端午节

湖北省葛洲坝中学 袁芳供稿

端午节

Dragon Boat Festival

湖北省葛洲坝中学 袁芳供稿

编者注

端午节为每年农历五月初五，又称端阳节、午日节、五月节等；端午节是中国汉族人民纪念屈原的传统节日，更有吃粽子；赛龙舟；挂菖蒲、蒿草、艾叶；薰苍术、白芷；喝雄黄酒的习俗。“端午节”是中国法定节假日之一，并列入世界非物质文化遗产名录。

The Dragon Boat Festival,also called the Duanwu Festival,is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar.For thousands of years,the festival has been marked by eating zong zi and racing dragon boats.

每年农历五月初五是龙舟节，又称端午节。吃粽子和赛龙舟的习俗已经有几千年的历史了。

The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races,especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes.This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan,an honest minister who was said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.

在中国南方河流、湖泊比较多，赛龙舟是比较著名的活动。龙舟会主要是纪念忠诚之士——屈原，根据历史记载，他自己投河溺水而死以表示对国家的忠诚。

Qu was a minister of the State of Chu(situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces),during the Warring States Period(475BC-221BC).He was upright,loyal to the state.However,when a dishonest official vilified Qu,he was disgraced and dismissed from office.Realizing that the country was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials,Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

屈原是战国时期(公元前475-公元前221)，楚国(现在的湖北、湖北)的一名大臣。他正直、忠诚。但是后来遭到恶人的谄害而被贬官、流放。意识到自己的国家在奸臣的掌管之下，屈原在农历五月初五怀抱一块大石头投入汨罗江溺水而死。

Fishermen nearby rushed over to rescue him but were unable to even find his body.The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month.

附近的渔民纷纷赶到，尽力营救屈原，但是他们没有找到他的遗体。楚国人为了悼念屈原的死，他们每年的农历五月初五都把米投入江里来祭奠他。

During the Duanwu Festival,a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu.Ingredients such as beans,lotus seeds,chestnuts,pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice.The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves or reed leaves to form a pyramid.The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu’s body.

端午节期间，人们吃用糯米做的粽子来纪念屈原。糯米里经常加入豆子、莲子、栗子、猪肉和蛋黄。粽子是用竹叶或芦苇叶包的，类似金字塔。龙舟赛象征人们尽量营救屈原的尸体。

链接

屈原(公元前340年~公元前278年)是中国文学史上第一位伟大的爱国诗人。他的作品共有25篇，篇目为：九歌、招魂、天问、离骚、九章、卜居、渔父。《离骚》是屈原的代表作，也是中国最早的长篇抒情诗。诗人用了许多比喻，无情地揭露了统治集团的丑恶，抨击了他们的奸邪、纵欲、贪婪、淫荡和强暴。同时，他也塑造了坚持正义、追求真理、不避艰难、不怕迫害、热爱乡土和人民的人物形象。