The Dragon Boat Festival is one of China's traditional festivals. In addition to eating delicious zongzi, it is also essential to watch the dragon boat race. Then why do dragon boat races take place during the Dragon Boat Festival? Let's get to know it with me.
Why do dragon boat races take place during the Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon boat racing is the main custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that it originated in ancient times. The people of the state of Chu were reluctant to give up their virtuous minister Qu Yuan and died in the river. Many people rowed to catch up with the rescue. They scrambled and disappeared when they reached Dongting Lake. After that, we row a dragon boat on May 5 every year to commemorate it.
By rowing a dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river, so as not to eat Qu Yuan's body. The practice of racing is popular in Wu, Yue and Chu.
In fact, "Dragon Boat Race" existed as early as the Warring States period. It is a semi religious and semi entertaining program in the sacrificial ceremony to carve a dragon shaped canoe and do a race game to entertain gods and people. Later, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, dragon boat racing also gave different meanings to people everywhere.
Before the dragon boat race, please invite the dragon and offer sacrifices to the gods. For example, before the Dragon Boat Festival, Guangdong dragon boats should start underwater, sacrifice the Nanhai God in the Nanhai temple, install the dragon head and dragon tail, and then prepare for the race. And buy a pair of paper cocks and put them on the dragon boat, thinking that they can protect the boat (vaguely corresponding to the ancient bird boat). Fujian and Taiwan went to Mazu temple to worship. Some sacrifice the dragon head directly by the river, killing chickens and dripping blood on the dragon head, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.
In Miluo County, Hunan Province, before the race, you must first go to the chaomiao Temple of Qu Zi temple, worship the dragon head in the word, put a red cloth on the dragon head, and then install the dragon head on the boat race, not only worship the Dragon God, but also commemorate Qu Yuan. In Zigui, the hometown of Qu Yuan in Hubei Province, there are also ceremonies to worship Qu Yuan.
The custom of sacrificing Qu Yuan is recorded in the geographical records of the book of Sui Dynasty: "its fast boats gallop together, its songs are loud, the noise vibrates the water and land, and the visitors are like clouds." Tang Liu Yuxi's "race crossing song" notes: "race crossing began in Wuling, and now it is harmonious with the boat. Its sound is salty and calls out the cloud: 'where is it', and Simao Qu Zhiyi." It can be seen that in the two lake areas, sacrificing Qu Yuan is closely related to dragon boat racing. It may be that after the death of Qu Yuan (and Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc.), the local people also used soul boats to bury their souls, so there is this custom.
Another example is the Zhejiang region, which commemorates Cao E with the dragon boat race. According to the book of the later Han Dynasty - biographies of women, Cao E died in the river, while it is said that she went down the river to look for her father's body. There are many sacrificial rites in Zhejiang. Dianshizhai pictorial? Devout worship of Cao E depicts the scene of people sacrificing Cao E in Kuaiji area.
According to the records of Qing Jialu, the race of Wu Di (Jiangsu area) originated from the commemoration of Wu Zixu. Therefore, Suzhou has the old habit of offering Wu Zixu a Dragon Boat Festival sacrifice, and held a race on the water to commemorate it. In addition, there are ceremonies to commemorate Ma Yuan in Guangxi and to commemorate the knowledge of king of hell in Fuzhou.
All kinds of sacrificial and commemorative ceremonies are nothing more than lighting incense candles and burning paper money for chicken, rice, meat, fruit, zongzi, etc. Nowadays, these superstitious rituals are rare, but in the past, when people offered sacrifices to the Dragon Temple, the atmosphere was very serious. They prayed for a good harvest in agriculture, good weather, going astray, bustling about disasters and good luck in everything, and also blessed the safety of boating. In people's words, "a lucky picture" expresses people's good wishes.
The development of Dragon Boat Festival and Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Racing existed as early as the Warring States period. It is a semi religious and semi entertaining program in the sacrificial ceremony to carve a dragon shaped canoe and do a race game to entertain gods and people.
Later, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, dragon boat racing also gave different meanings to people everywhere.
Before the dragon boat race, please invite the dragon and offer sacrifices to the gods. For example, before the Dragon Boat Festival, Guangdong dragon boats should start underwater, sacrifice the Nanhai God in the Nanhai temple, install the dragon head and dragon tail, and then prepare for the race. In ancient times, it was thought that a pair of hidden roosters could buy a small boat. Fujian and Taiwan went to Mazu temple to worship. Some sacrifice the dragon head directly by the river, killing chickens and dripping blood on the dragon head, such as Sichuan, Guizhou and other individual areas.
