Prose 生活隨筆: Dragon Boat Festival 端午節

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the important traditional festivals for the Chinese. It has many different names in Chinese. The Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunisolar calendar. There are many theories about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, the most common one is to commemorate Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan (340–278 BC), a poet and minister, of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou dynasty. When the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu Yuan was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. Eventually, Qin captured the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River. It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him. This is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings, 粽子). However, many customs already existed before Qu Yuan. In September 2009, UNESCO officially approved its inclusion in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the first Chinese holiday to be selected. The Dragon Boat Festival is a folk festival integrating worship of gods and ancestors, praying for good luck and warding off evil spirits, celebrating, entertainment and eating.

The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival vary from place to place. The most common customs include dragon boat racing, hanging calamus and sachets, drinking realgar wine, as well as making and eating zongzi.

Dragon boat racing: In addition to being related to the story of Qu Yuan, some people say that dragon boat racing is related to the activities of worshiping gods. The ancients used boats as a tool to send away disasters and evil spirits. Since the evil spirits were sent away, the faster the better, so the custom of Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat racing to drive away plagues and ward off evil spirits was derived.
Hanging calamus and sachets: Many customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are related to driving out evil spirits, rituals to relieve disasters and diseases, as well as driving away the epidemics. Aromatic plants such as Acorus calamus (sweet flag), Artemisia argyi (mugwood) and Eupatorium fortunei are often used to make garlands and ornaments to hang on doors. Some people also made sachets of various shapes from different spices and wore them on their bodies to ward off the plague. In some regions of China, people, especially children, wear silk ribbons or threads of 5 colors (blue, red, yellow, white, and black, representing the five elements) on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. People believe that this will help keep evil away, protect health and prolong life.
Drinking realgar wine: It was traditionally used as a pesticide, and as a common antidote against disease and venom. On the Dragon Boat Festival, people may put realgar wine on parts of children's faces to repel the five poisonous creatures.
Making and eating zongzi: A notable part of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is making and eating zongzi, also known as sticky rice dumplings, with family members and friends. People traditionally make zongzi by wrapping glutinous rice and fillings in leaves of reed or bamboo, forming a pyramid shape. The leaves also give a special aroma and flavor to the sticky rice and fillings. Choices of fillings vary depending on regions. Northern regions in China prefer sweet or dessert-styled zongzi, with bean paste, jujube, and nuts as fillings. Southern regions in China prefer savory zongzi, with a variety of fillings including eggs and meat.

In Asia, in addition to the Chinese celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, in other areas, different festivals may be celebrated on the same day, but they are all affected by the Dragon Boat Festival to some extent.

Korean Peninsula: Dano (단오), also called Surit-nal (수릿날), is a Korean traditional holiday that falls on the 5th day of the fifth month of the lunar Korean calendar. This was a day of spiritual rites, and enjoyment with song, dance, and wine. On this day, people will eat rice cakes (such as surichitteok, ssuktteok), drink cherry tea, drink Daigo soup, and hold the "Dragon Boat Festival Tea Ceremony". On this day, women will dance on the springboard, swing on swings, wash their hair with Sweet Flag (창포; changpo). People will have a mask dance. Men will participate in Korean wrestling (ssireum), and taekwondo (taekkyon) competitions.
Japanese archipelago: Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), also known as Ayame no hi (Iris festival), originally referred to a day for women to purify the house by thatching the roof with irises, which were believed to be effective in repelling evil spirits, and for women to rest their bodies. It was changed to a day for boys in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) when the samurai class took control of the government. The reason for this was that the iris was a plant that represented the samurai because its leaves were shaped like the blade of a Japanese sword, and the word shōbu (尚武), which means 'to value military affairs', had the same pronunciation as iris (菖蒲) and was therefore considered an auspicious plant for the samurai. Since this period, yabusame (Japanese horseback archery) was held on May 5 as a way to ward off evil spirits. Until recently, Tango no Sekku was known as Boys' Day while Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri) was celebrated on March 3. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers. It was renamed Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day) and changed to include both boys and girls. There are various customs on this day. irises are believed to have medicinal properties and to ward off evil, people will take a bath with irises, drink sake with iris soaked in it, or put them in pillows on May 5. Families will raise the koinobori, carp-shaped windsock (because of the Chinese legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon and flies to Heaven) on this day. Different colors represent different members of the family. The five-color windsock comes from the life-extending thread used to ward off evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, and also symbolizes the prosperity of descendants. In modern times, Japanese families usually display miniature Japanese armor and kabuto called Gogatsu Ningyo (May doll) on Children's Day. The formal Gogatsu Ningyo is displayed on a tiered shelf with a yumi (bow), tachi (long sword), Japanese war fan, and jingasa (samurai hats). Kashiwa mochi (sticky rice cakes filled with red bean jam and wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (sticky sweet rice wrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf) are traditionally served on this day. Kashiwa mochi is considered a good-luck charm representing the prosperity of offspring.
Vietnam: In Vietnam, the Duanwu festival/Dragon Boat Festival (Tết Đoan Ngọ) is defined as the "Insect Killing Festival" （Tết giết sâu bọ）. Due to the hot weather, various mosquitoes gradually appear. To protect the health of your family, people must eliminate pests that may bring diseases. Vietnamese people also prepare glutinous rice wine and fruits to worship their ancestors and gods on this day.

On February 27, 2024, I happened to pass by a tofu shop owned by a Vietnamese. I bought my favorite tofu curd and alkaline zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). The Vietnamese alkaline zongzi are smaller than the usual Taiwanese zongzi, less than the size of a palm. Generally, zongzi are filled with fillings, and some alkaline zongzi are also filled with fillings. However, most of alkaline zongzi are not filled with fillings and have no taste. They are mostly eaten with sugar. After being chilled, they are especially delicious with honey or syrup. In ancient times, borax was added to alkali zongzi to achieve a sticky effect. However, because borax is harmful to the human body, it is now mostly replaced with alkaline zongzi oil (or alkaline zongzi water), alkaline zongzi powder, or sodium trimetaphosphate.

端午節是華人重要的傳統節日之ㄧ，有許多不同的名稱，例如龍舟節、重午節、端陽節、端五節、重五節、當五汛、天中節、夏節、艾節、上日、五月節、菖蒲節、天醫節、草藥節、午日節、地臘節、正陽節、龍日節、粽子節、五黃節、詩人節、躲午節、解粽節、端禮節等等。端午節是在每年農曆五月初五。端午節起源的說法眾多，最普遍的說法是紀念屈原。屈原（約公元前 340-278 年）是戰國時期楚國詩人兼大臣，當楚王決定與日益強大的秦國結盟時，屈原因反對聯盟而被流放，甚至被指控叛國。屈原在流亡期間創作了大量詩歌。最終，秦軍攻佔了楚國都城，屈原在絕望之下投汨羅江自盡。據說當地的人們都很仰慕他，紛紛划船去救他，這就是賽龍舟的起源。當找不到屈原的屍體時，他們把糯米團丟進河裡，讓魚吃它們，而不是吃屈原的屍體，這就是粽子的由來。但不少習俗在屈原之前已經存在。2009年9月，聯合國教科文組織正式批准將其列入《人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄》，端午節成為中國首個入選世界非物質文化遺產的節日。端午節是集祭神祭祖、祈福辟邪、慶祝、娛樂、飲食於一體的民俗節慶。

端午節的習俗各地都不太一樣，最常見的習俗有划龍舟，掛菖蒲及佩香囊或五彩縷、喝雄黃酒、還有包粽子。

划龍舟: 划龍舟除了與屈原的故事有關外，也有人說是與祭神活動有關。古人將船當作送走災邪的工具，既然送邪，也就愈快愈好，於是便衍生出端午龍舟競渡來驅瘟避邪的習俗了。
掛菖蒲及佩香囊或五彩縷: 端午節的習俗有不少都跟驅邪、禳毒、驅疫有關。芳香類植物如菖蒲、艾草、蘭草等經常用來製成花環、佩飾掛於門上。也有些人把不同的香料製成各種形狀的香囊，佩帶在身上，來驅除瘟疫。五彩縷是端午節常見的驅邪避災節物，又稱續命縷，亦稱續命絲、延年縷、長壽線、百索、辟兵繒、五彩絲、五色絲、繒子等，是以代表五行的五色線結而成索，掛在身上或懸於家中，也可作為香囊的裝飾, 用以避災除病、保佑安康、益壽延年。
喝雄黃酒: 它傳統上被用作殺蟲劑，以及對抗疾病和毒液的常見解毒劑。在端午節人們會把雄黃酒塗在孩子臉上的某些部位，以驅除五毒。
包粽子: 慶祝端午節的一個常見的事是與家人和朋友一起包粽子。人們通常用蘆葦葉或竹葉包裹糯米和餡料，包成金字塔形狀的粽子。葉子也為糯米和餡料帶來特殊的香氣和味道。餡料的選擇因地區而異。中國北方地區喜歡甜食或甜點式的粽子，以豆沙、椰棗和堅果為餡料。中國南方地區更喜歡鹹的粽子，餡料多種多樣，有雞蛋和肉。

