When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 2008?

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

About the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, to sum up, there are roughly the following:

In memory of Qu Yuan, this theory originated from the records of Wu Jun's "The Peace of Continuation of Qi" in the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty and "The Chronicle 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. "

Dragon boat festival nickname

According to statistics, the name of Dragon Boat Festival is called the most among all traditional festivals in China, reaching more than 20, which is the festival with the most aliases. For example, there are Dragon Boat Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Duanyang Festival, Chongwu Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Tianzhong Festival, Summer Festival, May Festival, Long Festival, Pujie Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Magnolia Festival, Zongzi Festival and so on.

Dragon Boat Race and Sacrifice to Qu Yuan and Cao E

The word dragon boat was first seen in the pre-Qin ancient book Mu Zhuan, Volume 5: "Take a bird boat and the dragon boat floats in the swamp." In "Nine Songs to the King", scholars also think that "flying dragon" refers to the dragon boat. Xiang Jun is a poem about Xiang Jun rowing a dragon boat and sinking it into the river (similar to throwing a trace into the river) to mourn a historical figure. This coincides with the images of "Soul Boat" and "Dragon and Silk Painting with Figures" in Chu State, which can confirm each other. "The Chronicle of Jingchu" records: "May 5th is called Lan Festival. ..... it's a day, a race, and a fight for miscellaneous drugs. " Since then, countless people have been recorded in poems, notes and local chronicles.

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Another example is Zhejiang, where they commemorate Cao E with dragon boat races. According to "Biography of Women in the Later Han Dynasty", Cao E threw herself into the river. According to folklore, she went into the river to find her father's body. There are many sacrifices in Zhejiang. Dianshizhai Pictorial Sacrifice to Cao E depicts the scene of people sacrificing Cao E in Huiji area.

The competition in Shandong and Wudi (Jiangsu) is to commemorate Wu Zixu, so Suzhou has an old habit of offering sacrifices to Wu Zixu on the Dragon Boat Festival and holding competitions on the water to commemorate it. There is also a memorial ceremony in Guangxi, and there is also a memorial ceremony in Fuzhou.

All kinds of sacrificial ceremonies and commemorative ceremonies are nothing more than burning incense and burning money for roast chicken, cooking rice, burning meat, offering 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.

At the beginning of the official competition, the atmosphere was very warm. Song of Race Crossing written by Zhang Jianfeng, a poet in the Tang Dynasty: ... The clothes on both sides of the strait smell fragrant, and the silver hairpin shines on the frost blade. The drums rang three times and the red flag opened; Two dragons jumped out of the water. Shadow waves fly to Wan Jian, and drum waves sound like thunder. The drums are getting closer and closer, and the two dragons look at the mark, just like a moment. People on the slope thundered and the poles were dizzy. The front boat won the bid to launch, and the rear boat lost momentum and waved. "These poems vividly depict the magnificent scenery of the dragon boat race. Women usually don't go out, but now they are competing to see the dragon boat, and the silver hairpin is shining; The dragon boat under the command of the red flag of the war drum comes and falls like a flying sword, and the drums sound like thunder; The finish line is marked with colored poles. The dragon boat is approaching the target quickly ... The modern dragon boat race is similar, but the rules are a little stricter. In recent years, international dragon boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all over the world.

Besides speed races, there are other activities, such as dragon boat rowing. For example, the dragon boat goes to the countryside, that is, rowing the dragon boat to a familiar village nearby to play and gather. Sometimes the dragon boat also has various tricks, which means performing. For example, the dragon boat in Guangzhou, hand in hand with blades inserted into the water, and then picked up, let the water splash; People at the bow and stern stamped the boat rhythmically, making the dragon boat rise and fall like Youlong. In Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province, some dragon boats had their tails trodden very low, causing the dragons to look up, and the sharp waves at the bow of the dragon jetted out from Longkou, like a dragon swallowing clouds and spitting rain.

And boat races. For example, in "Jing Xun in Huainanzi", "Dragon boat flies at the head and blows for entertainment" means rowing dragon boats, rocking boats, playing music and paddling in the water. "Dream of Liang Lu" records that there were "six dragon boats swimming in the lake" in Hangzhou in the Southern Song Dynasty. There are dragon boats on the lake, which is only part of the boat tour.

