Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival in China
The Dragon Boat Festival has existed for a long time in Eastern folklore and has many influences on the living culture of indigenous people.
“Doan” means the beginning, “noon” means the clock – the period from 11 am to early 1 pm. The moon is when the sun begins to have its shortest distance – closest to the earth, coinciding with the summer solstice. Therefore, Tet Doan Ngo is also known as Tet Doan Duong.
According to Eastern medical philosophy, the fire (belonging to yang) of heaven and earth and in the human body on the Dragon Horse day is at its climax.
At the end of the Warring States period, there was a great minister of Chu, Qu Yuan. He was a loyalist, as well as a famous culturalist. Legend has it that he is the author of the famous poem “Ly Tao” in ancient Chinese culture, expressing grief over the decline of the country.
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Due to the fact that King Hoai Vuong could not be prevented, he was harmed by evil spirits, so he hugged a rock and jumped into the Mi La River on May 5.
Local people heard the news, all rowed to pick up his body but could not find it, they immediately poured rice into the river, hoping the fish would not touch his body.
On May 5 of the following year, locals rowed boats to the middle of the river, carrying rice to offer Khuat Nguyen.
Later, people used dragon boats to replace small boats, and used ash cakes to replace rice for sacrifices. This Qu Nguyen ceremony is still kept forever and is called the Lunar New Year.
Dragon Boat Festival in traditional Vietnamese culture
Vietnamese people also call Tet Doan Ngo as Tet to kill insects, which is the launch day of catching insects, eliminating pests for crops in the field, in which many species of worms can be eaten and they are considered as are nutrients.
The legend of the Dragon Boat Festival – May 5th – is handed down differently in Eastern countries, this article only introduces the origin of customs and basic traditional cultural features of the Dragon Boat Festival in Vietnam. Chinese and Vietnamese traditional culture.
In Vietnam, Tet Doan Ngo is also known by a more rustic name, “Tet to kill insects”. This is one of the traditional rituals with rich cultural connotations associated with the working people’s experience of the circulation of natural laws, weather, etc. It has an impact on children’s health and activities. people as well as seasonal production activities of the year. Therefore, in the old folk legend, it is also told as follows:
One day after the harvest, farmers from all over the countryside celebrated because that year’s farming was a great crop. But soon after that, the insects came densely and severely damaged the harvested fruit, food, and food crops.
People are having a headache and don’t know how to get rid of this pest problem, suddenly an old man from afar came and called himself Doi Trun.
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That old man Doi Trun showed the people how to kill insects by having a simple worshiping altar in each house consisting of ash cake and fruit, then burning incense to do the ceremony. The people followed suit just a moment later, the insects swarmed and the flood fell dead.
The old man also added: “Insects every year on this day will often appear, they are very aggressive to destroy the crops. So every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, just do what I told you to do. will cure them.”
The people were all happy and grateful to Doi Trun, intending to pull together to the thanksgiving ceremony, only to find out when the old man had disappeared. To commemorate the merits of the old man and show the beauty in the tradition of agricultural production and crop protection, the people named this day “Tet to kill insects”. Some people call it “Tet Doan Ngo” because the worshiping time is usually celebrated in the middle of the Horse.
Common rituals on Dragon Boat Festival in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Tet Doan Ngo, also known as “Tet to kill insects”, is often associated with ancestor worship rituals. According to the agricultural calendar, this is also the period of changing seasons, changing secretions, and diseases are likely to arise, so on this day. Folks have many customs of pest control and disease prevention.
Currently, in some Vietnamese villages, the old customs are still maintained, and this New Year’s day is very important. After the Lunar New Year, perhaps the “Tet to kill insects” is the warmest reunion and there are many customs associated with people’s lives… Therefore, Vietnamese descendants, no matter how busy they are in business, are far away. also try to arrange to return home on this occasion.
On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the whole village is bustling, every house wakes up early to prepare offerings to ancestors and fruits, which are indispensable offerings. It is believed that this is the time when the fruit on the tree and the leaves on the branch begin to bear fruit and worship ancestors to expect a bountiful harvest.
