Quyuan statue
First, we need to understand the first question. Did the traditional customs such as dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, inserting puzi and loving leaves appear after Qu Yuan jumped into the river, or did they exist before? Knowing this question, we can confirm whether the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan.
Dragon Boat Race: Dragon Boat Race is an important traditional way for China people to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. On this day, all the contestants should dress neatly. Generally, there are 25 contestants, including helmsman 1, gong 65438, drummer 65438, rower 20, and each team has 2 substitutes. Team members should cooperate with each other and help each other in the same boat to see who can row to the finish line first. However, the "Dragon Boat Race" existed as early as the Warring States Period. Carving dragon-shaped canoes in drums and playing race games are semi-religious and semi-entertaining programs to entertain gods and people in the ceremony. This can also be seen from Qu Yuan's own poems. For example, there is a saying in "Crossing the River": "If you go to Yuan Xi by boat, Qi Wubang will fail. The ship is tolerant of not moving forward, and it is stagnation submerged by backwater. It's embarrassing in the morning and sunny at night. " The "boat" here, long and narrow, was actually a kind of boat used for racing at that time. It can be seen that the dragon boat appeared before Qu Yuan jumped into the river, and was not set up to commemorate Qu Yuan.
Eating zongzi: This is more interesting because we have heard many similar stories more or less. In 340 BC, Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet and doctor of Chu State, faced with the pain of national subjugation, was filled with grief and indignation. On May 5, he threw a big stone into Guluo River. In order to prevent fish and shrimp from harming his health, people throw rice into the river with bamboo tubes. Since then, in order to show respect and memory for Qu Yuan, people put rice in bamboo tubes and threw it into the river to show their respect. This is the origin of the earliest zongzi in China. Actually, it's not like this at all. Zongzi appeared before Qu Yuan jumped into the river. It appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period, and at the beginning, eating zongzi was not a patent for the Dragon Boat Festival. At the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty, it was said in the Local Records that "(Zongzi) vomited on May 5, the summer solstice", which shows that the ancients also ate Zongzi on the summer solstice. It was not until the Jin Dynasty that Zongzi became the festival food of the Dragon Boat Festival, and it was not until the Southern and Northern Dynasties that it was linked to Qu Yuan. Therefore, Zongzi also appeared before Qu Yuan jumped into the river, and it is even more impossible to create it in memory of Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan jumped into the river.
Then why is the Dragon Boat Festival related to Qu Yuan? Now, we will almost insist that the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan. I think there are two points.
First of all, China people like to find "celebrities" as ambassadors for traditional festivals. It is a common phenomenon that most of our traditional festivals have beautiful stories. For example, the Cold Food Festival commemorates the release, the Qixi Festival commemorates the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and the Mid-Autumn Festival commemorates Houyi and Chang 'e. The Dragon Boat Festival was originally founded by ancient ancestors, and it is a festival to worship the dragon ancestors and pray for evil spirits. But how can it be enough without celebrity effect? Therefore, people later discovered Qu Yuan and inherited his deeds of jumping into the river from the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan. Facts have proved that celebrity benefits are good enough. Until now, we have not forgotten the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Second, Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit is touching. Qu Yuan was an important minister of Chu, trusted by Chu Huaiwang in his early years, and was his left disciple. He often discussed state affairs with Chu Huaiwang and participated in the formulation of laws. While presiding over foreign affairs. He advocated that Chu should unite with Qi and * * * should contend with Qin. With the efforts of Qu Yuan, the national strength of Chu State has been enhanced. However, due to Qu Yuan's honest and frank personality and the slander and rejection of others, Qu Yuan was gradually alienated by Chu Huaiwang. In the twenty-fourth year of Wang Huai, Qu Yuan was expelled from the capital and lived in the Northern Han Dynasty. During his exile, Qu Yuan felt depressed and began to create literature. His works are full of nostalgia for Chu and Chu Feng, and enthusiasm for serving the people and the country. Later, he was called back. Thirty years after Wang Huai, Chu Huaiwang refused to listen to Qu Yuan's dissuasion, insisted on entering Qin, was detained, and died in Qin. After King Xiang of Chu ascended the throne, Chu Qing was ignorant, listened to Yin's slanderers and expelled Qu Yuan again. Qu Yuan lives in Xiangshui, Shui Yuan, Hunan. In the twenty-first year of King Xiang of Qing Dynasty (the first 278 years), General Qin sent his troops to the south, but returned in vain, destroying the capital. In desperation and indignation, Qu Yuan threw a big stone into the Miluo River and died. So in memory of the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan, the ancients began to put Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival together.
To sum up, the Dragon Boat Festival was not established for Qu Yuan, but it has been inseparable from Qu Yuan for five thousand years.
Finally, I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival in advance!