origin. There are mainly the following four legends:
The more commonly accepted theory is that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from commemorating Qu Yuan
According to the "Biography of Qu Yuan Jia Sheng" in "Historical Records", Qu Yuan was a minister of King Huai of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He advocated the promotion of talents and empowerment, enriched the country and strengthened the military, and advocated uniting Qi to resist Qin. However, he was strongly opposed by the nobleman Zilan and others. Qu Yuan was dismissed from his post, expelled from the capital, and exiled to the Yuan and Xiang rivers. In 278 BC, Qin conquered Kyoto of Chu. Seeing his country being invaded, Qu Yuan bouldered into the Miluo River and died on May 5. After Qu Yuan died, the local people immediately rowed boats to rescue him after hearing the news. They continued to Dongting Lake, but Qu Yuan's body was never seen. A fisherman took out the rice balls, eggs and other food prepared for Qu Yuan and threw them into the river, saying that when the fish, lobsters and crabs were full, they would not bite Dr. Qu's body. People followed suit after seeing it. An old doctor took a jar of realgar wine and poured it into the river, saying it was to stun dragons and water animals so as not to harm Doctor Qu. Later, for fear that the rice balls would be eaten by dragons, people came up with the idea of ??wrapping the rice with neem leaves and wrapping it with colored silk, which developed into rice dumplings.
Since then, on the fifth day of May every year, there has been the custom of dragon boat racing, eating rice dumplings, and drinking realgar wine to commemorate Qu Yuan.
In memory of the filial daughter Cao E
It is said that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates a filial daughter "Cao E" who saved her father from drowning in the river during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river and his body was not seen for several days. At that time, her filial daughter Cao E was only fourteen years old and cried along the river day and night. Seventeen days later, he also threw himself into the river on May 5th. Five days later, he took out his father's body. This was passed down as a myth, and then passed down to the county governor, who ordered Du Shang to erect a stele for it and his disciple Handan Chun to write a memorial in praise of it. The tomb of the filial daughter Cao E is located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province today. It is later said that the stele of Cao E was written by King Yi of the Jin Dynasty. In order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, later generations built the Cao E temple where Cao E threw herself into the river. The village and town where she lived was renamed Cao E town, and the place where Cao E died for her father was named Cao E river.
Commemorating Wu Zixu
A widely circulated saying in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Wu Zixu in the Spring and Autumn Period. Wu Zixu was a member of the Chu State, and his father and brother were killed by the King of Chu. Later, Zixu abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side, and rushed to the Wu State to help Wu attack Chu. After five battles, he entered Yingcheng, the capital of Chu. At that time, King Ping of Chu was dead, so Zixu dug up the grave and whipped the corpse three hundred times to avenge the death of his father and brother. After the death of King Helu of Wu, his son Fucha succeeded to the throne. The Wu army had high morale and won every battle. The country of Yue was defeated. King Goujian of Yue asked for peace, and Fucha agreed. Zixu suggested that the Yue Kingdom should be completely wiped out, but Fu Chai refused to listen, and the Wu State slaughtered him. He was bribed by the Yue Kingdom and framed Zixu with slanderous words. Fu Chai believed it and gave Zixu a sword, and Zixu died with it. Before his death, Zixu Ben said to his neighbors: "After I die, dig out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Wu Jing to watch the Yue army enter the city and destroy Wu." He committed suicide and died. Fu Chai was furious when he heard this and ordered his body to be packed in leather and thrown into the river on May 5th. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also the day to commemorate Wu Zixu.
Guyue National Totem Sacrifice
A large number of unearthed cultural relics and archaeological research in modern times have confirmed that in the vast areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, during the Neolithic Age, there was a cultural relic characterized by geometrically printed pottery. Experts infer that the tribe that remains is a tribe that worships the dragon totem - known as the Baiyue tribe in history. The patterns on the unearthed pottery and historical legends indicate that they had the custom of breaking their hair and getting tattoos, lived in water towns, and compared themselves to being descendants of dragons. The tools they produce include a large number of stone tools, as well as small bronze tools such as shovels and chisels. Among the pots and jars used as daily necessities, the printed pottery tripods for cooking food are unique to them and are one of the symbols of their ethnic group. Until the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were still Baiyue people, and the Dragon Boat Festival was a festival created by them to worship their ancestors. In the course of thousands of years of historical development, most of the Baiyue people have integrated into the Han nationality, and the rest have evolved into many ethnic minorities in the south. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival has become a festival for the entire Chinese nation.