Emperors in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties all liked to watch dragon boats by the water, which also belonged to games and the like. It is recorded in the Book of Old Tang Dynasty that both of them have the deeds of "watching the game". The seventh volume of Dream of China in Tokyo records the custom of the Northern Song Emperor watching the dragon boat race in Jinming Pool of Linshui Temple. Among them, there are floats, musical boats, boats, painting boats, dragon boats and tiger boats. Watch and play music and a 40-foot-long dragon boat. Besides the dragon boat, other boats are also lined up to bid for entertainment. Zhang Song Zeduan's "Jin Chiming Won the Bid" depicts this scene. The Ming emperor watched the dragon boat in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai, and watched the warriors in the Imperial Shooting Prison gallop and shoot arrows. In the Qing Dynasty, races were held in Fuhai and Yuanmingyuan, and both Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors went to watch them.

There will be a dragon boat in the evening. In Wujin, Zhejiang, there used to be a night dragon boat race with small lights hanging on all sides. Night Dragon Boat appeared at Wu Tong Bridge in Sichuan from 1982. The boat is decorated with electric lights, fireworks and floating river lanterns, which are dazzling. In a few places in Zhejiang, piles of floating flames are set up on the water surface, so that dragon boats covered with lanterns can pass through the flames.

There is also a dry dragon boat, which is a simulated dragon boat race on land. For example, "Nanchang County Records" says: "Dragon boat was dried on May 5th, so that several people (y6, * * *) gathered things together, passed flowers on behalf of drums, and filled the thoroughfare. Scholars and women gave money to pray and fought for firecrackers to eliminate disasters." Wuyi county, Zhejiang province used to have the custom of pushing dragon boats in dry land, which was also thought to ward off evil spirits. In addition, Foshan, Dongguan and Xinyi in Guangdong all have the custom of rowing dragon boats in dry land, which is actually a dance, but the date is not necessarily on the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat in dry land is the most spectacular in Foshan in autumn. Another example is recorded in Huizhou Fuzhi: "On May 5th, I sailed a boat to meet the gods and drive away the epidemic, taking bamboo as the object. Painting is like mud, and twelve people worship the gods and walk around the city. " There are also little dragon boats for children to make toys.

Just as there are dragon dances and phoenix dances in the Spring Festival, there are also dragon boats and wind boats in the Dragon Boat Festival. As mentioned above, the source of wind boats originated from ancient black boats and storks. In ancient courts (such as the Ming court in Tianfu Guangji), there were phoenixes, and there were wind boats racing among the people. "Guangdong Capsule" contains: "Dragon boat hangs the doctor, and wind boat hangs the sky, all of which will win in five days. In the summer of Gengwu, Panyu Shi Qiaocun gathered Wanjin as a wind boat, ten feet long and three feet wide, with high head and tail, and Shu Lian on both sides, carrying a temple to make it worship the sky and travel all over the water towns. " After 1964, there will be a boat race in Hong Kong. This kind of wind boat has a short hull, can sit 16 players, and is equipped with a limelight and a tail, and female players participate. It is indeed a good form of competition.

There are dragon and phoenix boats in some places. "Shunde County Records" contains: "Daliang Dragon Boat is strange and gorgeous." But it's gone now. The dragon boat in Miluo County, Hunan Province, has a dragon head in front and a tail in the back. Phoenix tail is fan-shaped, wrapped in red paper and inserted in the stern, like a rectangular tail. It can also be called dragon and phoenix boat. Dragon and phoenix boats seem to be traces left by the fusion of dragon boats and bird boats.

Mowing grass on Dragon Boat Festival

Han has never seen fighting grass before. (Textual research on popular things in the past dynasties: Shang) Its origin has not been verified, and it is generally believed to be related to the emergence of traditional Chinese medicine. Ancient ancestors struggled to survive and lived a monotonous life. In their spare time, they amuse themselves by fighting insects, grass and wild animals. After the legendary "Shennong tasting a hundred herbs" became a traditional Chinese medicine, it became a custom to gather in the suburbs to collect herbs and insert Ai Men to relieve the summer heat and epidemic. After harvest, competitions are often held to report the names of flowers and grasses to each other in a confrontational way. Most of them win, both interesting in plant knowledge and literary knowledge; Children hook, pinch and pull each other with petioles. If you break it, you lose, and then change a leaf to fight. Bai Juyi's poem "Watching Children's Play" says: "Making dust or mowing grass is fun all day long."

