端午节又名端阳节、重午节,据传是中国古代伟大诗人、世界四大文化名人之一的屈原投汩罗江殉国的日子。两千多年来,每年的农历五月初五就成为了纪念屈原的传统节日。史料记载,公元前278年农历五月初五,楚国大夫、爱国诗人屈原听到秦军攻破楚国都城的消息后,悲愤交加,心如刀割,毅然写下绝笔作《怀沙》,抱石投入汨罗江,以身殉国。沿江百姓纷纷引舟竞渡前去打捞,沿水招魂,并将粽子投入江中,以免鱼虾蚕食他的身体。这一习俗绵延至今,已有两千多年。
千百年来,屈原的爱国精神和感人诗辞,深入人心。人们“惜而哀之,世论其辞,以相传焉”。在民俗文化领域,中国民众从此把端午节的龙舟竞渡和吃粽子等,与纪念屈原紧密联系在一起。随着屈原影响的不断增大,始于春秋战国的端午节也逐步传播开来,成为中华民族的节日。
中国的端午节还有许多别称,如:午日节、五月节、浴兰节、女儿节、天中节、诗人节、龙日等等。虽然名称不同,但各地人们过节的习俗却大同小异。内容主要有:女儿回娘家,挂钟馗像,悬挂菖蒲、艾草,佩香囊,赛龙舟,比武,击球,荡秋千,给小孩涂雄黄,饮用雄黄酒、吃咸蛋、粽子和时令鲜果等,除了有迷信色彩的活动逐渐消失外,其余习俗至今已流传中国各地及邻近的国家。
端午节从2008年起为国家法定节假日。国家非常重视非物质文化遗产的保护,2006年5月20日,该民俗经国务院批准列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。
问题:
1,端午节的由来是什么?
2,各地人过端午节的习俗主要有哪些?
Known as "duanwu" in Chinese, the festival has been celebrated for more than 2000 years. The races are the most exciting part, and happen all over China. However, they are most common in the south, which has many lakes and rivers.
During the competition, boatmen row to the beat of the drum. The captain stands on the bow of the boat and waves a small flag to maintain morale, and ensure the rowers keep time with one another. It’s believed that the winning team will bring harvest and a happy life to the people of their village.
Like most Chinese festivals, there’s food involved and zongzi is the special food for the Dragon Boat Festival. It’s a pyramid shaped dumpling filled with glutinous rice, meat, beans or dates and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Many families make their own zongzi and exchange them among relatives and friends before the festival.
At a store in Beijing, people line up at special counters to buy the sticky treats for their whole family. "My family will sit together and made glutinous rice dumplings with meat or dates as the filling," says one customer. "I buy zongzi to enjoy the festival with my family each year," says another. An employee of the store says, "We are now in short supply, bean paste, jujube, cereals, grains, peas and egg yolks are the best selling."
The Dragon Boat Festival is in commemoration of Qu Yuan, a well-loved Chinese poet who drowned himself in a river out of sadness ab0ut his country’s future.