Mood Diary④ ~ Dragon Boat Festival without Zongzi

June 25th, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month

Commonly known as Dragon Boat Festival, Zongzi Festival

Of course, depending on the culture of each country, the way of celebration, commemoration, and even the name of the festival is different.

Today, I will share the Dragon Boat Festival, one of the four major festivals of Chinese culture.

**China**

Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet of Chu State during the Warring States Period, threw himself into the river on this day, and then evolved into the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan, which is called the Poet's Day in some places.

There are also some mainlands that commemorate the death of Wu Zixu, a loyal minister of the Wu State, with different historical origins and developments.

As for the custom of the Chinese to commemorate Qu Yuan on the Dragon Boat Festival, the earliest written record is the "Continuation of Qi Xie Ji" written by Liang Wujun of the Southern Dynasty. Entering the water to sacrifice Qu Yuan, the Tang Dynasty's "Xiangyang Customs" also refers to wrapping zongzi with bamboo and five-color silk to avoid the food sacrificed to Qu Yuan being eaten by the dragon.

However, the "Historical Records" does not record the date of Qu Yuan's death, but the 30th section of "Jingchu Suiji Ji" written by Zong Yi, who was at the same time as Wu Jun, records that the Dragon Boat Festival in the Soochow region was to welcome what was considered by the people at that time. Wu Zixu, the god of the river, has nothing to do with Qu Yuan. And "Suzhou Fuzhi" also refers to the Dragon Boat Festival Zongzi is to worship Wu Zixu, not Qu Yuan. In addition to commemorating Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu, there are also sayings that the Dragon Boat Festival is related to other historical figures such as King Goujian, Jie Zitui, etc. Among them, Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, and Goujian are all southerners. Wen Yiduo deduced that the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival originated in the south. .

**Malaysia**

Inheriting the tradition left by China, this day is usually wrapped in rice dumplings, eating rice dumplings, rowing dragon boats and racing dragon boats to promote Chinese culture.

Because there is a nation in Malaysia called Nyonya, it has innovated Nyonya dumplings, also known as blue dumplings. The appearance is indigo because it is dyed by butterfly pea flower.

**Singapore**

It is also the same, inheriting the tradition left by China, this day is usually wrapped in zongzi, eating zongzi, rowing a dragon boat and racing a dragon boat.

There has always been a wonderful world dragon boat race in East Coast Park.

**Vietnam**

Traditionally, adults in Vietnam will wear five-color threads on children. It is said that wearing five-color threads can avoid the harm of snakes and scorpions.

In addition, Vietnamese believe that the Yellow River has the functions of avoiding plague, detoxifying and preventing sores. Eating turmeric rice at this time of the year can avoid some diseases.

**Taiwan**

The Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan, also known as the Five Days Festival, the May Festival or the Dumpling Festival, is a traditional festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Taiwanese Han people call it the Noon Festival, the Five Days Festival, the Noon Moon Festival, the May Festival, and the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Taiwan's Dragon Boat Festival is the first sacrifice at noon, and the noon day to exorcise and exorcise evil spirits. Taiwanese households usually hold family sacrifices. The offerings, time and methods of worshiping gods and Buddhas, ancestors and foundation owners are slightly different, but the process is roughly as follows: offering offerings, lighting candles, offering tea and wine, burning incense and praying, holding gold paper Prayer, three rounds of offering wine, burning incense, withdrawing confessions, etc.

**South Korea**

Gangneung is the only place that still retains the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. Gangneung Dano Festival is one of the famous cultural festivals in Korea. According to the traditional Dragon Boat Festival, it will continue to be celebrated for up to a month. South Korea has also successfully applied for this custom as a world cultural heritage.

The Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival is represented by the Daguanling Mountain God. In addition to holding various sacrifices, a series of local activities such as wrestling, swinging, tug-of-war, archery and so on will be held in conjunction with the celebration.

The Dragon Boat Festival in Korea does not eat rice dumplings, but "wormwood" is also used. On the festival day, every household in South Korea will place mugwort cakes made of mugwort and glutinous rice, use mugwort cakes to worship ancestors with loose skin, and wash their hair with calamus water to seek auspiciousness.

**Japan**

During the Heian period, the aristocratic class introduced the Dragon Boat Festival in China. In the Edo period, various customs elements of the Dragon Boat Festival already existed in Japanese folk life. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Japanese also eat zongzi, but the shape is pointed and long.

Originally, the Dragon Boat Festival in Japan was Boys' Day. In the Edo period, because of the pragmatic spirit, the Japanese believed that benefit was a symbol of strength and courage, and a flag in the shape of a carp must be hung in the home of a boy, expressing the parents' expectation that the child will become a brave and strong warrior.

Then, based on the principle of respecting children's personality, seeking their happiness, and thanking their mothers at the same time, Boys' Day has evolved into Children's Day and has also become a Japanese public holiday.

This year, because of the epidemic, I couldn't go back to my home in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, so I had to stay in the rented room in Singapore.

The home that is far away from the horizon and close to the eye is only separated by a bridge. When can I go home?

There are no rice dumplings today, only the first hot pot meal of phase 2 unblocked in Singapore with my colleagues. The long-lost hot pot, the missing taste.

~ 25.06.2020

~ Day100 stay in Singapore

~ Today's song Today's song: Zhou Shen • Big Fish (a song that I like to loop recently)

~ Some information is taken from the Internet, including the wikipedia wiki