What customs did the ancients have during the Dragon Boat Festival?
The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. China has been a country of poems since ancient times. There are 218 poems containing the word "Dragon Boat Festival" alone. This does not include sentences describing Dragon Boat Festival scenes and Dragon Boat Festival customs. Through ancient poems, we can understand how the ancients celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. What customs did the ancients have during the Dragon Boat Festival?
Yuan Zhen likes "cute" rice dumplings and Lu You likes to hold parties and eat rice dumplings
Poet and foodie are two terms that are not contradictory. In ancient my country, the more educated a person was, the more Pay attention to eating. The fact that literati eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival is a clear proof. For example, the rice dumpling leaves must come from Taihu Lake, and the glutinous rice must come from the Yellow River... The ancients ate rice dumplings in many ways. For example, Yuan Zhen, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, is the one who wrote "The white-headed palace maid is here, sitting around and talking about Xuanzong". His poetry is graceful and his favorite rice dumplings are also very small. Yuan Zhen wrote a poem: "The new green rice dumplings are solid, and the golden pills are small wooden slaves." It can be seen that he has a special liking for the "mini cute" rice dumplings that are as small as a newborn green water chestnut.
However, Su Dongpo's taste was different: "Not only do you see oranges on the plate, but you also get bayberry in the rice dumplings." This shows that he was full of praise for the rice dumplings filled with candied fruit. In the Qing Dynasty, Lin Sumen's "strings are pierced into rice dumplings, and they are famous as Jiao Milletong. Steamed pork and japonica rice are white, greasy, and translucent."
Gently wrapped in fine bamboo slippers, the fragrant aroma melts into each grain. Lanjiang pickled wine is expensive, and the taste is easy to taste. " reveals his longing for ham rice dumplings.
Of course there are delicious things that cannot be enjoyed alone. Many poets also like to invite good friends to share delicious rice dumplings on this day. Lu You in the Song Dynasty also wrote " "During the Dragon Boat Festival, we make an appointment to cook rice dumplings together." It seems that Lu You is a "party person" who prefers liveliness. However, behind the bustle and bustle, there is always loneliness, emptiness and coldness. Every festival will trigger their feelings about their hometown and their hometown. The Dragon Boat Festival is no exception to the longing for loved ones. Poets who like to walk alone will inevitably feel homesick during the festival. For example, Zhu Song, a poet from the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "Chongwu": "On the Wu Festival in a foreign land, I am sick here. Poor old man. The bamboo shoots are turning purple, and the pomegranate flowers are blooming red. Deep in the mountains, people are silent, the air is moist and the rain is misty. There is no place to cook wine, the calamus is in the water. "The ancients didn't have telephones, so they could only send flowers, calamus, mugwort, etc. to express their love for their loved ones. If communication was as developed as it is now, and you can hear the local accent with just a phone call, there would be no such heart-wrenching words to read.
The emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty gave each other summer clothes with inscriptions on them, and they were very cool to wear.
The common people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival, and the royal family was no exception. There are many rules. For example, on the festival day, the emperor has to give summer clothes to the courtiers. This work is very careful. The clothes given are made of light and thin kudzu, and they have to be sewn according to the figures of the courtiers. Fits well.
Du Fu wrote in his poem "Giving Clothes on the Dragon Boat Festival": "The palace clothes are also famous, and the Dragon Boat Festival is honored. The thin kudzu is soft in the wind, and the fragrant flowers are light in the snow. Since the sky is wet, it will be cleared in the summer heat. The inner meaning refers to the length and the short, and is filled with holy love for life. "The first sentence expresses the unexpected mood: There is actually my name Du Fu on the palace robe! What's going on? It turns out that at this time, Suzong was attacking his father's ministers, killing Fang Guan, Zhang Hao, and Yan Yan. Wu, Jia Zhi, Gao Shi, Cen Shen and others were demoted from Kyoto, and Du Fu was also among those who were punished. He was also released a few days after the Dragon Boat Festival, so he was surprised by the "honor" of being given summer clothes. Three or four sentences describe the softness and high quality of the summer clothes, the fine kudzu is filled with the breeze, and the fragrant flowers are as white as snow. Du Fu's imagination is amazing. The five or six sentences describe the comfort of wearing them. The ink on the summer clothes is still wet, and it feels like wearing it. I feel very cool. The seventh sentence is about the length of the clothes, and the last sentence is about my lifelong gratitude to Dai Huang. Du Fu was serving as Zuo Shiyi at that time and was an eighth-rank official. He was able to receive summer clothes, which shows that the emperor's Dragon Boat Festival clothes were very wide.
