Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four major festivals throughout the year. May is the poison month, the fifth day is the poison day, and the noon on the fifth day is the poison time, ranking at the bottom of the three poisons. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called "the end of May". May is the beginning of the whole hot weather. Five poisonous snakes are active and ghosts are rampant, which will bring disaster to people, especially to children who have no scruples and no resistance. At the end of May, we should concentrate on preventing disasters and drugs for children. Some people say that it is to commemorate the ancestor of mankind, Nu Wa, and "Wa" is homophonic with "Wa". Therefore, people call the Dragon Boat Festival in May "Children's Day" or "Baby's Day".
For more than two thousand years, the Dragon Boat Festival has been a traditional habit of China people. Due to its vast territory and numerous ethnic groups, some Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Buyi, North Korea, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, She, Lahu, Shui, Naxi, Daur and Mulao. Its contents mainly include: daughter going back to her mother's house, hanging Zhong Kui statue, welcoming the ghost boat, hiding in the afternoon, sticking leaves in the afternoon, hanging calamus and wormwood, traveling in all diseases, wearing sachets, preparing sacrificial bowls, dragon boat races, competitions, hitting the ball, swinging, drawing children with realgar, drinking realgar wine, drinking calamus wine, eating poisonous cakes, salted eggs, zongzi and seasonal fresh fruits. Some activities, such as dragon boat racing, have made new progress, breaking through the boundaries of time and region and becoming international sports events.
On June 24th, 2005, 165438+ Korea applied for "Dragon Boat Festival", which was officially recognized as "oral and intangible cultural heritage of mankind" by UNESCO. This is a profound lesson for the people of China to protect chinese heritage.
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is a traditional folk festival in China-Dragon Boat Festival, which is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called Dragon Boat Festival and Duanyang. In addition, there are many nicknames for the Dragon Boat Festival, such as: Noon Festival, Chongwu Festival, May Festival, Magnolia Festival, Daughter's Day, Tianzhong Festival, Dila Festival, Poet's Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Doll's Day. Although the names are different, on the whole, the customs of people everywhere are more similar than different.
Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival has been a traditional habit of China people for more than two thousand years. Due to the vast territory, numerous nationalities and numerous stories and legends, not only many different festival names are produced, but also different customs exist in different places. Its contents mainly include: daughter going back to her mother's house, hanging Zhong Kui statue, welcoming the ghost boat, hiding in the afternoon, sticking leaves in the afternoon, hanging calamus and wormwood, traveling in all diseases, wearing sachets, preparing sacrificial bowls, dragon boat races, competitions, hitting the ball, swinging, drawing children with realgar, drinking realgar wine, drinking calamus wine, eating poisonous cakes, salted eggs, zongzi and seasonal fresh fruits. Some activities, such as dragon boat racing, have made new progress, breaking through the boundaries of time and region and becoming international sports events.
There are many opinions about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, such as: in memory of Qu Yuan; In memory of Wu Zixu's theory; In memory of Cao E; From the three generations of summer solstice festival; The theory of exorcising evil days on the moon, the theory of national totem sacrifice in wuyue, the theory of commemorating Nu Wa and so on. Each of the above has its own source. According to more than 100 ancient books and archaeological studies by experts listed in Wen Yiduo's Dragon Boat Festival Examination and Dragon Boat Festival History Education, the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is a totem festival held by Wuyue people in the ancient south of China, earlier than Qu Yuan. However, for thousands of years, Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit and touching poems have been deeply rooted in people's hearts, so people "cherish it and mourn it, talk about it in the world, and tell it through the ages." Therefore, the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan has the widest and deepest influence and occupies the mainstream position. In the field of folk culture, China people associate dragon boat racing and eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival with commemorating Qu Yuan.
Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is still a very popular grand festival among the people of China. Dragon Boat Festival is now a national legal holiday.
Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient traditional festival, which started in China during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and has a history of more than 2,000 years. Dragon Boat Festival has many origins and legends. Here are only the following four:
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, commonly known as "Dragon Boat Festival". Ending means "beginning" and "beginning". The fifth day can be called Dragon Boat Festival. In the lunar calendar, the earthly branch marks the moon, the shade is built in the first month, February is the base, and May is noon in turn, so May is called noon month, and "five" is connected with "noon", and "five" is also the yang number, so the Dragon Boat Festival is also called Dragon Boat Festival, Worship for Wu, Duanyang and Zhongtian. According to historical records, the word "Dragon Boat Festival" first appeared in the local custom of Jin people and Zhou Dynasty: "Dragon Boat Festival in midsummer, cooking millet." Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of Han nationality in China. The necessary activities of this day gradually evolved into: eating zongzi, dragon boat racing, hanging calamus and mugwort leaves, smoking Atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica, and drinking realgar wine. It is said that eating zongzi and dragon boat racing is to commemorate Qu Yuan, so after liberation, the Dragon Boat Festival was named "Poet's Day" to commemorate Qu Yuan. As for hanging calamus, wormwood leaves, smoked atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica, drinking realgar wine is said to suppress evil spirits. Although the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated every year, its origin is not very clear. To sum up, there are roughly the following statements.
First, in memory of Qu Yuan. This theory originated from the records of Wu Jun's "The Peace of Continuation of Qi" in the Southern Liang Dynasty and "The Time of Jingchu" in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. It is said that Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on the fifth day of May. Trapped by dragons after death, the world mourned. He throws colorful silk zongzi into the water every day to drive away the dragon. It is also said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed for rescue, and all the way to Dongting Lake, but Qu Yuan's body was not found. It was raining at that time, and the boats on the lake gathered at the pavilion on the shore. When people learned that it was to salvage the sage Dr. Qu, they went out in the rain and rushed into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to mourn, people rowed on rivers, and later it gradually developed into a dragon boat race. Eating zongzi and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival seems to be related to commemorating Qu Yuan, as evidenced by Wen Xiu's poem "Dragon Boat Festival" in the Tang Dynasty: "The festival is divided into Dragon Boat Festival, and it is rumored that it is Qu Yuan. It is ridiculous that the Chu River is empty and cannot be washed directly. "
Second, Ying Tao said. This sentence comes from Cao E tablet in the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period, after the death of Wu Zixu, a loyal minister of the State of Wu, he became Shen Tao, and the world mourned and sacrificed, so there was the Dragon Boat Festival.
Third, the Dragon Boat Festival said. This statement comes from Wen Yiduo's Dragon Boat Festival Examination and Dragon Boat Festival History Education. He believed that the fifth day of May was the day when the "Dragon" tribe in ancient wuyue held totem sacrifices. The main reason is: (1) Eating zongzi and dragon boat racing are the two most important activities of the Dragon Boat Festival, both of which are related to dragons. Zongzi thrown into the water is often stolen by mosquitoes and dragons, and dragon boat races. (2) The relationship between race crossing and ancient wuyue is particularly deep. Besides, Wuyue people have the custom of tattooing constantly to look like a dragon. (3) The ancient folk custom of "tying the arm with colored silk" on the fifth day of May should be a relic of the tattoo custom of "Like a dragon".
Fourth, the theory of evil day. In the pre-Qin period, it was generally believed that May was a poisonous month and the fifth was an evil day. Midsummer in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals stipulates that people should abstain from sex and fast in May. "Xia Zheng Xiao" records: "Store medicine this day to get rid of poisonous gas." It is recorded in "Da Dai Li" that "the livestock orchid takes a bath on May 5", and there are many legends that the fifth day is the taboo day for bathing to exorcise evil spirits. The famous Meng Changjun in Historical Records and Biography of Meng Changjun was born on May 5th. His father asked his mother not to have him, thinking that "a child born in May is longer than a family, which is not good for parents." "Custom Pass" was lost. "It is said that on May 5th, a child was born, and the male harmed his father and the female harmed his mother". Wang Chong, the author of Lun Heng, also described: "The first month and May are taboos; Kill your father and your mother in May of the first month. " Wang Zhene, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was born on the fifth day of May. His grandfather named him "Zhen Xie". Evonne and Song Huizong were born on the fifth day of May, and were fostered outside the palace since childhood. It can be seen that it is a common phenomenon to regard the fifth day of May as an evil day in ancient times. It can be seen that this day has been an unlucky day since the pre-Qin period. In this way, it is logical to insert calamus and mugwort leaves to exorcise ghosts, smoke atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica and drink realgar wine to avoid the epidemic on this day.
