The origin and legend of Dragon Boat Festival
Sihainet: Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient traditional festival, which began in the spring and Autumn period and Warring States period in China, and has a history of more than 2000 years. The origin of Dragon Boat Festival is the totem festival held by the Wuyue people in ancient China, which is earlier than Qu Yuan. However, for thousands of years, Qu Yuan's patriotism and moving poems have been widely accepted by the people's hearts. Therefore, people 'cherish and mourn, and discuss his poems according to the world, so as to pass them on from generation to generation'. Therefore, commemorating Qu Yuan's words has the widest and deepest influence and occupies the mainstream position. In the field of folk culture, Chinese people associate dragon boat race and eating zongzi with the commemoration of Qu Yuan. What other legends about Dragon Boat Festival? Xiaobian will give you a general introduction today.
From the memory of Qu Yuan
According to the records of history, Qu Yuan was the Minister of King Huai of Chu in the spring and Autumn period. He advocated the cultivation of talents, the prosperity of the country and the strength of the army, and the unity of Qi and Qin. He was strongly opposed by aristocrats such as Zi Lan. Qu Yuan was greedily dismissed from his post, expelled from the capital, and exiled to yuan and Xiang river basins. In exile, he wrote immortal poems such as Lisao, Tianwen and Jiuge, which worried about the country and the people, with unique style and profound influence (therefore, Dragon Boat Festival is also called poet Festival). In 278 BC, the Qin army conquered the capital of Chu. Qu Yuan saw his motherland was invaded and his heart was cut like a knife, but he could not bear to abandon his motherland. On May 5, after writing the masterpiece "Huaisha", he threw stones into Miluo River and died, composing a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life.
It is said that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu state were in great sorrow and rushed to Miluo River to pay homage to Qu Yuan. The fishermen rowed their boats and fished for his body on the river. A fisherman took out the rice balls, eggs and other food prepared for Qu Yuan and threw them into the river "plop, plop", saying that if the fish, shrimp and crab were full, they would not bite Dr Qu. People followed suit. An old doctor took a jar of realgar wine and poured it into the river, saying it was to make Jiaolong water animals faint, so as not to hurt Dr Qu. Later, for fear that rice balls would be eaten by Jiaolong, people thought of wrapping rice with neem leaves, wrapping colorful silk outside, and developing into brown seeds. Later, on the fifth day of May every year, there was the custom of dragon boat race, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.
From the memory of Wu Zixu
The second legend of the Dragon Boat Festival, widely spread in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, commemorates Wu Zixu in the spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC). Wu Zixu, a famous member of the state of Chu, and his father and brother were killed by the king of Chu. Later, Zixu abandoned himself and went to the state of Wu to help Wu conquer Chu. He entered the capital of Chu in five wars. At that time, King Ping of Chu was dead. Zixu dug the tomb and whipped 300 corpses to avenge the killing of his father and brother. After the death of King Helu of Wu, his son fuchai succeeded him. The morale of the Wu army was high, winning every battle, and the state of Yue was defeated. Gou Jian, king of Yue, asked him to join him, and fuchai promised him. Zixu suggested that the state of Yue should be wiped out completely, and the master of the state of Wu would not listen to him. He was bribed by the state of Yue, slandered and framed Zixu. He believed it, and gave Zixu a sword, and Zixu died. Zixu, who was loyal and good, saw death as a return. Before he died, he said to his neighbors: 'after I died, I dug out my eyes and hung them on the east gate of the capital of Wu to see the army of the state of Yue enter the city and destroy Wu'. Then he committed suicide and died. When hearing the anger, he ordered Zixu's body to be put in leather and put into the river on May 5. Therefore, it is said that Dragon Boat Festival is also to commemorate the day of Wu Zixu.
From the memory of Cao E
The third legend of the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Cao E, the filial daughter of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 23-220), who saved her father from drowning in the river. Cao E was born in Shangyu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river, and she did not see the body for several days. At that time, Cao E, her filial daughter, was only 14 years old, crying along the river day and night. After 17 days, he also threw himself into the river on May 5, and picked up his father's body five days later. This is a myth, and then it's passed down to the magistrate of the county, who ordered Dushan to set up a monument and let his disciple Handan Chun eulogize it.
The tomb of Cao'e, a filial daughter, is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. It is later said that the stele of Cao'e was written by Wang Yi of Jin Dynasty. In order to commemorate Cao'e's filial piety, Cao'e temple was built at the place where Cao'e threw herself into the river. The village she lived in was renamed as Cao'e Town, and the place where Cao'e died for her father was named as Cao'e River.
Totem sacrifice originated from ancient Yue nationality
A large number of unearthed cultural relics and Archaeological Studies in modern times have confirmed that in the vast areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, in the Neolithic age, there is a kind of cultural relics characterized by geometrically imprinted pottery. According to experts, the remains belong to a tribe that worships dragon totem, known as Baiyue in history. The patterns and historical legends on the unearthed pottery show that they have the custom of breaking their hair and tattooing. They live in the water town and are the descendants of the dragon. Its production tools, a large number of stone tools, but also shovel, chisel and other small pieces of bronze. In the jars and jars used as daily necessities, the imprinted pottery tripod for cooking food is unique to them and one of the symbols of their ethnic group. Until the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were still Baiyue people. Dragon Boat Festival was the festival they founded for ancestor worship. In the thousands of years of historical development, most of Baiyue people have been integrated into the Han nationality, and the rest have evolved into many ethnic groups in the south. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival has become the festival of the whole Chinese nation.