On the one hand, the emperor gave summer clothes to his ministers, and on the other hand, local officials presented summer clothes to the emperor. The latter was not recorded in the history books, but Du Fu, who was good at remembering events, wrote it in his poem "Farewell." Xiang Qing's name is unknown. He made a high-quality summer coat and went to Shangdu (Kingto, Chang'an) to present it to the emperor. Du Fu wrote a poem to see him off. He wrote: "The tailor's cloud and mist become the royal robe, and he kneels down and inscribes the seal to the Dragon Boat Festival." The cloud and mist are a metaphor for the softness of summer clothes. Kneeling and inscribing the seal is a sign of respect for the emperor.
Hanging a longevity silk rope on the wrist. The emperor gave "hundred suo" to the ministers
In addition to giving each other summer clothes, because May is the evil month in folk belief, there is a little story passed down that May 5th is regarded as the evil day in the evil month. This illustrates this point: Emperor Huizong and Tong Guan of the Song Dynasty were born on May 5th. They were inevitably confused and very depressed, so they changed their birth dates to October 10th, and their zodiac signs were suddenly changed from Taurus to Libra.
In order to seek benefits and ward off evil spirits, every Dragon Boat Festival, everyone hangs long-lasting silk ropes on their doors or wrists, and puts mugwort on their doors. The poet He Ning of the late Tang Dynasty wrote in "Gong Ci". Said: "A man with embroidered red forehead and moxa on his door is ashamed to bring his horn millet close to his fragrant lips. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people praised and proclaimed their gifts, and tied their arms with five-color fragrant silk. "Inserting mugwort in Zhumen" and "tying arms with fragrant silk" are the embodiments of this custom.
In ancient Dragon Boat Festival, the emperor would also give "hundred ropes" to his ministers. Baisuo is the silk rope of longevity. , is a rope braided with five-color silk threads, also known as a thread of longevity. The poet Dou Shuxiang of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Hundred Threads of Gifts on the Dragon Boat Festival". The poem goes: "The immortal official has a thread of longevity, and the Dragon Boat Festival sends special gifts." When things are prosperous, dragons see them, and dogs and horses know how kind they are. If I can live the rest of my life, I hope it will be clear. "Taoism calls the immortals with high status "immortal officials", which here refers to the emperor. The emperor's gift of longevity was deeply moved by the poet. He said that the matter was big enough to scare dragons, and the kindness was deep enough to tell dogs and horses. It expresses the mood of trying one's best to repay the saint in one's lifetime.
The "Dragon Boat Rain" before the Dragon Boat Festival is considered a good sign.
The Dragon Boat Rain means the rain before the Dragon Boat Festival, which means the water in the Dragon Boat Festival rises. That is to say, in order to facilitate people to race dragon boats during the Dragon Boat Festival, it will rain before the Dragon Boat Festival, causing the river water to rise. People call this rain "Dragon Boat Rain".
Legend has it that before the Dragon Boat Festival, If there is a "dragon boat rain", it is a good sign. After the Dragon Boat Festival, the temperature will rise significantly and the rainfall will be more abundant. Then there will be an exciting dragon boat race. The most popular one is the dragon boat race.
Zhang Jianfeng’s long poem "Song of the Race" is the most popular one. It describes the scene of the race very wonderfully: "The drum beats three times and the red flag opens two times." The dragon jumped out of the water. Thousands of swords fly in the waves, and thousands of thunders break through the waves with the sound of drums. "At the sprint stage, the scene became even more lively: "The drum beat became more urgent and the mark was approaching, and the two dragons looked at the mark like Shun. People on the slope were shouting like thunderbolts, and the poles were decorated with rainbow lights.
"Looking at the approaching finishing championship, the eyes of the athletes on the two dragon boats shone brightly, "eyes like Shun." Legend has it that Shun had double pupils, so his vision was particularly bright. Looking at the decisive moment, the audience on the slope let out a cry. There was a thunderous cry. The winner was decided in the blink of an eye: "The boat in front has won the bid, but the boat behind has lost its momentum and is waving its arms." The eyebrows are sore and bloody, and the head is uncertain, and the hearts of the friends on the other side are burning. "This is the performance of the losing team. Seeing someone else win the championship, they have to wave the oar in vain and row forward. They are extremely depressed.