Dragon Boat Festival originated from the worship of dragon totem by ancient people in China.

On the Dragon Boat Festival in midsummer, the Black Dragon stayed for seven nights, just south of Zhongtian, in an auspicious position, that is, the legendary day of Longteng, that is, the dragon in the sky mentioned in the Book of Changes.

In ancient times, Baiyue people had the custom of serial tattoos. They think they are descendants of dragons, and they live by the water. The ancient Baiyue people offered sacrifices to their dragon ancestors on the Dragon Boat Festival. Later, because Qin Shihuang ruled the country, most of the ancient Baiyue people merged with the Han people. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival has become a traditional festival for the Han people.

One legend is that ...

On the fifth day of May, 278 BC, Qu Yuan, who was deeply despaired and humiliated, died in the Miluo River. When Chu people heard that Qu Yuan died in the river, they all felt very sad. Fishermen went around by boat to salvage Dr. Qu's body.

When salvaging, the Chu people were worried that the fish, shrimps and dragons in the river would hurt Qu Yuan's health, so they prepared rice balls, eggs and other foods and sent them to the Miluo River. They threw rice balls and eggs into the river, praying that the fish and shrimp would not hurt Qu Yuan's health when they were full.

Although the fish and shrimp are full, the dragon in the water is still worried, but no matter how big the difficulty is, it can't stop the wise man. At this time, an old Chinese doctor brought a can of realgar wine and poured it into the river. It is said that this can stun river dragons and aquatic veterinary drugs.

After all this, Chu people are still very worried. They were afraid that the dragon would rob the fish and shrimp of their food, so they wrapped the rice balls with leaves and ribbons to form the zongzi we ate today. It also formed the custom of dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine today.

There are several theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

There are many sayings about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. Now, I summarize the following main sayings:

1, Dragon Boat Festival originated in memory of Qu Yuan; 2. Dragon Boat Festival originated from Dragon Boat Festival; 3. Dragon Boat Festival originated from the solstice in summer; 4. Dragon Boat Festival originated from evil days; Dragon Boat Festival originated from the "Adult Festival" where people prayed for "men and women to build the essence and transform everything". Next, let's talk about the above statements one by one.

First of all, the Dragon Boat Festival originated in memory of Qu Yuan.

This statement can be traced back to Wu Jun's "The Peace of Continuation" in the Southern Liang Dynasty and "The Time of Jingchu" in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

According to legend, Qu Yuan failed in politics, the king of Chu was fatuous, the new king succeeded to the throne, and Chu was destroyed. After the capital of Chu was breached by Qin Jun, he jumped into the Miluo River to be martyred. After he died, he was trapped by a dragon. In memory of him, on this day every year, the world will throw colorful zongzi into the water to drive away the dragon.

This statement is the most widely circulated and well known to the public. My hometown is in the northeast of Inner Mongolia, which is the northeast in a broad sense. In the northeast, everyone basically believes this statement. I learned this statement from my parents and children when I was a child. Including going to school later, I learned the same thing from teachers and books. Especially before Qu Yuan jumped into the river, there was a famous saying in the world: "I am alone in the turbid water in the world, and everyone is drunk and I wake up alone, so I can see." |"

Another way of saying it is:

It is also said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the people immediately rushed to row a boat to save Qu Yuan, and the boat rowed 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.

From this point of view, eating zongzi and dragon boat racing on the Dragon Boat Festival are all activities related to commemorating Qu Yuan.

Second, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the Dragon Boat Festival.

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. His main reasons are as follows:

The two main activities of the Dragon Boat Festival, eating zongzi and running, are all related to dragons. Zongzi thrown into the water is often stolen by mosquitoes and dragons, and dragon boat races.

The relationship between racing and ancient wuyue is particularly deep. In addition, wuyue and people with serial tattoos have the custom of "looking like dragons".

In ancient times, there was a folk custom of "tying the arms with colorful silk in early May", which should be a relic of the tattoo custom of "Like a dragon".

Of course, throughout the ages, many scholars or historians have made various archaeological arguments about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, and there are various statements, among which Mr. Wen Yiduo's statement is one.

Third, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the solstice in summer.

The main basis of this statement is the Chronicle of Jingchu Times compiled by Liang Zonggu in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The original record said: "Eat Zongzi from summer to Sunday", but there was no mention of eating Zongzi in the previous custom on May 5. Therefore, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Dragon Boat Festival did not refer to the fifth day of May, but to the "noon" festival from summer to Sunday. Regarding dragon boat racing, Du Taiqing's Jade Candle Collection in Sui Dynasty listed dragon boat rowing as an entertainment activity from summer to Sunday.

Fourth, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the evil day of the poisonous moon.

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. 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". Therefore, on this day, people should drive away poison and evil spirits, bathe in Mulan, hang wormwood, wear colored silk and abstain from sex on this day.

Therefore, judging from the above allusions and documents, May 5th is the evil day of the poisonous moon, which has a certain origin, and whether superstitious or not, this statement is the product of that era after all. However, the activities of hanging mugwort leaves and colored silk are still widely circulated among the people. I believe this is the best way to preserve and develop traditional culture.

The Dragon Boat Festival originated from "Adult Day", and people prayed that "men and women form the essence and transform everything".

