在嘉興，老外們感受中國民俗

戚永曄

端午時節，伴著初夏徐徐而至的清風，行走在江南的大街小巷，到處散發著悠悠粽香，連空氣中都彌漫著棕葉的芬芳。

今年端午，我去了嘉興，遇到了不少老外。老外們因為各種原因來到中國，惟獨這時節，卻為了同一個原因聚首嘉興，感受中國民俗。

演一場風情

來自韓國的美女金熙真不是第一次來中國。但今天，她卻在嘉興，第一次零距離體會到中國民間的端午味道。

今年端午期間，嘉興舉行了盛大的民俗文化節，并邀請美國、俄羅斯、德國、澳大利亞、意大利、韓國、加拿大等國與嘉興市結為友好城市的市長（副市長）共同出席欣賞。

恰巧，金熙真的故鄉江陵也是嘉興的友好城市。來自當地藝術團的她，作為友誼的使者，和姐妹們一起，在嘉興大劇院舉行的精彩的開節晚會上，登臺為各國友人們獻上一曲民俗歌舞《青山別曲》，美妙空靈的舞曲，讓大家感受到了韓國的端午氣息和中華文化。

演出間隙，金熙真告訴我，韓國稱“端午”為“上日”，意為神的日子。按照傳統風俗，在端午這一天要吃“艾子糕”，喝益仁汁。婦女們用菖蒲湯洗頭發或飲用菖蒲水，或用菖蒲露化妝，稱為“菖蒲妝”。江陵端午祭期間的祭祀儀式主要來自神話傳說，他們所祭祀的神靈有大關嶺山神、洞城隍等十二位之多，有著繁瑣的祭祀儀式。如果從迎神的“前夜祭”算起，一般要舉行五個晝夜；如果從“山神祭”算起到送神止，時間長達廿多天；如果從“謹釀神酒”算起，則長達一個月。

對于中國的端午，金熙真也不吝贊美：“嘉興的端午很熱鬧，我在每個人眼里都看到了孩子般的快樂。這里有很多好吃的好玩的東西，我最喜歡吃嘉興粽子、喝紹興黃酒。”

嘗一口味道

美國小伙子托尼，是端午那天我在嘉興梅灣街西舞臺遇見的。當時，他正舉著個大相機，擠在人群里，對著看臺一邊歡呼一邊猛拍。

看臺上，正在舉行的是裹粽子大賽。

頭一次見到這場面的托尼被一眾粽藝師裹粽子的麻利勁給吸引住了：折葉、灌米、加餡、扎線，幾個動作一氣呵成。

我告訴他，在嘉興，粽藝師平均每天裹粽八小時，每人每天能裹上兩三千只，最厲害的一分鐘裹七只。

反應機敏的托尼立馬算出來了：“天哪，10秒鐘不到就能裹一只粽子！”見他有點不信，我拿出手表計時。不一會兒，托尼感嘆地說：“我盯了兩個人，差不多15秒裹一只，從取粽葉到裹完粽子扔進筐。”

看完比賽，托尼意猶未盡，和我一起來到嘉興當地隨處可見的五芳齋快餐店里吃午飯。小伙子胃口不小，一個人就消滅了一只大肉粽、一只蛋黃肉粽、一只豆沙粽，外加一大碗餛飩。吃完后，他咂咂嘴說：“真香啊，晶瑩剔透、口感香滑，比我們國家的三明治強多了。”

臨別，我告訴托尼，其實端午期間，嘉興不止粽子好吃。在伍相祠舉行的子胥廟會里，還有香酥蟹、竹筒飯、烤乳鴿、銅鑼燒這些來自北京、安徽、福建、云南等多個省市的風味小吃和烤香腸、冰激凌、榴蓮酥、打年糕這些來自德國、韓國、泰國、朝鮮等多個國家的經典美食組成的美食節，不妨去嘗嘗。

小伙子歡天喜地地去了，他的表情，凝聚了一個吃貨端午期間在嘉興的幸福。

賽一回龍舟

北華大學的留學生艾瑞克也是前來嘉興“趕端午”的老外，不過他有個特殊的身份——龍舟運動員。

端午期間，第三屆世界大學生龍舟錦標賽在嘉興舉行。雖然天公不作美，一直下著滂沱大雨，但一點都不妨礙來自美國哈佛大學、加拿大多倫多大學、英國利物浦大學、中國復旦大學、南開大學、香港科技大學等國內外知名高校的37支龍舟隊600多名大學生在湘家蕩旅游度假區上演一場群龍爭斗、劈波斬浪、你追我趕、奮力爭先的國際水準龍舟賽事。

艾瑞克對我說，他非常喜歡中國傳統文化，尤其向往江南。他之前在澳門、北京、廣州也參加過龍舟賽，這次能借參賽的機會來嘉興領略一下江南風情，覺得十分幸運。“我喜歡湘家蕩，這兒環境、氣候都特別好，一派江南韻味！可惜這次比賽時間安排緊湊，我希望下次能再來嘉興游玩！”

