China News Service, Beijing, June 25 (Reporter Shangguanyun) The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. The rich and diverse customs are still adding a bright color to people's lives.
However, some recent discussions about the cultural connotation and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival have become a hot topic: why does it have so many names? Was it not an auspicious festival in ancient times? Can you wish each other "happiness"?
In response to the above problems, the reporter learned from interviews with experts that many customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are more entertaining and can wish each other happiness. And this festival is also an important life node full of human warmth.
Data Map: Before, the Dragon Boat Festival Folklore Exhibition was held at the Fujian Folklore Museum. Girls dressed in Hanfu demonstrated traditional Dragon Boat Festival customs such as taking lunch, water, mulan soup, realgar, and hanging sachets, which attracted many tourists to watch. The picture shows the water-taking ceremony at noon. China News Service reporter Lu Mingshe
Why does it have multiple "aliases"?
A major feature of the Dragon Boat Festival is its many names. Some people have done statistics, and its names and names are more than twenty. Among them, people are more familiar with "Duanwu", "Summer Festival", "May Day", "Daughter's Day" and so on.
The origin of these names is related to the customs and cultural connotation of Dragon Boat Festival itself. In ancient Chinese, "duan" means "beginning" and "initial", and it is called "duanwu" which means "tenth five". "Fengtu Ji" mentions "Midsummer Dragon Boat Festival. Duan, early also."
In addition, the ancients used Tiangandizhi to calculate that the fifth month of the general lunar calendar is "Lunar Moon", and Wulu is also considered to be "Yangchen", so the Dragon Boat Festival is also called "Duanyang".
As mentioned above, the Dragon Boat Festival is the fifth day of the 5th day of the lunar calendar. The fifth and fifth are the same, and the fifth and fifth are the same, so it is also known as "Chongwu Festival" or "Chongwu Festival", and it is also called "May Festival" in some places.
Interestingly, a big custom at this time is to eat dumplings. The ancients once had a small game, that is, after eating the dumplings, they would compare the length of the zongzi leaves. "Xie Zong Festival".
In the Ming Dynasty, Shen Bang's "Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Office" also mentioned: "Daughter's Day in May, the Dragon Boat Festival, Dai Aiye, Wudu Lingfu. Wan custom from the first to the fifth day of May. Married women also go to each other, because they call it the Daughter's Day."
Not auspicious at first?
The various aliases also confirm the long history and importance of the Dragon Boat Festival. However, there is a view that the early May 5th of the lunar calendar was not a good day, and the Dragon Boat Festival was not an auspicious holiday.
Data Map: In order to welcome the Dragon Boat Festival, Ping'an Station in Qinghai Province held the first Hehuang sachet competition in Haidong City. There were more than 1,500 exquisite and unique models from 6 regions including mutual assistance, Xunhua, Ping'an and Ledu. Handmade sachet works debut. China News Service reporter Ma Mingyan
According to the information, some places in the Han Dynasty think that May is the "evil month", the fifth day is the "evil day", and even there is the custom of "don't mention the May child", that is, the babies born at this time can't be male or female. Raising an adult, once raising, the male harms the father and the female harms the mother.
In addition, there are also statements such as "May come to the official, so as not to move", "Building a house in May, it is bald" and so on. In the Eastern Han Dynasty Wang Chong's "Heng Heng", there is a serious explanation in the eight hundred: "Fu Zhengyue starts at the age of May, Shengyang is born in May, and the son is born (this month). He is fierce and fierce, and he hates his parents. His parents are unbearable and will suffer."
This statement may be related to the hot summer weather. Folklore expert Xiao Fang said that the hot and humid weather during the summer solstice can easily cause discomfort to people; mosquito bites are also susceptible to disease epidemics.
Therefore, as early as the Han Dynasty, this season was regarded as "black time." People did take many measures to exorcise evil and avoid harm.
Can't say "wish you happy" during the Dragon Boat Festival?
It's better to avoid blast and health care, or to eat rice dumplings. This is the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. However, in the past two years, there has always been news circulating on the Internet: Because the Dragon Boat Festival was not a good day earlier, so we can not wish each other happiness, we can only say "Dragon Boat Festival well-being".
Data Map: Tourists are learning to make colorful dumplings. Photo by Tan Kaixing
Based on historical data and expert opinions, this argument is untenable.
Folklore expert Wang Juan said that this argument has no basis and has nothing to do with "evil days". In many places in the north, the Dragon Boat Festival is still the "Little Girl's Day." You can wish each other happiness.
More than one scholar mentioned that Dragon Boat Festival is not a sacrificial festival. As for the commemoration of historical figures such as Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu, whether there are legends or festivals first, there is still debate in the academic world. Moreover, the customs commemorating the ancients are only part of the customs and cultural connotation of the entire Dragon Boat Festival.
Checking the ancient books, there are indeed many poems about how people are happy to spend the Dragon Boat Festival. Yan Shu wrote such a sentence: "Everything is carved and carved, and the fan is painted by Qin E; Gong Wei Baifu meets every preface, and there are thousands of families and thousands of doors that are full of joy." It fully illustrates the joyous atmosphere of the festival.
A traditional festival with temperature
In fact, the Dragon Boat Festival is in midsummer. It is a season full of life challenges and a festival full of human warmth. It is an important node in the life of civil society.
Data Map: Volunteers of the Hanfu World Association of Fujian Province "mulan soup" for the audience in accordance with the ancient Dragon Boat Festival customs. Photo by Liu Kegeng
In the hot summer, the climate is humid and hot, which was unbearable in ancient times. For their own health and safety, the ancients advocated customs such as cinnabar realgar and hanging mugwort at the entrance of the Dragon Boat Festival. The ultimate goal is to protect life.
"People pay attention to drinking realgar wine to avoid the five poisons. This kind of wine is also more specific. It will be soaked with calamus, realgar, and even cinnabar. After drinking, the poisonous gas will be removed. From a sanitary point of view, these customs also have some significance today." Wang Juan said . (Finish)