Source: Jieyang Daily Author: Chen Qunxin
The dragon boat is one of the most important folk activities of the "May Festival" in Chaoshan area, with profound folk culture connotation and strong local characteristics. Photo by Tu Yingpeng
Make mugwort sachets to drive away the plague and ward off evil spirits. Photo by Cai Yehua
Gardenia is a health food for the "May Festival". Summary
Hipsters "May Day" breakfast eat "five fruit soup". Summary
The Dragon Boat Festival Chaoshan people are commonly known as the "May Festival". The title of "May Festival" has a profound cultural connotation and reflects the unique understanding of the Chaoshan people for the Dragon Boat Festival. At the end of the festival, hipsters should hang a bunch of wormwood, calamus, durian flowers, garlic heads, and dragon boat flowers tied with "red head ropes" under the lintels, door knockers and even the eaves. According to the "Chronicle of Chaozhou Prefecture": In the Tang and Song dynasties, the chaozhou climate was humid and hot, and in May, spring ended and summer solstice, summer humidity steamed, mosquitoes, miasma pervaded, so the ancient custom was taboo as "evil moon", but also snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos, toads "five poisons" stinging season. Hanging "Wurui" is to use the aroma emitted by herbs to drive away plague and ward off evil spirits and ensure peace. Chaoshan ancient folk song Yun: "At the first five noons of the first month of May, the Heavenly Master rode Ai Hu, pu sword slashed hundreds of evils, and ghosts entered the tiger's mouth." It can be seen that the ancients suspended "Wurui" on a medical scientific basis.
At the end of the festival, the Chaoshan people will hold many celebrations rich in the flavor of "tide", make a big move, and make the festival content more colorful.
The most exciting activity is dragon boat racing. On the fifth day of the first month of May, "Come and see the dragon boat" shouted loudly. Chaoshan has three rivers flowing in Han, Rong and Lian, the tributaries of the rivers and streams are staggered, the water flow is gentle, and there are countless pearl-like ponds, which are the golden waters of dragon boat racing. Chaoshan people dare to live and die at a critical moment and dare to fight hard, and "losing people and losing the battle" is its concrete embodiment. "The situation is also imposing." The men of the Dragon Ship have a belief: "Fight to the death!" The Chaoshan folk song "Baohe Son-in-law Grabs the First Landmark": "Chaoshan Water Town, the rivers are staggered, and the ponds are everywhere." During the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boats raced across the river. Gongs and drums are noisy, flags are unfurled, paddles are like wings, championships are won, thousands of empty alleys, splashing water to cheer, lively and extraordinary. "It is a true portrayal of the Chaoshan people competing for dragon boats." From a scientific point of view, the "May Festival" is not far from the harvest season in June and July, and the dragon boat is conducive to storing physical fitness, stimulating morale, forging a healthy body, and preparing for the hard work in June and July.
"May Day" is also a festival that sprouts love. I think of the lyrics of "Peach Blossom Transition" "Abel" teasing "Peach Blossom": "May play dragon boat, you are a good posture, carrying an umbrella with people." "Who are you going with?" Of course, it is the man of the dragon ship. In the Chaoshan countryside, only the strong are eligible to go into the water to race dragon boats, the Hanzi muscles are fit, the youth is flying, the most attractive to the eyeballs of the "posture lady boy", one after another, on the eye, "embellished people go!" ”
"May Day" is full of peace wishes. In addition to hanging Chinese herbs such as "Wurui" to ward off evil spirits, there are also customs such as eating rice dumplings, eating gardenia, drinking medicinal soups, and bathing.
Rice dumpling customs. Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" of the Ming Dynasty says: "The ancients wrapped rice in reed leaves and boiled it into the shape of a sharp horn. The Chaoshan people call "粽" "粽 ball". Chaoshan dialect "粽" and "zhuang" homophonous, so everyone eats rice dumplings in May Festival to seek a "strong" color head. There is a meteorological proverb in the Chaoshan folk saying "Uneaten May dumplings, broken qiu and ganfang", which also reflects the characteristics of the May season.
Custom of drinking medicinal soup. Another custom of the "May Day" is to drink medicinal soup. "Qingming food leaves, Dragon Boat Food Medicine" is a Chaoshan folk proverb, "Chenghai County Chronicle" also contains: Dragon Boat Festival folk regarded as "holy day"... Every household should eat gardenia, grain sperm, and children should eat gentlemen. Taking medicine on this day is the most effective. Hipsters have the custom of eating "five fruit soup" for breakfast on the fifth day of may. "Five fruit soup" is made of lotus seeds, corn, white fruit, soybeans, Huaishan and so on.
There is also bathing with mugwort water to get rid of rheumatism and so on. Legend has it that the fifth day of the first month of May is the birthday of the Dragon King, and on this day the water spewed by the dragon's head can cure the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to wash the dragon's whiskers and drink the dragon's whiskers water to bring good luck.
Chaoshan also has a folk proverb: "Twenty-nine nights of wealth and nobility, salty and thrifty May Festival." "Due to the weather, food is easy to spoil, and it should be more simple and festive." Originally, practicing the concept of green and healthy life, the ancestors of Chaoshan in the early years of ancient times have been in front.
"May Festival", Chaoshan people into the passionate summer.