在亞州，除了華人慶祝端午節外，在其它地區，同一天可能慶祝不同的節日，但是多少都受到端午節的影響。

朝鮮半島: 端午節（단오），也稱為水瀨日（수릿날），是韓國傳統節日，農曆五月初五。這是一個民眾共同參與傳統祭祀活動和歌舞美酒享受的日子。人們會在這天吃艾草糕、櫻桃茶，喝醍醐湯、舉行「端午茶禮」。女子會在這天跳板舞、盪鞦韆、用菖蒲水洗頭。人們會跳假面劇舞。男子會參加韓式摔跤、跆拳比賽等活動。
日本列島: 公曆五月五日的端午節（端午の節句、たんごのせっく）、菖蒲節（菖蒲の節句、しょうぶのせっく），在日本已有悠久的歷史。原本是女性在屋頂上鋪菖蒲以淨化房屋的日子，人們相信菖蒲可以驅除邪靈，也是女性休息身體的日子。後來在鎌倉時代（1185-1333 ）改為男孩們的日子，這時武士階級控制了政府，菖蒲是一種代表武士的植物，因為它的葉子形狀像日本刀的刀刃，而且 shōbu (尚武)一詞，意為“重視軍事”，它的發音與iris (菖蒲)相同，菖蒲因此被認為是武士的吉祥植物。從此時5月5日就會舉行流鏑馬（やぶさめ）(日本騎馬射箭）作為辟邪的一種方式。最近，Tango no Sekku 被稱為男孩節，而3 月3 日則是女孩節(Hinamatsuri)。1948 年，政府將這一天定為全國性節日，向所有孩子表達對母親的感激之情。並更名為 Kodomo no Hi（兒童節）是給男孩和女孩一起慶祝。這一天有各種各樣的習俗。菖蒲被認為具有藥用價值和辟邪作用，因此在 5 月 5 日人們會洗菖蒲湯澡、喝用菖蒲浸泡的清酒或睡菖蒲枕。這天家庭也會升起鯉魚形的五色風向袋（因為中國傳說鯉魚逆流而上會變成龍，飛向天堂），不同顏色代表家庭中不同的成員，五色風向袋源自端午辟邪用的續命縷，又寓意子孫昌盛。在現代，日本家庭通常在兒童節展示微型日本盔甲和被稱為「五月人偶」的盔甲。正式的五月人偶陳列在分層架上，裡面有弓、太刀、日本戰扇和武士帽。按照傳統，這一天會吃柏餅 (Kashiwa mochi)（紅豆餡的和菓子，包在橡樹葉中）和粽子 (chimaki)（用菖蒲葉或竹葉包裹的糯米）。柏餅被認為有代表子孫興旺的寓意。
越南: 在越南將端午節(Tết Đoan Ngọ)定義為殺蟲節（Tết giết sâu bọ），因為天氣溽熱，各種蚊蟲逐漸現形，為維護家人的健康，一定得消滅可能帶來疾病的害蟲。越南人在這天也會準備好糯米酒和水果祭拜祖先與神明。

2024年2月27日剛好路經一家越南人開的豆腐店，買了愛吃的豆花，又買了鹼粽，越南人的鹼粽比平常臺灣的粽子小，不到巴掌大。一般的粽子裏面有包餡，有些鹼粽也會包餡，但是大多不包餡，本身沒有味道，多沾白糖食用，冰透後加上蜂蜜或糖漿尤為可口。古時候的鹼粽，是添加硼砂來獲致粘糊效果，但因硼砂對人體有害，所以現今多以鹼粽油（或稱鹼粽水）、鹼粽粉或三偏磷酸鈉取代。