主辦方告訴我，世界大學生龍舟錦標賽是大學生領域最高水平的龍舟大比武，首屆于2010年在中國天津舉行，第二屆于2011年在美國加州長堤落幕；通過前兩屆比賽，該錦標賽在國際上已經有相當知名度；第三屆賽事能夠“花落”湘家蕩，背后還凝聚著嘉興方面的積極努力。

確如本屆龍舟賽《開幕致辭》中所說，這是嘉興市“首次舉辦國際性龍舟賽事，它對嘉興展現特有的地域文化、日新月異的城鄉面貌，擴大對外交流、提高城市知名度，發展體育、旅游、文化事業必將發揮積極作用”。無數和艾瑞克一樣的大學生，在這里感受了嘉興的優秀、江南的美好，并把這樣的印象帶回自己的國家。

今年嘉興端午節給人的驚喜，在于全國性和國際化的融合。除了龍舟賽、開節晚會這些交流盛會之外，還有嘉興國際友城文化發展交流會等活動，讓嘉興端午文化走出嘉興、走向世界，體現的是自身的強烈自信。

在節日籌備中，探索城市文化的全新定位；在古老祭祀中，尋找節俗文化的真實內核；在學術研討中，引領全國端午習俗的保護；在普天同慶中，構筑共同的幸福精神家園。這是嘉興在端午民俗文化品牌打造上未曾間斷的探索和追求——端午期間的嘉興，給了我們這樣的回答。□

（本文照片由作者提供）

Foreigners Enjoy Duanwu Festival Celebration in Jiaxing

By Qi Yongye, our staff reporter

June 23, 2012 marked Duanwu Festival in China, also known as Dragon Boat Festival. I celebrated the festival in Jiaxing, the central city in northern Zhejiang, a coastal province in eastern China. I met some foreigners there. They were in China for various reasons, but we were in Jiaxing for the same Duanwu Festival.

In 2012, Duanwu Festival was a three-day long weekend celebration across China. Jiaxing invited mayors and vice mayors of its twin cities in the United States, Russia, Germany, Australia, Italy, South Korea and Canada over to celebrate Duanwu Festival together. The city held a folk cultural festival to mark the important festival.

Kim Heejin, a young woman from South Korea, had been in China many times, but it was this year in Jiaxing that she first sampled Zongzi. Zongzi, steamed glutinous rice wrapped up in bamboo leaves, is a must for Duanwu Festival in China. Kim was from Gangneung, a sister city of Jiaxing since May 1999. She and many other women were in Jiaxing to stage a show to let people know how South Korea celebrates the Dano Festival, a distinctive Korean version of the original Chinese Duanwu Festival. She gave me a detailed description how Dano Festival is celebrated in South Korea. Usually they hold a five-day celebration in offering various sacrifices to various gods. The ceremonies last more than 20 days if the sacrificial ceremony in honor of the mountain god is counted in. The whole celebration lasts more than a month if wine brewing for the festival is included. Kim commented warmly on the Duanwu Festival celebration in China, saying that she saw childlike happiness in everyones eyes, that there was so much fun everywhere, and that she favored Zongzi made in Jiaxing and yellow rice wine made in Shaoxing.

When I saw Tony, a young American, he was directing a big camera at people on a big stage, clicking away and cheering. We were in a street in Jiaxing. On the stage, a competition of making Zongzi was in high swing. Tony was amazed by the fast-moving and artfully ambidextrous fingers. I said that the fastest record for Zongzi making was seven a minute. Tony calculated and wowed, finding the record incredible. I got out my wristwatch and began to time a master on the stage. The master spent about 15 seconds making one. After the competition, Tony and I went to Wufangzai, a famous Zongzi restaurant chain headquartered in Jiaxing. We had Zongzi there. Tony said he liked Zongzi very much and found it better than sandwiches. It turned out that Tony was a foodie and was eager to try some more exotic foods at the Folk Culture Festival in Jiaxing.

Eric, a foreign student from Beihua University in Jilin, province in northeastern China, came to Jiaxing as a member of his universitys dragon boat team. The team took part in the 3rd World University Dragon Boat Championship held in Jiaxing on 21st June. The championship was part of the gala celebration of Duanwu Festival in Jiaxing 2012. Eric was one of nearly 500 foreign students in Jiaxing for racing their dragon boats. The 37 participating universities included Harvard University, the University of Toronto, University of Sydney, Fudan University, Nankai University, and the National University of Singapore.

Eric said that he liked the Chinese culture very much. He had been to dragon boat racing in Macao, Beijing and Guangzhou. He felt lucky for the opportunity to race in Jiaxing in the south of the Yangtze River Delta, famed for centuries for its scenery and prosperity.

Celebrations of Duanwu Festival in Jiaxing in 2012 were a big event for the locals. The city government aimed to integrate the domestic activities with the international ones, showing confidence in going international and promoting Jiaxing through cultural events.□