In Miluo County, Hunan Province, before the race, you must first go to the chaomiao Temple of Qu Zi temple, worship the dragon head in the word, put a red cloth on the dragon head, and then install the dragon head on the boat race, not only worship the Dragon God, but also commemorate Qu Yuan. In Zigui, the hometown of Qu Yuan in Hubei Province, there are also ceremonies to worship Qu Yuan.
The custom of offering sacrifices to Qu Yuan is recorded in the annals of Geography in the book of Sui Dynasty: the boats gallop together, the table songs are noisy, the water and land are noisy, and the visitors are like clouds. Tang Liu Yuxi's "race crossing song" self note: the race crossing began in Wuling, and now it is harmonious by taking a boat. Its sound is salty and calls out the meaning of "where is it?" Sima Qu. It can be seen that in the two lake areas, sacrificing Qu Yuan is closely related to dragon boat racing. It may be that after the death of Qu Yuan (and Cao E, Wu Zixu, etc.), the local people also used soul boats to bury their souls, so there is this custom.
Another example is the Zhejiang region, which commemorates Cao E with the dragon boat race. According to the biography of women in the later Han Dynasty, Cao E died in the river, while it is said that she went down the river to look for her father's body. There are many sacrificial rites in Zhejiang. Dianshizhai pictorial - devout worship of Cao E depicts the scene of people sacrificing Cao E in Kuaiji area.
According to the records of Qing Jialu, the race of Wu Di (Jiangsu area) originated from the commemoration of Wu Zixu. Therefore, Suzhou has the old habit of offering Wu Zixu a Dragon Boat Festival sacrifice, and held a race on the water to commemorate it. In addition, there are ceremonies to commemorate Ma Yuan in Guangxi and to commemorate the knowledge of king of hell in Fuzhou.
All kinds of sacrificial and commemorative ceremonies are nothing more than lighting incense candles and burning paper money for chicken, rice, meat, fruit, zongzi, etc. Nowadays, these superstitious rituals are rare, but in the past, when people offered sacrifices to the Dragon Temple, the atmosphere was very serious. They prayed for a good harvest in agriculture, good weather, going astray, bustling about disasters and good luck in everything, and also blessed the safety of boating. In people's words, it is auspicious to express people's good wishes.
At the beginning of the official race, the atmosphere was very warm. Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jianfeng's "race song":... Luoyi on both sides of the Strait smells fragrant, and silver hairpins shine like frost blades. Three drums and red flags; The two dragons jumped out of the floating water. The table shadow spreads ten thousand swords, and the drum splits the waves and thunders.
The drum is getting louder and the sign is approaching, and the two dragons are looking at the sign in an instant. The people on the slope were shocked by thunder, and the pole was hung with rainbow. The front ship has won the bid for water, and the rear ship loses power and swings in the air These poems incisively and vividly describe the magnificent scenery of dragon boat racing. Women usually don't go out. Now they are also competing to see the dragon boat and the silver hairpin shine on the sun; The dragon boat under the command of drums and red flags galloped forward, falling like a flying sword and drums like thunder; A colorful pole is inserted at the end as a sign.
The dragon boat race is almost the same in modern times, but the rules are a little stricter. In recent years, International Dragon Boat races have appeared at home and abroad, attracting athletes from all countries.
In addition to the speed of the race, there are other activities of dragon boat rowing. For example, the dragon boat tour is to paddle the dragon boat to visit and gather in the familiar villages nearby during the dragon boat race. Sometimes the dragon boat also has various patterns of strokes, which has the meaning of performance. For example, the dragon boat in Guangzhou, arm in arm, insert the paddle into the water, and then pick it up to make the water splash; People at the bow and stern of the boat beat their feet rhythmically, making the Dragon Boat fluctuate like a dragon swimming in the water. Some of the dragon boats in Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province are made to step down the tail of the dragon and make the faucet high. The sharp waves in the bow spit out from the mouth of the dragon, like a dragon swallowing clouds and rain.
There are also cruise boat races. For example, in Huainanzi Ben Jing Xun, the head of the dragon boat is floating and blowing for entertainment. It is rowing the dragon boat, rocking the boat, playing music and playing on the water. In Mengliang Lu, it is recorded that six dragon boats in Hangzhou in the Southern Song Dynasty played in the lake. There are dragon boats on the lake, which are only part of the boat.