"Yuan" said: "It started in Hanwu". According to a story written by Zong Yi, a person from the Liang Dynasty, "On May 5, four people stepped on a hundred herbs and had a scene of fighting grass." Memories of the Years: "On the Dragon Boat Festival, build houses to store medicines, shoot herbs and wrap five silks."

It was called "stepping on a hundred herbs" in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and "fighting grass" or "fighting a hundred herbs" in the Tang Dynasty. "Biography of Liu Bin" said: "In Tang Zhongzong, Princess Anle fought with Baicao for five days." The song dynasty expanded to fight at any time on weekdays. There are many descriptions of this in the works of scholars in past dynasties.

The Sketch of Fighting between Babies is collected in the Palace Museum in Beijing. The play is as follows: 1. Both sides of the competition choose grass with certain toughness (Loulan case: mostly plantain, a perennial herb of plantain, mostly on roadsides, ditches, ridges and other places. Stemless, with many slender fibrous roots; Leaves clustered from rhizosphere, thin papery, with 5 main veins, whole or undulate, or sparse and blunt teeth, as long as 15-30 cm; There are green and white sparse flowers, the corolla is divided and there are four stamens; When the fruit is ripe, it will open like a lid and release four to six brown-black seeds. Its long floral axis is a good material for weeding. Then cross each other into a "cross" shape and pull each other hard, so that the person who persists will win.

This kind of fighting grass, which depends on the pulling force of people and grass, is called the "war". Wang Jian's "Gong Ci" intones the game of fighting grass: "Flowers, celery leaves and soil in the water will be collected from many families, until everyone else has counted them, and there are Yujin's buds in his sleeve." There are not only "wars" but also "literary wars" in fighting grass. The so-called "literary dispute" refers to the names of flowers and plants. "A Dream of Red Mansions" Sixty-second time "Baoyu's birthday, the sisters were busy drinking and writing poems. The maids in each room also had a good time with their master. Xue Pan's aunt Xiangling and several maids each picked some flowers and plants to have fun. It says, I have Guanyin willow; Said I was Luo again. Suddenly, the bean official said that I had sister flowers, which stumped everyone. Xiangling said I have husband and wife ears. Seeing Xiangling's answer, the bean official said unconvinced, "There have never been any husband and wife! Xiangling argued: "One flower is called' orchid' and several flowers are called' spikes'. The upper and lower two flowers are called' brother's ear', and the first flower is called' husband and wife's ear'. I have the same flower, why not call it' couple's ear'? "After asking for a while, the bean official said with a smile:" According to you, one flower is called' Sui of Laozi', and two flowers bloom behind it, so it can be called' Sui of Enemy'. Xue Pan has just been gone for half a year. You miss him in your heart and pull flowers and plants into the ears of lovers. What a pity! " Xiang Ling blushed and smiled and ran to twist the mouth of the bean officer, so the two men rolled on the ground. The maids are playing and having a good time. At this time, Baoyu also picked some grass to join in the fun.

Other recreational activities during the Dragon Boat Festival

There is an archery scene on the Dragon Boat Festival. "Shi Li" said: "Because of Liao customs, Jin was about several inches from the ground on the fifth day, and his skin was stripped and white. First, one person gallops, and then gallops with featherless arrows. It is best to break the willow tree by hand to relax. What can't be picked up is second. Every shot must be drummed to help. " In the Ming Dynasty, birds were stored in gourds and shot.

Playing polo is also one of the ways to play the Dragon Boat Festival. Polo is riding a horse and hitting with a stick. In ancient times, it was called bowing. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is a saying in Cao Zhiming's name that "there is a sentence in a row". In Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty, there was a wide stadium, and emperors such as Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Jing Zong all liked polo. Ma Qiutu, in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, depicts the prosperity of polo in the Tang Dynasty: more than 20 horses galloped at high speed and their ponytails were tied up. Players are wearing shawls, boots and sticks, hitting each other one by one. Analysis of Golden Branches records the traditional custom of polo as a festival in Liao country, and polo is played on Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival. Li Shizhi also recorded that Jin people hit the ball during the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "Ball Play Music" dance team. In the Ming Dynasty, polo was still popular. According to the general examination of continued literature, Ming Chengzu hit the ball and shot the willow many times in Dongyuan. In the Ming Dynasty's "Music Map of Xuanzong", there are scenes of Xuanzong enjoying polo. At that time, Wang Zhi, an official, wrote a poem about watching the game in the afternoon: "Jade is like a golden horse, carved with seven treasures." When you fly, you will be shocked and feel the stars. The incitement page has become three wins, and joy is the first. Qingyun follows the footsteps and winds in the eastern end of the temple. "In front of the Baiyun Temple in Beijing, there are also rules for the masses to ride horses and hit the ball. There were polo in the Temple of Heaven in Qing Dynasty, and polo didn't disappear until the middle of Qing Dynasty. Antique polo recently appeared in Xi, which made this ancient sport reappear in China after years of disappearance.

