Every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month according to the Chinese calendar, or in the middle of June on ours, China hosts the Dragon Boat Festival Duan Wu Jie, one of the three most important Chinese holidays. Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most ancient holidays, it has existed for more than 2.5 thousand years.
This original holiday is a race of dragon-shaped boats, specially made for this day.
The peoples of the East, there are many original holidays, which they inherited from their ancestors. These holidays are usually associated with some sort of ritual or tradition, and there are hundreds of years.
One of these is the Dragon Boat Festival in China. In Chinese, it is called Duan Wu Jie. This is a very ancient holiday, one of the three most important traditional holidays in China. It has existed for more than 2.5 thousand years.
It is celebrated on the lunar calendar of the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. Therefore, it is sometimes called the holiday “Two Fives”. In our calendar, this is usually the middle of June. If you are going to China, be sure to choose a time to get to this amazing festival. He personifies the beginning of summer. The holiday is very massive, it is celebrated by almost the entire population of China.
There are several legends about the origin of this holiday. But the most common is the legend of the ancient Chinese patriot poet Qu Yuan. According to this legend, in those times in the kingdom of Chu, known for his poems, Qu Yuan, being a minister and an approximate king, was the initiator of reforms in the state. Qu Yuan repeatedly addressed the king with proposals to change the existing order in the country, which would help strengthen the state and improve the lives of his people. However, due to slander of dignitaries who did not want changes, the king not only did not heed the advice of Qu Yuan, but even sent the poet out of the capital.
In response, Qu Yuan continued to help the poor people. But when, in 278 BC, the kingdom of Qin went to war against the kingdom of Chu and foreign troops captured the capital of Chu. Not enduring such a national shame, Qu Yuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the river. People who worshiped the poet, having learned about it and rushed on their boats in search of their idol. They tried to save the poet, desperately rowed on their boats, looking for the body of Yuan, but the muddy waters of the Milo River hid him from people forever.
Qu Yuan’s body was never found. But after that, every year on this day, ordinary people in memory of Qu Yuan began to organize massive boat races, depicting his search. In addition to feeding Qu Yuan, people began to throw into the water pieces of bamboo that were filled with boiled rice. But as the legend says, Qu Yuan himself appeared to them, said: “The rice that you send me goes to the dragon.
Wrap rice in reed leaves tied with colored threads, the dragon is afraid of these things. ” Since then, it has become a tradition that these days they began to cook sticky rice, roll it up with pyramids into reed leaves, dress with colored threads and throw it into the water. In addition, people themselves ate this food that day.
Although another legend says that rice was thrown into the water because when looking for Qu Yuan in the water, people in such a way would like the inhabitants of the river to have the dragons not eat his body. But, be that as it may, throwing rice into the water has become a tradition, and sticky rice wrapped in reed leaves has become the traditional meal for this day.
Centuries have passed, but people have not forgotten their intercessor, and now many people remember, know and love his poems, which have survived to our time. So many Chinese people know his last poem “Crying about the capital Ying”. Memorial Day of Qu Yuan on the 5th day of the 5th month on the lunar calendar eventually turned into a kind of celebration, during which boat races on the river are organized.
Over the years, this holiday has become very popular, it has become a kind of festival, it is celebrated by almost the entire population of China. During this holiday, folk festivals are held. In crowded places are arranged performances of dancers who perform lion and dragon dances.
And although the Dragon Boat Festival in China has now changed somewhat, the basic forms of this unusual holiday have been preserved. For the holiday they decorate their dwellings, make special charms in the form of amulets, bracelets, necklaces, pictures, and give embroidered bags specially made for this day. Children make bows and arrows. The families prepare special treats from rice.
People often ask the question: “Why do the Chinese eat rice?” If, again, to follow the legends, rice was the most favorite food of dragons, and since China used to assume that people are descendants of dragons, then that would identify themselves with them same strong, you need to eat rice. Zongzi is a traditional holiday food.
