Dragon Boat Festival 端午節

熊娟娟

2006 年5 月，國務院將端午節列入首批國家級非物質文化遺產名錄；2009 年9 月，端午節正式被聯合國教科文組織列入《人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄》。

端午節承載著歷史文化與民族精神，是中華民族自古以來寄托對先賢的緬懷之情和對幸福生活的不懈追求的重要傳統節日之一。

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional festival in China，which is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. There areseveral different theories about the origin of this festival， the most famous ofwhich is to 1）commemorate Qu Yuan， a famous 2）patriotic poet in Chinesehistory. According to the legend， Qu Yuan was ostracized because of hisconcern for the country and the people， and spared no effort in admonishingthe King， and finally committed suicide in the Miluo River with hatred. Peoplehold various ceremonies and activities on the fifth day of the fifth lunar monthevery year to express their feelings of missing and 3）reverence for him.

During the Dragon Boat Festival， people race dragonboats， eat rice dumplings， drink realgar wine， hangwormwood wear sachet and so on.

Dragon boat racing refers to the activities of rowingdragon boats in rivers and other waters. Competingteams paddle their colorful dragon boats forward to the?rhythm of beating drums. Nowadays， dragon boat racing has developed intoa water sport.

Zongzi is a traditional food made of glutinous rice， beans meat and manydifferent fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed， symbolizing a goodharvest and reunion during the festival.

Realgar wine is a strong liquor made from yellow rice， glutinousrice， mugwort leaves， 4）sorghum and other materials. It has the effect ofexorcising evil spirits.

Mugwort is usually hung on the door or on the window. Around theDragon Boat Festival， with the weather turning warmer， people are more likelyto be 5）infested with diseases， so it is somewhat practical to hang wormwoodand calamus on the door to drive away worms and diseases.

The sachet was usually made of five-color silk， 6）embroidery thread andherbs， etc. The whole sachet has different shapes. Some are round， squareor decorated with various patterns and characters. The custom of wearingsachets is also to pray for health and safety. During the Dragon Boat Festival，people will also put herbs such as mugwort leaves in the sachets to preventthe body from catching cold and diseases.

The Dragon Boat Festival being theparticular icon of Chinese culture， not onlyenriches the cultural connotation of our country，but also brings joy and blessings to people aswell.

1） commemorate v. 紀念

2） patriotic adj. 愛國的

3） reverence n. 尊敬；崇敬

4） sorghum n. 高粱

5） infest v. 侵擾

6） embroidery n. 刺繡

每年農歷五月初五是中國的一個重要傳統節日——端午節。關于這個節日的起源有幾種不同的說法，流傳最廣的是悼念中國歷史上著名的愛國詩人屈原。傳說，屈原因憂國憂民且不遺余力地勸誡君王而受到排擠，最終含恨跳下汨羅江。人們在每年農歷五月初五舉行各種儀式和活動，以表達對他的崇敬和懷念。

端午節期間，人們會賽龍舟、吃粽子、喝雄黃酒、掛艾草、佩戴香囊等。

賽龍舟是指在河流等水域中劃龍舟競賽的活動，比賽的隊伍在熱烈的鼓聲中劃著他們多彩的龍舟前進。如今，賽龍舟已發展為一項水上體育活動。

粽子是指用糯米、豆子、肉和許多不同的餡料包裹在竹葉中蒸制而成的傳統食品，象征著節日的豐收和團圓。

雄黃酒是一種由黃米、糯米、艾葉、高粱等原料釀制的烈性酒，有驅邪的作用。

艾草通常掛在門上或窗戶上。端午時節，天氣轉熱，容易引發多種疾病，所以家家戶戶掛艾草、插菖蒲，以驅蟲防病。

香囊通常是由五色絲綢、繡花線和香草等材料制成，香囊形狀各異，呈圓形、方形或是飾有各種圖案和文字。佩戴香囊的習俗，也是為了祈求健康和平安。

端午節期間，人們還會在香囊中放入艾葉等草藥，以防身體受涼和疾病的侵襲。

端午節作為中國文化的特有標志，不僅豐富了我國的文化內涵，也給人們帶來了歡樂和祝福。