In addition, Beijing also has the custom of visiting the Temple of Heaven. "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" Volume II: "Before noon on May 5, the group day entered the Temple of Heaven to avoid drugs. After the afternoon, walk under the wall of the altar. Jiangcheng is not vulgar, but it is also a corn millet. There is no custom of racing, it is also a game. " There is also a contest in Zhong Kui. A person dressed as Zhong Kui, waving a sword and holding a paper bat in front of him, makes it look like "no time to drink"; Follow the full set of ceremonial dresses and walk through the market to exorcise demons. In addition, there are circus and duck snatching activities on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Customs of Dragon Boat Festival in various places

[Hebei Province]

It is said that drilling well water is avoided in Beiping Dragon Boat Festival, and it is often pre-pumped before the festival, in order to avoid well poisoning. On Dragon Boat Festival, street vendors also sell cherry mulberries. It is said that they eat cherry mulberries on the Dragon Boat Festival and don't eat flies by mistake all year round. "Five Poison Cakes", which are cakes decorated with five poisonous insect patterns, are sold in various food stores. Luanxian county lets men and women in-laws give gifts to each other on the Dragon Boat Festival. On the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhao County, the local government will hold a banquet in the south of the city, inviting the literati in the city to feast and compose poems, which is called "stepping on the willow".

[Shandong Province]

On the Dragon Boat Festival in zouping county, everyone needs a drink every morning, which is said to ward off evil spirits. Rizhao Dragon Boat Festival wraps seven colors of thread around children, and it will take them until the first rain after the festival before they are untied and thrown into the rain. On the Dragon Boat Festival in Linqing County, boys under seven wear symbols (necklaces made of wheat barnyard grass), girls wear pomegranate flowers, and they also wear yellow shoes made by their mothers, and draw five kinds of poisonous insects on the vamps with a brush. It means killing five kinds of poisonous insects with Qu Yuan's ink. On the morning of Dragon Boat Festival, Jimo washes his face with dew.

[Shanxi Province]

On the Dragon Boat Festival in Xiezhou, men and women wear mugwort leaves, which is called "expelling diseases", while young children tie a hundred ropes around their necks. It is said that this is "tying dragons for Qu Yuan". During the Dragon Boat Festival in the Western Zhou Dynasty, villages would offer sacrifices to the Dragon King and hang paper in the fields. The Dragon Boat Festival in Huairen County is also called "Zhumen". The Dragon Boat Festival in Dingxiang County requires students to give gifts to their teachers. Lu 'an Mansion uses steamed dumplings made of wheat flour, called "white dumplings", and presents them to each other together with zongzi.

[Shaanxi Province]

On the Dragon Boat Festival in Xing 'an League, local officials lead their subordinates to watch the game, which is called "stepping on a stone". At the Dragon Boat Festival in Xingping County, a small corn is sewn with silk, and a small doll is sewn below it, which is called "playing with dolls". The Dragon Boat Festival in Tongguan County is called "town disease", and there are Pu Ai and paper cows sticking to the door.

[Gansu Province]

Picking roses on Dragon Boat Festival in Jingning area is mainly based on honey pickling. Zhenyuan county presented a fragrant fan, a Luo Qi, a towel handkerchief and a Ai Hu to the newlyweds during the Dragon Boat Festival. Children also invite their fathers and brothers to entertain their teachers, which is called "enjoying the festival". On the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhang Xi 'an County, the shepherd boy worships the mountain gods. Accumulated salary mountain, chicken calls before burning, commonly known as "burning mountain"

[Jiangsu Province]

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jiading County, people, rich or poor, have to buy stone fish (commonly known as mandarin fish) to cook. There is also a saying in Yizheng County, "When pants, buy yellow croaker". On the Dragon Boat Festival in Nanjing, families use a box of clear water, plus a little realgar and goose eye money. The whole family washes their eyes with this kind of water, which is called "breaking the eyes of fire". It is said that it can protect them from eye diseases for a year. There is a dragon boat show in Wujin at night. In the evening, small lanterns are hung around the dragon boat, and flutes and drums sing harmoniously.