After the worshiping ceremony is the custom of killing insects. The whole family gathers to eat sour fruits, glutinous rice wine, ash cake… to eliminate “insects”, drive away diseases…
In the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, the concept and custom of “Killing insects” is also very rich and interesting. According to folk custom, early in the morning on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, as soon as you wake up, rinse your mouth and kill insects immediately. In the North, on this occasion, each person eats at least one bowl of sticky rice and wine. Then eat a bowl of jelly, then eat sour fruits such as plums, morsels, crocodiles, peaches, etc. The explanation for this “killing insects” is as follows:
Usually on these days, the worms in the lower abdomen emerge from the upper abdomen. Eat sticky rice wine to make them drunk. Then eat the fruit to make them die. Each fruit is an insect killer. Because in Oriental medicine, Southern medicine as well as Northern medicine, most of the herbs are taken from herbs, the fruits are the crystallization of herbs, so there are many properties to kill insects.
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In the past, people attached great importance to the “killing insects” ritual! According to folklore, on this day, all insects panic and run away because everyone has a feast to “kill insects”.
Early in the morning, with the first fruits of the season: fluffy peaches; plum full of sweet and sour smell; chubby bananas; vertical watermelons like dragon boats painted smooth sand, sparkling like phosphorus; Pineapple still has its green and silver crown, but its heart is bright yellow and provocative. Of course there is no lack of sticky rice.
As a rule, in the early morning of the 5th, people give children some sticky rice wine, fruits, boiled eggs, millet, rice cakes, plums, spoons, watermelon, drink coconut water… into the chest, into the navel to kill insects. Adults drink wine mixed with a little trinity or apply pink products to the fontanelle, chest, and navel to eliminate insects.
Children are given the procedure of “killing insects” early in the morning, right when they are still in bed, then wash their faces, nose, limbs and start dyeing their fingernails and toenails, wearing five-color thread. Girls who are old enough to have their ears pierced also choose this day to wear them.
Many people even buy charms to wear only for children. Amulets are usually made with five-color threads in the shape of lotuses, peaches, and chili peppers. They sew silk shirts and bring them to pagoda doors, static doors imprinted with charms and then wear them to children, with the intention of warding off evil spirits for children. crying.
At noon that day, the families made offerings to their ancestors, then went to pick leaves on the fifth day. The custom of picking medicinal leaves on the 5th also begins at the hour of the Horse, which is the time with the best yang energy in the whole year. The leaves and herbs collected during that time have a very good therapeutic effect, especially the extrasensory symptoms, the negative symptoms.
People pick any kind of leaves available in the garden, in the region, as long as there are hundreds of types, many or few, especially the leaves of the model, miller leaves, mango leaves, wormwood, lemongrass, licorice, marjoram. , bamboo leaves, pomelo leaves, oranges, lemons, tangerines, jackfruits, squirts, onions, garlic, ginger, tea, guava, betel nut, earthen, eternal life, dandelion, lotus, dragon fruit, groundnut, black pot… Bring home to incubate, then wash and dry, then cook with drinking water. Folks believe that drinking is good.
There are many people who go to get wormwood leaves. In the year of the Rat, the year of the Rat, the rat, the year of the Ox, the buffalo, the year of the Tiger, the tiger… hanging in the middle of the door, to exorcise evil spirits and return home. After someone has a stomachache, it is used as a decoction to drink.
Meaning of Dragon Boat Festival
The beginning of May is the time to end the contemplation and enter the harvest. This is the time for farmers to give thanks to heaven and earth, ancestors and celebrate the crop. Therefore, this day is a day for people to express their sincerity and pray for a bountiful harvest to come.
Currently, in many Vietnamese villages, the old customs are still preserved, and this Tet holiday is very important. This is also an opportunity for the family to reunite, even though they work far away, they still try to arrange to return to the family.
The Lunar New Year is an opportunity for families to reunite, and children and grandchildren, even if they work far away, still try to arrange to be with their families.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Eva.vn – Read the original article here
