Ye Zhengyang's constellation

What are the origins and customs of 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. Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

The real origin of Dragon Boat Festival

1, from the memory of Qu Yuan

The real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is that it is said that Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River on the fifth day of May and was trapped by dragons after his death. The world mourned for it, and he threw five-color zongzi into the water every day to drive away the dragon. He also said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed for rescue, and the boat went 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. In Wu Jun's "Continuation of Qi and Harmony" in the Southern Dynasties, it was recorded that "the doctor of Chu, Qu Yuan, died in the Miluo River in Japan, and the Chu people mourned for it and saved it from the boat." It can be seen that the true origin of the Dragon Boat Festival in folklore is also based on certain facts.

2. Dragon Boat Festival

In order to show that they are the descendants of the "dragon", the ancient Wuyue people used dragons as totems and had the custom of tattooing constantly. On May 5th every year, they hold a grand totem festival. They pour bamboo tubes or food wrapped in leaves into water, give them to totem gods for their own consumption, and show them to totem gods by carving dragon-shaped canoes on the water. A large number of cultural relics and archaeological studies unearthed in recent years have proved that the real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is more scientific than the sacrificial totem of Wuyue people.

3. From an evil day

There are many theories about the real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. 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 "Mu livestock orchid on May 5" is used to bathe to exorcise evil spirits, and there are also many legends that the fifth day is a taboo day. Historical records? The famous Meng Changjun 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 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. Based on this, it is speculated that the real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is related to this!

In this way, it is natural 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. So is the real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival really from this? "Chronicle of Jingchu Age" records: "Jingchu people stepped on a hundred herbs on May 5, collecting ai for people, and hanging poison gas on their doors." Some people think that zongzi is just a common folk food, and dragon boat race is a festival activity, which was not fixed at the Dragon Boat Festival at first.

4, from the summer solstice

It is based on the practice of "Zhu Suo five-color seal as the door decoration" recorded in the Book of Rites of the Later Han Dynasty, and it integrates some customs of the summer solstice in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Until the Tang Dynasty, Sui Li explained the Dragon Boat Festival as "the sun is in the sun, and it is midsummer", which means that only in summer can the sun completely fit the position of the sun. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival should be the summer solstice. Among the four stories about the real origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, the story commemorating Qu Yuan is the most popular among the people.

The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival

1, roast dragon boat

Dragon boat rowing is a multi-person collective rowing competition, an important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival, a ceremony of ancient dragon totem and a heritage. It is an important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is still very popular in the southern coastal areas of China. After it was spread abroad, it was deeply loved by people all over the world and formed an international competition.

There are dragon boats and phoenix boats on the Dragon Boat Festival. Phoenix boats originated from ancient black boats, and in some places there are dragon and phoenix boats. Boasting dragon boat is a form of dragon worship in folk belief, that is, using the power of dragon to pray for good luck and ward off evil spirits.

2. Hang wormwood and calamus

On the Dragon Boat Festival, people regard inserting wormwood and calamus as one of the important contents. Every family sweeps the courtyard, inserts calamus and moxa sticks in their eyebrows and hangs them in the hall. It is believed that wormwood also has the function of exorcising evil spirits and attracting happiness. During the Dragon Boat Festival, hanging wormwood on the door has become a habit and a custom of the Dragon Boat Festival.

There is a custom of hanging wormwood on the Dragon Boat Festival all over the north and south. In the south, heaven and earth are regarded as pure yang, healthy qi and auspicious days to drive away evil spirits and diseases, while in some places in the north, evil moons and evil days are regarded as evil spirits and drugs.

Step 3 wash herbal water

Washing herbal water is one of the customs of Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon Boat Festival is the day with the most Chinese herbal medicines in a year, and medicines are everywhere at noon. Washing herbal water at noon can cure skin diseases and dispel evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival, many places in China have the custom of collecting herbs, boiling herbs and soaking in water, and the medicinal properties of the Dragon Boat Festival herbs play a vital role in it.

4. Worship God and ancestors

Sacrificing to God and ancestors is one of the important customs of Dragon Boat Festival. "Heaven and earth are the foundation of life; Ancestors are the foundation of class. " Heaven and earth are the foundation of life, ancestors are the foundation of life, and ancestor worship is the custom of inheriting filial piety. According to the folk concept, a person's ancestors, like heaven, earth and god, should be seriously worshipped. Because the ancestors' "spirit in heaven" always cares about and watches over future generations, earthly people should pray and repay their protection and blessing through sacrifices.

