origin
Dragon boat race is one of the customs of China Dragon Boat Festival, and it is also one of the most important festivals and folk activities. It widely exists in the south of China, and there are also dragon boat races in cities near rivers, lakes and seas in the north, and most of them are held in the form of dragon boat rowing and dragon boat dancing. There are many sayings about the origin of dragon boat racing, such as offering sacrifices to Cao E, Qu Yuan, water god or dragon god, which can be traced back to the Warring States period.
According to legend, people who originated in the ancient state of Chu threw themselves into the river and died because they could not bear to part with their minister Qu Yuan. Many people rowed to catch up and save. They rushed to catch up with each other and disappeared at Dongting Lake. After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. Rowing a dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river and prevent the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. The habit of competition prevailed in wuyue and Chu.
There are also memorial halls for Wu Zixu and Cao E. It is said that Wu Zixu was slandered by Fu Cha, the king of Wu, and ordered him to be thrown into the waves of Qiantang River and sailed to save him. "Meet Wu Jun on May 5th, swim against the waves and be submerged" (Cao Ebei). Later generations rowed dragon boats to rescue soldiers.
One legend is that ...
According to the historian Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng, Qu Yuan was a minister of Chu Huaiwang in the Spring and Autumn Period. He advocated prospering talents and empowering the people, becoming rich and uniting with Qi to resist Qin, which was strongly opposed by the nobles. Qu Yuan was expelled from the capital and exiled to the Yuanxiang Valley. He went into exile abroad and wrote immortal poems such as Li Sao, Tian Wen and Jiu Ge, which worried about the country and the people.
In 278 BC, Qin Jun invaded Kyoto, Chu, and Qu Yuan could not bear to abandon his motherland. On the fifth day of May, after writing his masterpiece Huai Sha, he threw himself into the river. Legend has it that after Qu Yuan's death, the people of Chu were so sad that they flocked to the Miluo River to pay homage to Qu Yuan. The fisherman paddled the boat and fished for his real body back and forth on the river. They rushed to catch up with each other and disappeared at Dongting Lake.
After that, I will row a dragon boat on May 5th every year to commemorate it. Rowing a dragon boat to disperse the fish in the river so as not to eat Qu Yuan's body. In Miluo County, Hunan Province, before the dragon boat race, you must go to Quzi Temple to worship the dragon head, put red cloth on the dragon head, and then race the boat, which is not only to worship the dragon god, but also to commemorate Qu Yuan. In Zigui, Hubei, Qu Yuan's hometown, there is also a ceremony to worship Qu Yuan.
The custom of offering sacrifices to Qu Yuan is recorded in "Geography of Sui Shu": "The song is loud and clear, shaking the land and water, and the audience is like a cloud." Interpretation of Du Jingqu in Yuxi, Liu Tang: "Du Jing began in Wuling, and now it is harmony, and the sound is salty: where, the meaning of four valleys."