The Dragon Boat Festival has a long history, and its development and inheritance have undergone thousands of years of evolution.
The following are some important periods and events in the historical development of the Dragon Boat Festival:
Ancient origin: The Dragon Boat Festival originally originated in the ancient Baiyue region (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the south of the Yangtze River), and was a festival where the tribes who worshiped the dragon totem held totem sacrifices.
Before the spring and autumn,
There is already a custom of tribal totem sacrifice held in the form of dragon boat racing on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
The legend of Qu Yuan: The Dragon Boat Festival is closely linked to the legend of Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan was a poet and politician of Chu during the Warring States Period, who committed suicide by throwing himself into the river because of his worries about the country and the people, and in order to commemorate him, people gradually formed many customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.
Han Dynasty: The Dragon Boat Festival, as a festival, was formed in the Han Dynasty.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty Yingshao's "Customs and Customs", there is a record of people avoiding ghosts of military service and preventing diseases and epidemics on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.
Northern and Southern Dynasties: During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the customs and activities of the Dragon Boat Festival did not change much, but the scale became more and more popular, especially the dragon boat racing in the south, which became a sensational event.
Tang and Song dynasties: During the Tang and Song dynasties, the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival was more colorful, including dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, hanging wormwood and calamus and other customs.
Ming and Qing dynasties: In the Ming Dynasty, the Dragon Boat Festival absorbed the custom of the Jin people to shoot willows, and was called the "Daughter's Festival". In the Qing Dynasty, the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival continued to be inherited and developed, and activities such as dragon boat racing became popular traditional festivals and customs.
Modern and modern: Since the Republic of China, many of the old customs of the Dragon Boat Festival have been forgotten, but they are still popular traditional festivals. On May 20, 2006, the Dragon Boat Festival folk customs were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Contemporary:
In December 2007, China's State Council officially listed the Dragon Boat Festival as a national holiday.
On September 30, 2009, the Dragon Boat Festival became the first festival in China to be selected as a world intangible cultural heritage.
In 2021, during the Dragon Boat Festival, the Ministry of Public Security issued a road traffic safety warning for the Dragon Boat Festival to remind the public to pay attention to travel safety.
In 2022, during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the number of domestic tourism trips nationwide will reach 79.61 million, and the domestic tourism revenue will reach 25.82 billion yuan.
In 2023, on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat racing will be staged in Boston in the United States, Duisburg in Germany, Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom, Malacca in Malaysia, Argentina, Mauritius and other places. The Dragon Boat Festival is not only an important traditional festival in China, but also an important carrier of international cultural exchanges, and its celebration and cultural connotation have been disseminated and recognized all over the world.
In 2023, during the Dragon Boat Festival, the International Rowing Federation Dragon Boat World Cup will be held in Zigui, Yichang, Hubei, Qu Yuan's hometown, attracting 14 teams from India, Singapore, the United States, China and other countries and regions. The Shenzhen Guanlan River Dragon Boat Race attracted 68 teams and thousands of competitors to participate, demonstrating the internationalization and competitiveness of the dragon boat race.
In this festival full of tradition, Hezhong Dental also wants to remind everyone that the protection and inheritance of traditional culture needs to be carefully cared for, just as we pay attention to dental health.
A healthy and white tooth can not only make our smile brighter, but also a prerequisite for enjoying festive food, especially those delicious rice dumplings.