After Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, the Chu people could not bear to part with the sage Qu Yuan and died. Many people rowed boats to catch up and save. They rushed to catch up with each other and disappeared at Dongting Lake. After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. Rowing a dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river so as not to eat Qu Yuan's body.
The habit of competition prevailed in wuyue and Chu. Over time, this has become one of the traditional customs in China. Therefore, on the fifth day of May every year, people will race dragon boats in big rivers or lakes. The reason is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a sage of Chu State.
Dragon boat, as its name implies, is a dragon-shaped boat. The bow of the ship was raised high, and the side and abdomen were painted with different colors. Dragon boats are different in size and number of paddles. There are six pairs, twelve pairs, seventeen pairs and fifty-two pairs. If the races are the same, then the dragon boats must be the same size. If it is a new ship, then the ceremony of dragon festival's head must be held.
Cultural connotation:
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.
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. Before the dragon boat race, various sacrificial ceremonies and commemorative ceremonies will be held. Generally speaking, incense sticks are lit and paper money is burned, offering sacrifices for chicken, rice, meat, fruit, zongzi and so on.
Nowadays, these superstitious ceremonies are rare, but in the past, when people went to the Dragon Palace to offer sacrifices, the atmosphere was very serious, praying for a bumper harvest in agriculture, good weather, evil spirits and all the best, and wishing boating safety. In people's words, "to be auspicious" expresses people's inner good wishes.
Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Dragon Boat Race