The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China. We often hear that it involves eating zongzi, drinking realgar wine, dragon boat racing and other customs. When it comes to the Dragon Boat Festival, every family will eat zongzi, so why do they eat Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival? The origin and customs of eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Why do you eat Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival. People have the habit of eating zongzi. The custom of eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan. Thousands of years ago, Qu Yuan committed suicide in the Miluo River. In order not to let the fish in the river eat Qu Yuan's body, people wrapped a lot of zongzi into the river. Therefore, the custom of eating zongzi has existed for thousands of years.
Eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival is another traditional custom of the Chinese people. Zongzi is also called 'jiaoshu' and 'tongzongzi'. It has a long history and various patterns.
In the Jin Dynasty, zongzi was officially designated as the food of the Dragon Boat Festival. At this time, in addition to glutinous rice, the raw materials for making zongzi also include Yizhiren, a traditional Chinese medicine. The cooked zongzi is called yizhizong.
Why do you eat Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival?
According to folklore, after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed a boat to rescue him, but there was no Qu Yuan's body. At that time, it happened to be a rainy day, and the boats on the lake gathered together beside the pavilion on the bank. In order to express their grief, people boated on rivers, and then gradually developed into dragon boat race. People were afraid that the fish in the river would eat him, so they went home one after another to take rice dumplings and throw them into the river to prevent the fish and shrimp from spoiling Qu Yuan's body. Later, it became the custom of eating zongzi.
Another explanation for eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival is that in 340 BC, facing the pain of national subjugation, Qu Yuan threw a big stone into the Guluo River on May 5. In order not to damage his body, people poured rice into the river in bamboo tubes. Later, on this day, people would use bamboo tubes to hold rice and throw it into the river for sacrifice. This is the origin of the earliest zongzi in China, the "tube zongzi". That is to say, the rice dumplings wrapped in leaves that we eat now were actually packed in bamboo tubes before.
The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival originated in China. At first, it was a festival for Chinese people to get rid of diseases and prevent epidemics. Before the spring and Autumn period, there was a custom of tribal totem sacrifice in the form of dragon boat race on the fifth day of the fifth month of the fifth lunar month. Later, because the poet Qu Yuan died on this day, it became a traditional festival for Chinese Han people to commemorate Qu Yuan. In some areas, there are also some sayings to commemorate Wu Zixu and Cao E. There are many legends related to the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival in different nationalities and regions, but there are mainly seven legends spread so far.
1. On the ancient dragon Festival
It is a grand ceremony of dragon worship for the ancient dragon totem group. The dragon is a virtual animal, which is considered to be the God dominating everything in China. The Chinese people are known as the descendants of the dragon and the descendants of the dragon. They offer sacrifices every year and tattoo with dragon images.
2. On the custom of avoiding epidemic by bathing in orchid in the three dynasties of Yao, Shun and Yu
In the book of rites of Dazai Xia Xiaozheng, it is said that "storing orchids in May is bathing.". Today, there is still the custom of taking orchid bath to avoid epidemic, such as taking a bath with herbal water in Yangzhou.
3. In memory of Wu Zixu in the spring and Autumn Period
In the spring and Autumn period, Wu she of the state of Chu was killed for remonstrating King Ping to take his son's daughter-in-law as his wife. His son Wu Zixu fled to the state of Wu. Five years later, he sent troops to attack Chu to avenge his father. In the war between Wu and Chu, Wu Zixu let people use black bean flour and glutinous rice to make city bricks, saved people in trouble, and finally won. So far, there is still a talk in Suzhou that "one city gate saved one city people.". Later, Wu Zixu was killed by the king of Wu on May 5, and his body was thrown into the river. It was said that may 5 was to commemorate him.
4. In memory of Cao E
Cao E's father is a wizard singer from Shangyu, Jihui, Zhejiang Province. In the second year of Han'an Emperor (109 BC), he played and sang to welcome the wave God by the river of the county. Unfortunately, he drowned and was not allowed to die. Her daughter Cao'e was only 14 years old at that time. She was crying by the river and kept on crying all night. Seven days and seven nights later, her father's body was captured. It is also said that Cao E would not let her father throw herself into the river.
5. On Gou Jian's water drill
In the spring and Autumn period, Goujian of the state of Yue practiced his Navy on May 5. According to song Gaocheng's the source of things, the "race started from Goujian of the king of Yue".
6. Commemorative meson deduction
Jie Zitui was a famous Minister of Jin State in the spring and Autumn period. He assisted Chong Er, the son of Jin, to recover the state. Jie Zitui once cut the flesh of his calf and saved Chong Er, who was about to die of starvation. After Chong Er came to power, he granted official positions to all the people, but there was no Jie Zitui. Later, Wen Gong found out that he would not come out when he asked Jie Zitui to hide in the mountains. He wanted to force him out by burning the mountains. But Jie Zitui, who refused to go out of the mountain, died in his arms. Wen Gong was very sad, so he ordered to ban fire on May 5, which was also the festival custom on May 5. Before, the Dragon Boat Festival was cold food day.
7. In memory of Qu Yuan
Qu Yuan, a senior official of the state of Chu and a patriotic poet, wrote many famous works, such as Lisao, Tianwen, Jiuge, Jiuzhang and Zhaohun. After being framed for many times, he was dismissed from his post. Finally, he saw that his country was hopeless and he sank to Miluo River with grief and indignation. Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on May 5. In Chu, the traditional festival of "thinking of Cangwu County, I worship Dongjun on this day" was held. Later, it was used as a day to commemorate Qu Yuan, and he was regarded as the God of water and offered sacrifices. At this time, it began to combine with the custom of ferry race, forming a new legend. About six dynasties later, it was connected with the Dragon Boat Festival and became a national commemorative activity. "On May 5, the boat race was held. It was the day when Qu Yuan voted for Miluo. He died, so he ordered a boat to save him.".