Fifth, the summer mentioned on the solstice. Liu Deqian, who holds this view, put forward three main reasons in The Origin of Dragon Boat Festival and Interesting Talk about Traditional Festivals in China: (1) The authoritative book The Story of Jingchu Sui did not mention the festival custom of eating zongzi on the fifth day of May, but was written on the solstice in summer. As for Du Jing, Du Taiqing's Jade Candle Collection in the Sui Dynasty listed it as an entertainment activity from summer to the sun, which shows that it was not necessarily to salvage Qu Yuan, a great poet who threw himself into the river. (2) Some contents in the custom of Dragon Boat Festival, such as "stepping on a hundred herbs", "fighting a hundred herbs" and "picking herbs", have nothing to do with Qu Yuan. (3) The first explanation of the Dragon Boat Festival in Beautiful Scenery at the Age of Years is: "The sun shines, and the Dragon Boat Festival is in midsummer, so it can also be called midsummer festival. Therefore, the earliest origin of the noon festival is the summer solstice. There are many controversies, and the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan has the most extensive influence. Because of Qu Yuan's outstanding personality and art, people are willing to attribute this anniversary to him.
Sixth, the memory of Nu Wa said. In Qingyang, Gansu, there has always been a strong custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. This day is a festival for women to play with threads and dress up dolls, so it is called Doll's Day or Daughter's Day. There is an embroidered big blue wow on the back of the doll, or there is a snake on the back. Plus the five poisons, wearing a tiger hat, covered with tiger shoes, decorated with double beards on the chest, wearing various styles of sachets filled with herbs (these were later collectively referred to as Qingyang sachets). Wrists and ankles are tied with five-color threads and twisted into flower ropes, all made by women's hands. When and which generation did this custom inherit? It is just an intangible cultural heritage (Qingyang sachet was listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2002). If these folk spoken words and dolls are verified with some historical records of Dongli Zhao Xi, it is not difficult to find the contextual relationship between them and China humanities. "Wa" is homophonic with "Wa", and "Nu Wa" is homophonic with "Nu Wa". There is a folk saying that Dragon Boat Festival is a doll festival and Nuwa Festival is Nuwa Festival. It is speculated that the custom of Dragon Boat Festival in Qingyang, the birthplace of China, should be a way for local people to recall human childhood, commemorate Nu Wa and convey maternal love. The potential relationship between maternal love and childlike innocence has a mysterious call to a generation and accumulated into a folk consciousness. It originated in Nianshi for a long time, which is far older than the present research era. This is the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, which laid the foundation for the formation of China's grand cultural system with the word "five characters" and became the thinking framework of Chinese descendants about the origin of nature.
[Originated in memory of Qu Yuan]
According to the historian Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng, Qu Yuan was a minister in Chu Huaiwang during the Warring States Period. He advocated the use of talents, empowerment, and prosperity, and advocated joint resistance to Qin, which was strongly opposed by others. Qu Yuan was forced to leave his post, was driven out of the capital and exiled to the Yuan and Xiang river basins. During his exile, he wrote immortal poems such as Li Sao, Tian Wen and Tian Wen, which have a unique style and far-reaching influence (therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Poet's Day). In 278 BC, Qin Jun conquered Kyoto of Chu. Seeing that his motherland was invaded, Qu Yuan was heartbroken, but he was always reluctant to give up his motherland. On May 5th, after writing his masterpiece Huai Sha, he died in Miluo River and wrote a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life.
Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were so sad that they flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to Qu Yuan. The fisherman paddled the boat and fished for his real body back and forth on the river. A fisherman took out rice balls, eggs and other foods prepared for Qu Yuan and threw them into the river, saying that ichthyosaurs, shrimps and crabs were full and would not bite the doctor. People followed suit after seeing it. An old doctor took an altar of realgar wine and poured it into the river, saying that he would stun the dragon water beast with medicine so as not to hurt Dr. Qu. Later, people were afraid that rice balls would be eaten by dragons, so they came up with the idea of wrapping rice with neem leaves and then wrapping it with colored silk to make it develop into brown seeds.
After that, on the fifth day of May every year, there is the custom of dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine. In memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.
