What are the customs of Dragon Boat Festival?

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanyang Festival, Noon Festival, May Festival, Ai Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Chung Noon Festival, Noon Festival and Summer Festival. Although the names are different, the customs of people everywhere are the same. Dragon Boat Festival is an old custom in China for more than two thousand years. On this day, every household hangs clocks and statues, hangs mugwort leaves and calamus, races dragon boats, eats zongzi, drinks realgar wine, swims all diseases, wears sachets and prepares sacrifices. The Dragon Boat Festival was originally an "epidemic prevention festival". Later, the famous poet Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on the fifth day of May, so the most popular saying today is to commemorate Qu Yuan. There are also many areas that say this year is Wu Zixu and Cao E.. But in any case, on the fifth day of May, everyone's Dragon Boat Festival customs are different. Zongzi, realgar and wormwood are all necessary things for this day.

Wall clock: Zhong Kui catches ghosts, which is the custom of Dragon Boat Festival. In the Jianghuai area, bells and statues are hung in every household to ward off evil spirits. Emperor Kaiyuan of Tang Dynasty returned to the palace after lecturing in Lishan, and malaria was rampant. He dreamed that two ghosts, one big and one small, were running around the temple wearing red crotch pants and stealing Yang Guifei's sachet and the jade emperor of the Ming Dynasty. GREAT GHOST, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat, caught the child, gouged out his eyes and swallowed it in one gulp. When asked by the Ming emperor, GREAT GHOST said: My surname is Zhong Kui, that is to say, I am the best martial artist. I am willing to exorcise evil spirits for your majesty. When the Ming emperor woke up, malaria was cured. So I asked Wu Daozi, the painter, to draw a portrait of Zhong Kui catching ghosts according to what I saw in my dream, and ordered all the people to post it on the Dragon Boat Festival to exorcise evil spirits.

Folium Artemisiae Argyi hangs calamus: On the Dragon Boat Festival, every household makes calamus, Folium Artemisiae Argyi, pomegranate flower, garlic and dragon boat flower into human figures, which are called Ai people. Hanging mugwort leaves in the hall, cutting them into tiger shapes or ribbons, and sticking mugwort leaves on them, women compete to wear them to ward off evil spirits. Using calamus as a sword and inserting it on the lintel has the magical effect of exorcising ghosts.

Dragon Boat Race: At that time, Chu people were reluctant to part with the death of the sage Qu Yuan, so many people rowed and chased to save people. They rushed to catch up, but when they arrived at Dongting Lake, there was no trace, because that was the origin of dragon boat racing, and then they rowed dragon boats on May 5 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. Dragon Boat Race started in Taiwan Province Province in the 29th year of Qing Qianlong. At that time, Jiang, the chief executive of Taiwan Province Province, held a friendly match in Hexi Half Moon Pool in Tainan City. Now, Taiwan Province Province holds a dragon boat race on May 5th every year. There are boat races in Hong Kong. Recently, the British have followed China's example by organizing ghost teams and holding competitions.

Eating zongzi: People in Jingchu boiled glutinous rice or steamed zongzi cakes and threw them into the river to offer sacrifices to Qu Yuan on May 5th, so they threw the glutinous rice in bamboo tubes for fear of being eaten by fish. Later, they gradually replaced the bamboo tube with rice wrapped in zongzi leaves.

Drinking realgar wine: This custom is very popular among people in the Yangtze River valley.

Wandering all diseases: This custom prevails in the Dragon Boat Festival custom in Guizhou.

Wearing sachets: Children wear sachets during the Dragon Boat Festival, which not only means to ward off evil spirits and drive away epidemics, but also has decorative styles on the front. The sachet contains cinnabar, realgar and fragrant medicine, wrapped in silk cloth, and the fragrance is overflowing, and then tied into a rope with five-color silk thread to make a string of different shapes, exquisite and eye-catching.

What to eat on Dragon Boat Festival?

1 Zongzi

"Eating Zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival" originated in 340 BC. Facing the pain of national subjugation, the patriotic poet Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on May 5th. Fishermen and people on the shore came to the river to salvage. At that time, in order to prevent fish and shrimp from eating his body, people used bamboo tubes to put rice and eggs into the river, and some doctors even poured realgar wine into the river to stun dragons and wild animals with drugs, so that Dr. Qu Yuan was not hurt. Since then, in order to commemorate him, people throw zongzi and row dragon boats on the river on the fifth day of May every year. In memory of the great patriotic poet.

Eat only half or one zongzi a day, with a daily limit of 50 grams, which means half or 1. Especially for patients with gastrointestinal diseases and diabetes, it is best to eat less or not. Old people should avoid being greedy for cold, and it is best to eat it in small pieces several times. Some businesses sell mini zongzi, which is a good choice.

Salted Duck Egg

2. Eel

Dragon Boat Festival is not only the time to eat zongzi, but also the most tender and nutritious time of eel meat in a year, so there is a saying that "the eel competes for ginseng in Dragon Boat Festival". Monopterus albus has always been a popular kind of freshwater aquatic products because of its soft and smooth taste, especially for children and the elderly, and it is a good tonic. Monopterus albus is warm and sweet, and enters the liver, spleen and kidney meridians. Has the effects of invigorating middle warmer, invigorating qi, nourishing blood, resolving hard mass, warming yang, invigorating spleen, nourishing essence, stopping bleeding, nourishing liver and kidney, expelling wind and dredging collaterals, etc.

However, it should be reminded that eels must be slaughtered and cooked now. There is a lot of histidine in eels, which will be converted into toxic substances after death, so the processed eels must be alive. Monopterus albus scalded with boiling water can wash away the mucous membrane outside, and the boiled soup can reduce the fishy smell.

Step 3 make a cake

Dragon Boat Festival is a grand festival for Korean people in Yanbian, Jilin Province. The most representative food on this day is sweet cake. Cake making is a rice cake made by putting mugwort and glutinous rice in a big wooden trough chiseled with a single wood and beating it with a long-handled wooden pestle. This kind of food has national characteristics and can add festive atmosphere.

Soak rice in water for a period of time, then take it out and steam it in a pot. Put the steamed rice into a wooden trough or stone trough and beat it repeatedly with a wooden pole. Generally, two people stand face to face at the edge of the trough and beat each other alternately, or one person beats, and one person turns the cake dough below and beats it evenly. Then, a sweet and delicious gluten cake was made.

4. Duck eggs

In addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, the Dragon Boat Festival is also to avoid the five poisons, because the legendary monster with five poisons will do harm to human beings during the Dragon Boat Festival. These five poisonous monsters are snakes, centipedes, spiders, geckos and scorpions. People use five kinds of red plates to symbolize the blood of these five poisons. Eating these dishes will scare away the five poisonous monsters, that is, eating five reds, namely roast duck, amaranth, duck eggs with red oil, lobster and realgar wine. It is said that.

Similar to Wu Hong, Jiangnan also has the custom of eating Huang Wu during the Dragon Boat Festival. Huang Wu refers to eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted duck eggs and realgar wine. Whether in Wu Hong or Huang Wu, there are duck eggs, so eating duck eggs during the Dragon Boat Festival has the reason to ward off evil spirits and dispel summer heat.

5. Ai Mo Mo

Many places also use rice flour or flour to ferment steamed mugwort buns during the Dragon Boat Festival. Folium Artemisiae Argyi contains a variety of volatile oils, which are fragrant, can repel insects and sterilize, and have inhibitory effects on a variety of bacteria and certain skin fungi. Therefore, in ancient times, mugwort was essential for the Dragon Boat Festival, whether it was eaten or used.

6. Tea eggs

In Nanchang, Jiangxi, tea eggs and salted eggs are boiled during the Dragon Boat Festival. Eggs include eggs, duck eggs and goose eggs. The eggshell is painted red, packed in colorful net bags and hung around the child's neck, which means wishing the child good luck and safety.

7. Garlic eggs

Every Dragon Boat Festival, housewives in rural areas of Henan, Zhejiang and other provinces get up early and make garlic and eggs for breakfast. In some places, put some mugwort leaves when cooking garlic and eggs. Eating garlic, eggs and fried buns for breakfast is said to avoid the "five poisons" and is good for health.

Fried pile

8. Fried pile

In Jinjiang, Fujian, every household has to eat "fried piles" during the Dragon Boat Festival. The so-called fried pile is made of flour, rice flour or sweet potato powder into a thick paste and fried into a large piece in an oil pan. According to legend, in ancient times, it was the rainy season in southern Fujian before the Dragon Boat Festival, with continuous rain. People say that God has pierced a hole to "mend the sky". The rain stopped after eating fried piles on the Dragon Boat Festival. People say that the sky has been mended. This diet custom comes from this.

9. Yellow rice wine

"Jia Qinglu" records: "It is called realgar wine to grind realgar and pollen typhae into powder and drink it with wine." In other words, realgar wine is blended with white wine and realgar. Why is such a simple drink so famous? This is probably related to the story of Bai Niangniang and Xu Xian. Bai Niangniang drinks realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival to show off her snake body. So people probably think that poisonous insects such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes can be cracked with realgar wine, and drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival can exorcise evil spirits and detoxify.

Why do you want to swim in the Dragon Boat Festival?

It is said that swimming is a disease-free, and I don't know when I started to pay attention to it. On this day, men don't do farm work and women don't do needle and thread, so they do the so-called "sticking all diseases". In other words, the roots of all diseases have been planted, so in Tianshui rural areas, men prepare enough cattle and sheep feed early, while women are busy preparing food and clothing. The main places of treatment for all diseases are market towns and temples. If you don't go, your heart will be as sour as this year, and it's not easy to go. People in mountain villages have to climb mountains and walk dozens of miles. Usually busy at home, looking after children and respecting the elderly. Sixteenth is "Amnesty", regardless of the field, putting down the family business, dragging up the children, supporting the elderly, taking the family abroad, not seeking promotion and making a fortune, for good luck, adults and children are sick.

Men, women and children go out to play and wear new clothes. At noon 1 o, the roads, mountains and trees are crowded with people, holding flowers and plants, and they are happy. Go home at night to cook flowers and take a bath. Old people call it "a tour of all diseases" and "a wash of all diseases". People who don't go out for a walk and don't wash all their illnesses will not be lucky all year round.

Dietary customs before and after Dragon Boat Festival

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the traditional Dragon Boat Festival in China. The end is the beginning, and five is the number of yang, so it is also called "Duanyang Festival". Besides eating zongzi, as we all know, there are rich eating customs around the Dragon Boat Festival.

Eat eels

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghan Plain, China, we will eat Monopterus albus. Monopterus albus is also known as eel and long fish. Monopterus albus in Dragon Boat Festival is tender and delicious, rich in nutrition, not only delicious, but also nourishing. Therefore, there is a folk saying that "Monopterus albus participates in the Dragon Boat Festival".

Noodles fan

In Minqin County, Gansu Province, vermicelli is steamed during the Dragon Boat Festival. The noodle fan is steamed with hair noodles, which is fan-shaped and has five layers. Each layer is sprinkled with ground cooked peppers, and the surface is kneaded into various patterns and dyed, which is very beautiful. This diet custom is said to have evolved from the custom of making, selling and sending fans on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Eat tea eggs

In Nanchang, Jiangxi, tea eggs and salted eggs are boiled during the Dragon Boat Festival. Eggs include eggs, duck eggs and goose eggs. The eggshell is painted red, packed in colorful net bags and hung around the child's neck, which means wishing the child good luck and safety.

Eat garlic and eggs

Every Dragon Boat Festival, housewives in rural areas of Henan, Zhejiang and other provinces get up early and make garlic and eggs for breakfast. In some places, put some mugwort leaves when cooking garlic and eggs. Eating garlic, eggs and fried buns for breakfast is said to avoid the "five poisons" and is good for health.

Eat cake

Dragon Boat Festival is a grand festival for Korean people in Yanbian, Jilin Province. The most representative food on this day is sweet cake. Cake making is a rice cake made by putting mugwort and glutinous rice in a big wooden trough chiseled with a single wood and beating it with a long-handled wooden pestle. This kind of food has national characteristics and can add festive atmosphere.

Eating fried piles in Jinjiang, Fujian, every household will eat "fried piles" during the Dragon Boat Festival. The so-called fried pile is made of flour, rice flour or sweet potato powder into a thick paste and fried into a large piece in an oil pan. According to legend, in ancient times, it was the rainy season in southern Fujian before the Dragon Boat Festival, with continuous rain. People say that God has pierced a hole to "mend the sky". The rain stopped after eating fried piles on the Dragon Boat Festival. People say that the sky has been mended. This diet custom comes from this.

Eat pancakes

In Wenzhou, every household still has the custom of eating pancakes during the Dragon Boat Festival. Pancakes are made of white flour into a paste, baked in a large flat iron frying pan into a full moon-shaped, silky translucent cake, stuffed with mung bean sprouts, leeks, shredded pork, shredded eggs and mushrooms, rolled into a tube, and bitten in one bite, which can taste a variety of flavors.

Legend of hanging gourd on Dragon Boat Festival

Legend 1

There is also an old legend about hanging a gourd on the door. It is said that in ancient times, there was an old man who sold oil from house to house. He shouted, "Four gourds for one gourd, four gourds for half a catty", so many people tried their best to make four gourds for the sake of being cheap.

At this time, only one village boy only hit a gourd. The old man asked him why he didn't play four gourds. The boy in the village told him the reason. The old man who sold oil thought the boy was honest and told him that there would be a catastrophe on May 5th. If he hung a gourd on the door, he could have avoided the disaster.

The children in the village went home and told their mother what the old man who sold oil said and did it. Sure enough, a disaster was avoided on May 5, and from then on, there was the custom of hanging gourds on the Dragon Boat Festival in May.

Legend 2

According to myths and legends, Lv Dongbin, the Eight Immortals, became an oil vendor and went to a mountain village to sell oil. The price of oil shows that the successor pays the oil fee according to the amount of oil pumped. So many people take more oil and pay less money. A teenager also learns from others, taking more oil and giving less money.

When the teenager came home, he told his mother the truth about everyone buying oil and buying oil by himself. The mother severely criticized her son and ordered him to return the dozens of pieces of oil immediately and make amends to the oil seller. Lv Dongbin was deeply moved by his honesty. He told the boy that there would be a great disaster on the first day of May, and it would be peaceful to hang a gourd at the door, which could avoid the disaster.

The kind mother hurriedly told the neighbors the news, and everyone who heard the news hung a gourd at the door eyebrow. Sure enough, a few days later, a catastrophic flash flood swept away the people who didn't hang the gourd, but the people who hung the gourd were safe and sound. Since then, the custom of hanging gourds a few days before the Dragon Boat Festival has remained.

Legend 3

There is also a folk custom. According to legend, on the first day of May of a certain year, when the drug king came to earth, he saw that poisonous insects were rampant and plagues were everywhere in the world, and he hung his gourd full of magical drugs at a door to kill insects and reduce epidemics, thus saving all beings and leaving this custom.