According to this view, the Dragon Boat Festival is only one of the means to ward off evil spirits, and eating zongzi and peanuts is a family line, and its fundamental significance lies in praying for zongzi.

This statement also confirms that it is very important to look after children's family in ancient times, and it is also a folk saying.

The Dragon Boat Festival I know:

1, Dragon Boat Festival is also called Dragon Boat Festival, Duanyang Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, Summer Festival, May Festival, Acorus calamus Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Magnolia Festival, Zongzi Festival and so on.

My hometown is in the northeast of Inner Mongolia. The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival there are: ① On the fourth day of May, we went to the wild to break willow branches and dig mugwort leaves and mountain peppers. After these things are ready, they are placed on the gate, eaves and windows respectively, which is said to ward off evil spirits. Wait until a few days, after the mugwort is dry, it can be lit at night, and it is said that it can repel insects. (2) A few days before the Dragon Boat Festival, people will go to the market to buy reed leaves, Ma Lian and glutinous rice. After buying them, they will soak reed leaves and Ma Lian in water for several days. On the Dragon Boat Festival, families will start wrapping and cooking zongzi, and a few goose eggs will be put in the pot where zongzi is cooked. It is said that the goose eggs cooked with zongzi will not get sick for a year, which can be regarded as an expression of people's expectation of pursuing good health. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, adults will go to the market to buy "gourd pendants" to express the meaning of exorcism and peace.

On this day, children will wear colorful ropes on their wrists and ankles, which is also a manifestation of exorcism.

What is the historical origin of Dragon Boat Festival?

The historical origin of the Dragon Boat Festival comes from the worship of astronomical phenomena and evolved from the ancient Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanyang Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Zhengyang Festival and Tianzhong Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. Dragon Boat Festival originated from the worship of astronomical phenomena and evolved from the ancient Dragon Boat Festival.

The significance of Dragon Boat Festival

On the midsummer Dragon Boat Festival, the black dragon spent seven nights in the sky, which is the day of the dragonfly. As the fifth poem in The Book of Changes and the Melon says, "The dragon is in the sky". At noon, Long Xing is both a "win" and a "right" and a symbol of good luck. The origin of Dragon Boat Festival covers the ancient astrological culture. Humanistic philosophy and other aspects contain profound and rich cultural connotations.

In the process of inheritance and development, a variety of folk customs are integrated, and festival customs are rich in content. Picking dragon boats and eating zongzi are two major customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, which have been passed down in China since ancient times and have never stopped. The word Dragon Boat Festival first appeared in the records of local customs in the Western Jin Dynasty. The Dragon Boat Festival in midsummer is also called May 5th, which is the same as the solstice in summer. Duan, which means beginning and beginning in ancient Chinese, is called Dragon Boat Festival, that is, the fifth day.

What is the origin of Dragon Boat Festival?

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival every year. Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four traditional festivals in China. There are many reasons for its origin:

1. The memorial halls for people mainly include: 1 and qu yuan memorial hall in zigui county, and the most popular one is to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan. It is said that Chu poets in the Warring States Period committed suicide by jumping the Miluo River on the fifth day of May. In order to prevent fish and shrimp in the river from eating his body and starving his soul in the river, people wrapped food in zongzi leaves and threw it into the river, thus forming the custom of eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival.

2. In memory of Wu Zixu, it is said that Wu Zixu was framed by a traitor for his country and committed suicide to prove his innocence. On May 5th, his body was thrown into the river, so it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival was held in memory of Wu Zixu.

In memory of the youngest daughter Cao E, it is said that Cao E's father drowned in the river and hasn't seen the body for several days. At that time, the youngest daughter, Cao E, was only fourteen years old, crying by the river day and night. 17 days later, he also threw himself into the river on May 5, and took out his father's body five days later, which was passed down as a myth. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate his filial daughter Cao E.

4. To commemorate Jietui, Jietui is the protagonist of the Cold Food Festival and the legend of the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day, but some people think that the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is related to Jietui. According to Cao Qin written by Cai Yong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the sages.

Second, the custom of "bad month and bad day" originated on May 5th. The ancient people in the north of Han Dynasty thought that May 5th was a "bad month and bad day", and there was a custom of "not having children in May", that is, babies born on May 5th could not be raised by men and women, and once they were raised, men would harm their fathers and women would harm their mothers, which led to related cultural activities and formed a distinctive "avoiding the five poisons".

Third, the summer solstice theory, the first advocate of the summer solstice theory is Mr. Huang Shi. 1963, in his book "The History of the Dragon Boat Festival", he proposed that the Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient times, merged with three generations, expanded into a river in Qin and Han Dynasties, and became a lake and sea in Tang and Song Dynasties.

Fourth, the theory of Tibetan orchid bathing, according to the Book of Rites compiled by Dai Sheng, a western Han dynasty, there was a custom of "Tibetan orchid bathing" in the Zhou Dynasty; The ancients picked bluegrass in May, and bathed and detoxified bluegrass soup was popular.

5. Gou Jian practiced the water army. He said that the Song Dynasty inherited the publication "The Origin of Things", and the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the practice of the water army of Gou Jian, the king of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period.