[Excerpt from Commemorating Wu Zixu]
The second legend of the Dragon Boat Festival, which spread in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, commemorates Wu Zixu in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Wu Zixu, a famous Chu national, and his father and brother were all killed by the King of Chu. Later, Zixu abandoned the dark and went to Wu to help Wu to attack Chu, and entered the capital city of Chu in the Five Wars. At that time, King Chu Ping was already dead. Zixu dug a grave and whipped 300 bodies to avenge his father's murder. After the death of He Lu, the king of Wu, his son Fu Cha succeeded to the throne. Wu Jun's morale was high and he was defeated by Yue. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, made peace, and Fu Cha agreed. Zi Xu suggested the complete elimination of Yue, but Fu Cha didn't listen. Wu was massacred and bought by the state of Yue. He was framed by slanderers. Fu Cha believed him and gave him a sword. Zi Xu died. Zixu, a loyal minister, feels like death. Before he died, he said to his neighbors, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Jason Wu, watching the Vietnamese army enter the city and destroy Wu." Then he killed himself. Fu Cha was furious after hearing this. On May 5th, he wrapped Zixu's body in leather and threw it into the river. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.
Memories from the dutiful daughter Cao E.
The third legend of Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the filial daughter Cao E who saved her drowning father in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 23-220). Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river and didn't see her body for several days. At that time, Cao E, the filial daughter, was only fourteen years old, crying day and night by the river. 17 days later, he also threw himself into the river on May 5, and fished out his father's body five days later. This was passed down as a myth, and then to the governor of the county government, who made it a monument for disciple Han Danchun to make a eulogy.
The tomb of the filial daughter is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province today, and there is a monument made by Jin. Later, in order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, Cao E Temple was built where Cao E threw himself into the river. The village where she lived was renamed Cao E Town, and the place where Cao E died was named Cao E River.
"Totem Sacrifice from Guyue Nationality"
A large number of cultural relics unearthed in modern times and archaeological studies have confirmed that in the Neolithic age, there was a cultural relic with geometric prints and pottery ruins in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. According to experts' inference, the remaining clan is Baiyue clan, a clan that worships dragon totem in history. The decorative patterns and historical legends on unearthed pottery show that they have the custom of tattooing constantly, live in a water town and compare themselves to the descendants of dragons. Among its production tools, there are a large number of stone tools, as well as small bronzes such as shovels and chisels. As daily necessities, the printed pottery ding used for cooking food is unique to them and is one of the symbols of their ethnic group. Until the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were still more than 100 Vietnamese people, and the Dragon Boat Festival was a festival for their ancestors. During thousands of years of historical development, most 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 whole Chinese nation.
May 5th is an evil month and an evil day.
Yuan, president of Hebei Folk Culture Association, believes that the concept of Dragon Boat Festival existed long before Qu Yuan.
Yuan said that China people have always had the concept of multiplicity in their thinking patterns, such as the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, the Dragon Head Festival on February 2, the flat peach party for the Queen Mother on March 3, the Qixi Festival on July 7 and the Double Ninth Festival on September 9. These festivals have their own connotations, which are closely related to thousands of years of agricultural civilization in China. May 5th, celebrated as a festival, was formed as early as seven or eight thousand years ago.
"In China, the historical tradition holds that May 5th is an evil month and an evil day. According to the Book of Changes and other ancient records, yin evil was born in May, and May 5th was the time when the yang spirit ran to the end. On this day, many diseases and plagues raged. Therefore, on this day, people insert wormwood leaves, hang calamus, drink realgar wine and match sachets to ward off evil spirits and strengthen the body. " Yuan Xue Jun said that Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, probably to express his loyalty to the country and the nation on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Yuan believes that eating zongzi and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival, which has been handed down now, is a memorial way that gradually evolved after Qu Yuan jumped into the river more than 2,000 years ago. When the fish were full, people scattered rice in the river to avoid eating Qu Yuan's body. Fishing for Qu Yuan needs boats, so with more boats, there will naturally be competition, and the competition will gradually begin. As for the dragon boat, it is even later.
Dragon boat festival custom
In China, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in a grand way and with rich activities, starting at dawn in the morning and ending at noon. The more common activities take the following forms: