the dragon boat festival, also called double fifth festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar. it is one of the most important chinese festivals, the other two being the autumn moon festival and chinese new year。
the origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named chu yuan. he was a good and respected man, but because of the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventually fell into disfavor in the emperor's court。
unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow chu yuan threw himself into the mi low river. because of their admiration for chu yuan, the local people living adjacent to the mi lo river rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons。
although they were unable to find chu yuan, their efforts are still commemorated today during the dragon boat festival。
端午節的由來
端午節，又稱為xx節，因為端午節是在農曆的五月五日，是三個重要的中國節慶之一，其他兩個分別是中秋節和農曆新年。
這個節日的由來是古代中國有一位博學多聞的官吏屈原，他是一位愛民而且又受到尊崇的官吏，但是由於一位充滿嫉妒的官吏陷害，從此在朝廷中被皇帝所冷落。由於無法獲得皇帝的重視，屈原在憂鬱的情況下投汨羅江自盡。
由於對屈原的愛戴，汨羅江畔的居民匆忙的划船在江內尋找屈原，並且將米丟入汨羅江中，以平息汨羅江中的蛟龍。即使他們當時並沒有找到屈原，但是他們的行為，直到今天在端午節的時候，仍然被人們傳頌紀念著。
dragon boat race
traditions at the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. these exciting races were inspired by the villager's valiant attempts to rescue chu yuan from the mi lo river. this tradition has remained unbroken for centuries。
tzung tzu
a very popular dish during the dragon boat festival is tzung tzu. this tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. the tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the mi low river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour chu yuan。
ay taso
the time of year of the dragon boat festival, the fifth lunar moon, has more significance than just the story of chu yuan. many chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. families will hang various herbs, called ay tsao, on their door for protection. the drinking of realgar wine is thought to remove poisons from the body. hsiang bao are also worn. these sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness。
風俗習慣
端午節最重要的活動是龍舟競賽，比賽的隊伍在熱烈的鼓聲中劃著他們多彩的龍舟前進。這項活動的靈感是來自於當時汨羅江畔的居民，在江中划船救屈原，而這個傳統也一直保持了數個世紀。
在端午節時受歡迎的食物就是粽子，粽子是以米包著肉、花生、蛋黃及其他材料，再以竹葉包裹。而粽子的傳統則來由於汨羅江邊的漁夫，將米丟入江中平息江中的蛟龍，希望他們不要將屈原吃掉。
農曆的五月，也就是端午節的這個時節，對中國人而言，除了屈原的故事還有許多其他重要的意義。許多中國人相信五月是一年中容易引發疾病的危險時節，因此必須有許多防備家人生病的措施。許多家庭會將一種特別的植物-艾草掛在門口，作為保護之用，而人們也會掛帶香包，它是以含有多種香味的藥用植物所做成，也可以保護人們遠離疾病。