[Xijiang province]

Students from rural schools in Tonglu County gave their teachers a gift on the Dragon Boat Festival, which was called "Remembrance". The doctor collects medicine at noon, and it is said that the doctor is in heaven that day.

[Jiangxi Province]

Jianchang Prefecture takes a bath with herbal water at noon to prevent scabies, and Xinchang County drinks realgar cinnabar wine, which is called "opening eyes".

[Hubei Province]

In Bahe Town, Huanggang County, people welcome Nuo people on the Dragon Boat Festival and use tattoos of corollas and golden bells to drive away the epidemic. Dragon boat race in Yichang county, especially on May 13, 14 and 15. May 15, also known as "Daduanyang", people eat zongzi and drink Pu wine, just like the Dragon Boat Festival.

[Fujian Province]

Fuzhou Dragon Boat Festival is an old custom, so the daughter-in-law gives shroud, shoes and socks, zongzi and fans to her in-laws. In Jianyang County, 5th is the King Day of Sun-drying capsules, and people make sauces on this day. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shanghang County, the boat was tied with reeds and a dragon-shaped play was performed at the water's edge, which was called dragon boat race. After the Dragon Boat Race in Xianyou County, paper was presented at Huxiao Beach to commemorate Qi Jiguang's drowning here during Jiajing period. Before Shao Wufu's Dragon Boat Festival, women used crimson yarn as a bag. Five-color velvet is the winning surface, and the colored thread is tied. The girl hung upside down on her back and was called "Dou Niang".

[Guangdong Province]

After washing hands and eyes with boiling water at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival in Conghua County, it is called "sending disaster". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xinxing County, people advocate welcoming and guiding idols' travel from neighboring temples. Wizards also use Dharma water and stickers to drive away evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shicheng County, children fly kites, which is called "disaster relief".

(Taiwan Province Province)

Taiwan Province Province is located in the subtropical zone. In the early days, many immigrants from the mainland could not adapt to the climate here, and people who died of plague were heard from time to time. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival, a festival with the basic spirit of expelling diseases and avoiding epidemics, is particularly important.

There is also a folk saying that mugwort and figs can strengthen the body. As the saying goes, "Buron is brave, and Ai is braver and healthier." As usual, students in private schools give their husbands red envelopes as a thank you at the Dragon Boat Festival, and husbands use fans as a return gift.

In Jiadong Town, Pingtung County during the Japanese occupation, there was also the custom of fighting with stones during the Dragon Boat Festival. Stone war has been circulating in Jiadong area for hundreds of years. A few days before the Dragon Boat Festival every year, people are ready to fight a tough battle. The stone war is organized as a village, like an army, and has the positions of chief of staff. Organizations are like the army, with positions like chief of staff. Men are throwing stones at the front line to fight. The woman is responsible for transporting stones in the rear. When tearing is fierce, it often causes casualties. The winner can go to the defeated village to eat and drink. The defeated villagers escaped. If you are unfortunately captured by the other side, you will be forced to take off your pants and be humiliated in public. It is said that this peculiar custom can guarantee good luck for a whole year, so Jiadong people like it very much. However, because stone wars often caused serious casualties, local governments repeatedly banned them and gradually declined at the end of Japanese rule.

Dragon boat rowing is called "Dragon Boat" in Taiwan Province Province. According to "Folk Customs of Taiwan Province Province", Volume I, No.6, the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival in Shilin during the Japanese occupation period is as follows: From the beginning of May, first go to the water's edge to "meet the water gods". At noon on the fifth day, gongs and drums were beaten and dragon boats were rowed to the river, and residents burned incense to worship. As the saying goes, "May 5th. Dragon boats are full of streets. " Welcome, it's called "Solitaire". To surpass the dragon, we must also hold a ceremony of "thanking the river" on the tenth day of the tenth lunar month.