The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is an important traditional holiday in China that falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Here are some of the origins and traditions associated with the Dragon Boat Festival in English:
1. **To Commemorate Qu Yuan (屈原)**: The most popular and widely accepted origin is that the festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a poet and statesman from the Warring States period. Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River due to political dissatisfaction. Local people raced dragon boats to save him, and they threw zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) into the river to feed the fish and keep them from eating Qu Yuan's body.
2. **Folk Story of Wu Zetian (武则天)**: Some people believe that the Dragon Boat Festival was originally established to celebrate the birthday of the Empress Wu Zetian. The legend says that she was born on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and her birthday was honored with dragon boat races and other festive activities.
3. **To Drive Away Illness and Evil Spirits**: In ancient times, people believed that the fifth lunar month was a time when evil spirits and diseases were most prevalent. The Dragon Boat Festival was a way to drive away these negative influences. Practices such as wearing leeches, carrying dragon boat flags, and using the color red were believed to ward off bad luck and diseases.
4. **Dragon worship**: The Dragon Boat Festival is also associated with the worship of the dragon, a symbol of power and good fortune in Chinese culture. The dragon boat races themselves are a celebration of the dragon's power, and it is believed that dragon spirits would be pleased with the races, thereby bringing good luck to the participants.
5. **To Honor the Soldiers**: Another theory suggests that the festival was originally to honor the soldiers who died during a war, and the dragon boat races were a way to remember their bravery and strength.
Throughout the Dragon Boat Festival, various customs and activities are observed, including dragon boat races, eating zongzi, hanging mugwort and calamus (艾草和菖蒲), wearing leeches (五色丝线), and setting off firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. These traditions are rich in symbolism and continue to be celebrated across China and in Chinese communities around the world.
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