How do ethnic minorities spend the Dragon Boat Festival?

Wu Bing 'an, a well-known folklorist and member of the China World Intangible Cultural Heritage Evaluation Committee, pointed out that in the big family of the Chinese nation, 29 ethnic groups including Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, Miao, Yi, She, Xibe, North Korea, Tujia and Daur all celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, but customs vary in different regions.

Wu Bingan pointed out that the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanyang Festival, Chongwu Festival and Tianzhong Festival, can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago. Although there are different "regional versions" of the Dragon Boat Festival, such as offering sacrifices to poets Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, Gou Jian or Cao E, the Dragon Boat Festival is actually a national activity, aiming at expelling plagues and toxins and preventing diseases before the summer heat.

Professor Wu Bing 'an said that the customs of the Han people celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival are quite rich, and the customs of some ethnic minorities are also very interesting. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xiaoliangshan, Sichuan, people went into the mountains to collect medicines to prevent and treat diseases. Mulao people should take paper boats to the fields to drive away pests and pray for the growth of seedlings during the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to the dragon boat race, Miao people in Guizhou also hold activities such as stepping on inspiration, singing, mountain riding and traveling. Tibetan people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, and young men and women go to the countryside for entertainment, horse racing, singing and dancing, games and other activities.

Professor Wu Bing 'an said humorously that every nation has its own dragon boat festival zongzi pattern. Han people first cooked rice in bamboo tubes to make zongzi. Later, glutinous rice was wrapped in neem leaves, fenugreek leaves, bamboo leaves and reed leaves into sharp corners and hearts, and then cooked and eaten. To this end, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty also wrote a poem, "The flowers in the four seasons compete skillfully, and the nine sons compete for novelty"; She people call zongzi "horns". They wrapped the glutinous rice into four corners with Ruo leaves, and then tied it up with Chinese alpine rush, ten of them in a string. Cooking zongzi is usually done with alkaline water. The cooked zongzi is yellow and fragrant, and can be kept for half a month. Jiaozi of Yao nationality is usually made of glutinous rice, bacon strips and mung beans, which are shaped like pillows. Some people also add brown sugar and peanuts to glutinous rice to make vegetarian dumplings; The Dragon Boat Festival of Maonan nationality is also called "Medicine Festival". They use herbs such as Artemisia argyi, Acorus calamus and Dioscorea zingiberensis as stuffing.

Wu Bing 'an pointed out that the Dragon Boat Festival, as a multi-ethnic folk festival, is inevitably mixed with customs of different places and nationalities, in addition to the positive significance of avoiding epidemics, expelling drugs and preventing diseases since ancient times. Because of this, the cultural meaning of this folk festival is even stronger.

The following are the Dragon Boat Festival customs of several ethnic minorities:

The Miao people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May. Besides dragon boat races, they also hold horse racing, bullfighting, drumming and "parade" activities. Young men and women danced with the accompaniment of Lusheng, bamboo flute and Qin Yue. Married girls will go back to their parents' home with chickens, ducks and zongzi on this day.

The Dragon Boat Festival of the Shui people will hold horse races on the Dragon Boat Festival. Before the horse race, each village should select a few venerable old people to ride a beautiful red horse and walk around the track, which is called "clearing the way". Before the race, riders should perform superb riding skills such as vault, and then race horses. Horse racing is not won by ranking, but by endurance and superb riding skills.

In addition, there is a vegetarian custom in the fifth festival of the Shui people. It is said that the distant ancestors of the Shui people moved from Jiangxi to Sandu area in Guizhou, where they cultivated land and started their family business. After a certain autumn, four sons of my distant ancestors came to visit. When the distant ancestor went upstairs to take meat to entertain them, he accidentally fell down and died. From then on, from the first day of the festival, the aquarium can only be vegetarian, and can only eat meat after the festival.

Buyi Dragon Boat Festival Buyi people have the custom of playing "Gro" on the Dragon Boat Festival. Snails are shaped like a funnel, with a round top and a sharp bottom, which is easy to beat when rotating. There are three forms of snail competition: fierce competition, long-term competition and rapid competition. Worse than knocking down someone else's snail. For a long time, the last person who stops after turning wins; Hit the snail on the slope, and whoever "lives" the snail first wins.

Manchu Dragon Boat Festival Manchu people celebrate the fifth day of May to celebrate and eliminate disasters. According to legend, a long time ago, the Emperor of Heaven sent people to observe people's feelings. On the fifth day of May, the angel of the Emperor of Heaven dressed up as an oil seller and shouted, "One gourd is two catties, and two gourds are three catties." Everyone rushed to buy it, except one old man who not only refused to buy it, but also told the old man that the account was wrong. When the oil was sold out, the man followed the old man who didn't buy oil and said, "You are a good man. The plague god sent a plague tonight. You can plant mugwort leaves on the eaves to avoid the plague. " Hearing this, the old man told everyone from door to door that every family planted mugwort leaves, and the plague could not be reduced, and people were saved. On the fifth day of May, Manchu people pay attention to planting mugwort leaves on the eaves to prevent diseases, and the suburbs also pay attention to stepping on dew. It is said that washing your face with dew and wearing kimono on this day can avoid sores and eye diseases.

Naxi people eat glutinous rice with sugar dates and drink realgar wine on the morning of the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. In front of the door are white poles, three kudzu roots and two barley ears. Elders should tie five-color cotton thread to children under the age of fifteen, which is called "survival thread". Boys around the left wrist, girls around the right wrist. Lifeline needs to be worn for one month, and it will not be taken down and burned until the last day of Torch Festival on June 27th. During the festival, medicinal materials stalls will be set up in the market to sell all kinds of precious medicinal materials. Women embroidered sachets, purses, dolls, fans, pen covers and other handicrafts.

