2015端午节

【端午节】The Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival Facts

• Chinese: 端午节 Duanwu Festival/the Dragon Boat Festival: the fifth traditional solar month [June 6 to July 6]

• Date: month 5 day 5 of the Chinese Lunar Calendar

• History: over 2,000 years

• Celebrations: dragon boat racing, health-related customs, honoring Qu Yuan and others

• Popular festival food: sticky rice dumplings /Tsung-tse /rice dumpling(zongzi)

The Dragon Boat Festival, also named "Chongwu Festival" or "Daughter's Festival", takes place in May 5 in the lunar calendar.

每年农历五月初五是端午节（龙舟节），又称为“重五节”或“女儿节”。

It is a folk festival widely passed down with a history of over two thousand years, and one of the most important festivals as well.

这个传统节日已经在民间广泛传承了2000多年，也是最重要的节日之一。

There are various celebrating activities on the day of Dragon Boat Festival, among which eating rice dumplings (zongzi, the steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and dragon boat race are important customs.

在端午节这一天，有各种庆祝活动。其中，吃粽子和赛龙舟是最重要的习俗。粽子是将糯米包在竹叶中蒸制而成的。

There are many legends on the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

关于端午节的来源有很多传说。

Some people say it is to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan, while some people think it is to memorialize Wu Zixu, a famous official in the Warring States Period, still there are some others regarding May 5 in the lunar calendar as the date when the Wuyue people held a memorial totem ceremony in ancient times.

有人说是为了纪念屈原，另有人说是为了纪念伍子胥。伍子胥是战国时期的一位著名官员。还有人说五月初五这一天是古代吴越国百姓举行祭祀仪式的日子。

However, the legend on Qu Yuan is the most widely spread. People praise highly the lofty sentiment and outstanding talent toward this patriotic poet and take more pity on the finale that he drowned himself in a river. In the mind of most Chinese people, the conventions of eating rice dumplings and Dragon Boat Race in the Festival are all closely related to the commemoration of Qu Yuan.

不过，关于屈原的传说是最广泛流传的。人们高度赞扬这位爱国诗人对祖国的忠诚和杰出的才能，并且同情他溺江而亡的悲惨命运。在中国人的心中，吃粽子和赛龙舟与纪念屈原的关系最为密切。

Besides, there are also different conventions like drinking realgar wine and wearing sachet。

另外，还有一些传统，比如饮雄黄酒和佩戴香包。

What Customs Do Chinese Observe for Duanwu?　中国端午的习俗

Eating Sticky Rice Dumplings　吃粽子

Dragon Boat Racing — from legend to sporting event!　赛龙舟－－从传奇到体育活动

Drinking Realgar Wine 喝雄黄酒

Wearing Perfume Pouches 佩戴香囊

Hanging Chinese Mugwort and Calamus 悬挂菖蒲和艾叶

端午节词汇

　　　端午节(Duanwu Festival/Dragon Boat Festival)又叫做端阳节，重五节，五月节，天中节等等，是中国古老的传统节日(traditional festival)，至今已有2000多年历史。关于端午节的起源，说法众多，一说是纪念战国时期(Warring States period)楚国诗人屈原的，一说是纪念吴国大将伍子胥的，一说是纪念东汉时期(the Eastern Han Dynasty)的孝女曹娥的，一说是由古代南方民族祭祀(offer sacrifices to the gods or ancestors)和驱除瘟疫的节日演变而来……不过当然还是纪念屈原的说法流传最广、最为大众所接受啦~

　　　端午节的各种传统活动也跟这些传说密不可分，比如赛龙舟(racing dragon boats)是为了借龙舟驱散江中鱼龙虾蟹，以免它们吃掉屈原的尸体；粽子(zongzi)最初也不是用来吃的，而是投入江中，以祭祀屈原；在家门口悬挂钟馗像和菖蒲(calamus)艾叶(mugwort)是为了驱鬼辟邪；而佩戴香囊(perfumed medicine bags)和喝雄黄酒(realgar wine)则有着驱逐蚊虫、防止疫病的实际作用。

粽子来由

　公元前340年，爱国诗人、楚国大夫屈原，面临亡国之痛，于五月五日，悲愤地怀抱大石投汩罗江，为了不使鱼虾损伤他的躯体，人们纷纷用竹筒装米投入江中。以后，为了表示对屈原的崇敬和怀念，每到这一天，人们便用竹筒装米，投江祭奠，这就是我国最早的粽子：筒粽的由来。

为什么后来又用艾叶或苇叶、荷叶包粽子呢《初学记》中有这样的记载：汉代建武年间，长沙人晚间梦见一人，自称是三闾大夫(屈原的官名)，对他说：“你们祭祀的东西，都被江中的蛟龙偷去了，以后可用艾叶包住，将五色丝线捆好，蛟龙最怕这两样东西。于是，人们便以菰叶裹黍，做成角黍，世代相传，并逐渐发展成为我国的端午节食品。

（文稿来源：网络；VOA英语频道收集、整理）

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