5. Wear sachets

Wearing sachets is one of the traditional customs of Dragon Boat Festival. The sachet is usually filled with some Chinese herbal medicines with fragrance and resuscitation, which have the effects of fragrance, insect repellent, plague prevention and disease prevention. Duanyang tied his arm with four-color thread and wore a sachet, which was exquisite and exquisite. The sachet, also known as sachet, sachet and purse, is usually made by wrapping perfume with five-color silk thread, or cotton wrapped with colored satin or cloth, mixing powder of Chuanxiong, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Rhizoma Sparganii, Scutellariae Radix, Flos Caryophylli, Asari, Gan Song, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Glycyrrhrizae Radix, realgar powder, etc., and then embroidering with colored silk thread, with red, green and hanging at the bottom.

Children wear sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is said to mean to ward off evil spirits and plague. Sachet bags are made into different shapes and strung together, all kinds of small and lovely, and now they have become a common handicraft. In some cities in southern China, young men and women also use sachets to express their deep love.

6. Casting spike

In Lun Heng, written by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the etiquette and custom of "casting the year of Yang" during the Dragon Boat Festival were recorded: "The year of Yang takes fire from the sky, and at noon in May, five stones are melted and cast into vessels, which makes them glow with excitement. When they rise to the sun, fire will come, which is also the way to get real fire. " The ancients thought that there were three fires at noon, when the sun was shining. At this time, it is the best time to melt gold and cast mirrors, and the cast bronze mirrors have incredible power. The custom of using mirrors to ward off evil spirits is widely used and passed down in the southern coastal areas. It is often seen that children who are born soon are wearing silver mirrors and other decorations. This kind of silver ornaments and small mirrors are used by children to ward off evil spirits. Newly built temples and Taoist temples are often decorated with bronze mirrors in the middle of the roof. Even above the doors and windows of new buildings in modern residential areas, you can often find hanging mirrors, which are used to ward off evil spirits. This shows that the cultural belief that mirrors ward off evil spirits is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

7, bolt five-color silk thread

Five-color silk, also known as five-color silk and multicolored silk. The ancient and popular names are Zhusuo and Zhusuo. Those tied to mosquito nets and cradles are also called wanzhuan ropes and health ropes. Five colors of five-color silk represent five elements and five directions, which complement each other and have the mysterious effect of exorcising evil spirits and welcoming good luck. Five-color silk thread originated from the concept of five elements in ancient China. Five-color silk thread tied to the arm, or tattoo. It was once a popular holiday custom to tie one's arm with colored silk thread during the Dragon Boat Festival. Passed on to future generations, it developed into many beautiful decorations, such as longevity wisps, longevity locks, sachets and so on. Its production is becoming more and more exquisite, and it has become a unique folk art of the Dragon Boat Festival.

8. soak in dragon boat water

During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is a traditional custom in southern China to soak in dragon boat water. People call the strong water around the Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat water, dragon water and dragon precipitation. And think that this kind of water is auspicious and has the function of ward off evil spirits. On the midsummer Dragon Boat Festival, the black dragon star soars due south. In folk beliefs, the dragon is an auspicious thing and the master of wind and rain. Dragons fly in the sky and clouds and rain. Naturally, around the Dragon Boat Festival every year, the warm and humid air flow in southern China is active, and when it meets the cold air from north to south in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan and other places, there will often be continuous and large-scale heavy precipitation. When the heavy precipitation comes during the Dragon Boat Festival, the water level of the river rises rapidly, providing a good venue for dragon boat fishing. According to tradition, soaking in dragon boat water means good luck and all the best. Every year when dragon boat water comes, people will take their families to the river to wash dragon boat water. The ancients believed that dragon boat water had the functions of exorcising evil spirits, cleaning the body, washing away bad luck and bringing good luck.

9. Eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival

Eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional custom. Zongzi, commonly known as Zongzi, is mainly made of glutinous rice and stuffing, wrapped in bamboo leaves (or Hiragi leaves and bamboo leaves), with various shapes, such as sharp corners and squares. It has a long history and was originally used to worship ancestors. After being introduced to the north, it is made of millet (produced in the north), which is called "corn millet". Because of the different eating habits in different places, zongzi has formed a north-south flavor; In terms of taste, zongzi can be divided into salty zongzi and sweet zongzi. The custom of eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival has been popular in China for thousands of years, and it has become one of the most influential and extensive folk food customs of the Chinese nation, and spread to North Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

At the beginning of May every year, people in China will soak glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves and wrap zongzi, with various colors and varieties. From the perspective of stuffing, there are many dates in the north, such as jiaozi; There are many kinds of fillings in the south, such as bean paste, fresh meat, ham, clams, egg yolk and so on.