Dragon Boat Festival 端午节

熊娟娟

2006 年5 月，国务院将端午节列入首批国家级非物质文化遗产名录；2009 年9 月，端午节正式被联合国教科文组织列入《人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。

端午节承载着历史文化与民族精神，是中华民族自古以来寄托对先贤的缅怀之情和对幸福生活的不懈追求的重要传统节日之一。

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional festival in China，which is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. There areseveral different theories about the origin of this festival， the most famous ofwhich is to 1）commemorate Qu Yuan， a famous 2）patriotic poet in Chinesehistory. According to the legend， Qu Yuan was ostracized because of hisconcern for the country and the people， and spared no effort in admonishingthe King， and finally committed suicide in the Miluo River with hatred. Peoplehold various ceremonies and activities on the fifth day of the fifth lunar monthevery year to express their feelings of missing and 3）reverence for him.

During the Dragon Boat Festival， people race dragonboats， eat rice dumplings， drink realgar wine， hangwormwood wear sachet and so on.

Dragon boat racing refers to the activities of rowingdragon boats in rivers and other waters. Competingteams paddle their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. Nowadays， dragon boat racing has developed intoa water sport.

Zongzi is a traditional food made of glutinous rice， beans meat and manydifferent fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed， symbolizing a goodharvest and reunion during the festival.

Realgar wine is a strong liquor made from yellow rice， glutinousrice， mugwort leaves， 4）sorghum and other materials. It has the effect ofexorcising evil spirits.

Mugwort is usually hung on the door or on the window. Around theDragon Boat Festival， with the weather turning warmer， people are more likelyto be 5）infested with diseases， so it is somewhat practical to hang wormwoodand calamus on the door to drive away worms and diseases.

The sachet was usually made of five-color silk， 6）embroidery thread andherbs， etc. The whole sachet has different shapes. Some are round， squareor decorated with various patterns and characters. The custom of wearingsachets is also to pray for health and safety. During the Dragon Boat Festival，people will also put herbs such as mugwort leaves in the sachets to preventthe body from catching cold and diseases.

The Dragon Boat Festival being theparticular icon of Chinese culture， not onlyenriches the cultural connotation of our country，but also brings joy and blessings to people aswell.

1） commemorate v. 紀念

2） patriotic adj. 爱国的

3） reverence n. 尊敬；崇敬

4） sorghum n. 高粱

5） infest v. 侵扰

6） embroidery n. 刺绣

每年农历五月初五是中国的一个重要传统节日——端午节。关于这个节日的起源有几种不同的说法，流传最广的是悼念中国历史上著名的爱国诗人屈原。传说，屈原因忧国忧民且不遗余力地劝诫君王而受到排挤，最终含恨跳下汨罗江。人们在每年农历五月初五举行各种仪式和活动，以表达对他的崇敬和怀念。

端午节期间，人们会赛龙舟、吃粽子、喝雄黄酒、挂艾草、佩戴香囊等。

赛龙舟是指在河流等水域中划龙舟竞赛的活动，比赛的队伍在热烈的鼓声中划着他们多彩的龙舟前进。如今，赛龙舟已发展为一项水上体育活动。

粽子是指用糯米、豆子、肉和许多不同的馅料包裹在竹叶中蒸制而成的传统食品，象征着节日的丰收和团圆。

雄黄酒是一种由黄米、糯米、艾叶、高粱等原料酿制的烈性酒，有驱邪的作用。

艾草通常挂在门上或窗户上。端午时节，天气转热，容易引发多种疾病，所以家家户户挂艾草、插菖蒲，以驱虫防病。

香囊通常是由五色丝绸、绣花线和香草等材料制成，香囊形状各异，呈圆形、方形或是饰有各种图案和文字。佩戴香囊的习俗，也是为了祈求健康和平安。

端午节期间，人们还会在香囊中放入艾叶等草药，以防身体受凉和疾病的侵袭。

端午节作为中国文化的特有标志，不仅丰富了我国的文化内涵，也给人们带来了欢乐和祝福。