Dai Dragon Boat Festival Dai Dragon Boat Festival is called Zongbao Festival by local people and is a folk festival of Dai people. Popular in parts of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The summer calendar is held on the fifth day of May. During the festival, unmarried young men and women dressed in costumes sang love songs in a circle under the trees at the edge of the village. Then, the young man threw jiaozi to the girl he liked. If the girls were interested, they were picked up, and both of them went to a secluded place nearby to talk about love and didn't leave until sunset.

Tibetan Dragon Boat Festival The Tibetan Dragon Boat Festival is called the Flower-picking Festival by the Tibetan people, and it is a traditional Tibetan festival. Popular in Apollo, where Gansu and Sichuan border. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, this festival lasts for two days. Also called. Daughter's Day. A long time ago, the local area was deserted. It is a girl named Lian Zhi who teaches people how to farm and how to pick flowers to cure diseases. Later, Miss Lian Zhi slipped and died while picking flowers on the fifth day of May. In order to commemorate her, people gradually formed a flower picking festival. The main activities of the Flower Festival are grabbing water, picking flowers and praying. On the morning of the festival, people want to catch the spring water to wash their bodies and drink. It is said that bathing in the spring water where the sun does not shine on this day can get good luck, and drinking can drive away diseases. Then, young men and women dressed up and took delicious food to pick flowers in Arikan Mountain, 40 miles away. When they set off, the men, women and children in the village sang songs to see them off, and the flower pickers expressed their determination and desire to pick flowers. When we arrived at the flower picking ping, the girls picked flowers, while the boys cut firewood, supported pots and set up sheds. In the evening, he began to sing and dance until midnight. When she returned to the village the next day, the girl put flowers in her head, wore a wreath and carried a basket full of flowers and herbs. At the entrance of the village, the whole village gathered at the head of the village, firing guns, delivering wine and buns to congratulate the young flower pickers on their return. The flower picking girl sends gifts (chopped green onion, thick cedar) to all households, wishing them good.

The Dragon Boat Festival is the Duyang Festival of the Yi people and a traditional folk festival of the Yi people. Popular in Leibo, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan and Jinsha River. The time is on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Legend has it that one year in ancient times, the weather was hot, and the Yi village was epidemic. People are scared. After hearing this, the Han brothers along the river sent Acorus calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi and Realgar collected during the Dragon Boat Festival up the mountain, used medicine to wash the old people's sores, and wiped Ayi's body with realgar wine. In a few days, everyone was cured. Later, the Yi people prepared a generous gift to thank their Han brothers. Han people tell them that the herbs of Dragon Boat Festival can cure all diseases and drive away evil spirits. Since then, the Yi people have also celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. Because the Dragon Boat Festival is also called Duanyang Festival, the Yi people pronounce Duan as Du, so Duanyang Festival is called Duyang Festival. On the day of the festival, calamus and mugwort leaves are hung in front of every household, children should wipe their faces with realgar wine, and young men and women should also wrap zongzi and bring wine to cultivate meat, and go to the scenic mountain lawn for wrestling, horse racing, bullfighting, sheep shooting, dancing and other recreational activities.

Xianpo Festival of Dragon Boat Festival is a folk festival of Yi, Gelao and Han nationalities. Popular in Nayong county and Shuicheng area of Guizhou province. The time is on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a local vendor named Damu. He buys and sells fairly, does not cheat, and has a kind heart of adult beauty. On the day when the peddler turned 100, he informed the young people of all ethnic groups in the surrounding 48 villages to gather at Xianrenpo today to find a target for the young people. Later, he ascended to heaven slowly by crane. In the future, people will call this place Shenxianpo. On this day every year, people gather here to commemorate the immortal old man and sing for entertainment. Then the immortal slope festival was formed. At that time, young men and women of all ethnic groups will gather in Shenxianpo at the junction of Nayong and Shuicheng from all directions to hold recreational activities such as playing Lusheng and horse racing.

The Dragon Boat Festival and Yangmei Festival are traditional festivals of the Yi people. Popular in Xinmin District of Nanjian Yi Autonomous County and Gaolushan of Eshan Yi Autonomous County in Yunnan Province. The time is on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Legend has it that a long time ago, a Taoist passed by Gaolu Mountain, planted a melon beside the mountain and took out a handful of polished rice from Gua Tian. Later, melons and vines became mountains, melons and fruits became villages, and polished rice became bayberry. People here have guarded Gua Tian for generations. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when Yangmei is ripe, people will gather on the mountain, pick Yangmei and enjoy it as much as possible to commemorate the Taoist priest. On this day, in addition to picking bayberry, young men and women will get together to sing duet and dance lusheng. Some boys and girls often get married for a hundred years by interacting with songs.

The Pumi Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival for Pumi people. Also known as "around the hole". It is popular in today's Pumi inhabited areas in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. It is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. The local Pumi people regard Lion Mountain as the goddess and supreme protector, and believe that it can dominate reproduction and fertility, bringing happiness and peace to the world. On that day, people dressed in costumes and carrying food gathered at the foot of Lion Mountain on the Lugu River, singing and dancing, riding and shooting. People bless each other whether they know each other or not. Young men and women take this opportunity to fall in love and meet lovers. The women prayed to the mountain gods for more children and grandchildren. Old people also burn branches in caves to dispel ghosts and evil spirits. All the people who come to the meeting will go to the waterfall to take a bath and pray for peace in the four seasons and all the best.