About the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, to sum up, there are roughly the following:
1. In memory of Qu Yuan
Legend has it that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a Chu poet in the Warring States Period, who committed suicide in the Miluo River on the fifth day of May. Qu Ping, formerly known as Qu Yuan, was born in Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei Province) at the end of the Warring States Period, and was a descendant of Qu Xian, the son of Xiong Tong. Although Qu Yuan was loyal to Chu Huaiwang, he was repeatedly rejected. After the death of King Huai, Xiang Wang was exiled because he listened to slanderers, and finally died in the Miluo River.
This theory originated from the Peace of Continuation of Qi written by Wu Jun in the Liang Dynasty and the Chronicle of Jingchu in the Southern Dynasty. It is said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the local people immediately rowed for rescue, and all the way to Dongting Lake, but Qu Yuan's body was never seen. It was raining at that time, and the boats on the lake gathered at the pavilion on the shore. When people learned that it was to salvage the sage Dr. Qu, they went out in the rain and rushed into the vast Dongting Lake. In order to mourn, people rowed on rivers, and later it gradually developed into a dragon boat race. People were afraid that fish in the river would eat his body, so they went home and threw rice balls into the river to prevent fish and shrimp from ruining Qu Yuan's body. Later, eating zongzi became a custom. Eating zongzi and racing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival seems to be related to commemorating Qu Yuan, as evidenced by Wen Xiu's poem "Dragon Boat Festival" in the Tang Dynasty: "The festival is divided into Dragon Boat Festival, and it is rumored that it is Qu Yuan. It is ridiculous that the Chu River is empty and cannot be washed directly. "
2. Welcome Wu Zixu
Some statements have something to do with Wu Zixu, the doctor of the State of Wu, but nothing to do with Qu Yuan.
The Chronicle of Jingchu is a book written by Zong Gu during Liang Xiao's period in the Southern Dynasties, which introduces the seasons and scenery stories of Jingchu area in ancient China. Section 30 of the book records: "According to May 5th, Qu Yuan threw himself into Miluo Day and injured his death place, so he ordered the boat to save him ... Han Danchun and Cao E inscribed a tablet on the cloud and greeted Wu Jun on May 5th ... It is also a custom in Wu Dong, and it is a matter of vanity, not Qu Ping's." People think that the Dragon Boat Race in Soochow is to welcome Wu Zixu, who was regarded as a river god at that time, and has nothing to do with Qu Yuan. As for zongzi, there is a local record: "It was not Qu Yuan who served Dr. Wu with zongzi in the afternoon."
3. In memory of filial daughter Cao E
This sentence comes from Cao E tablet in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river and didn't see her body for several days. At that time, Cao E, the filial daughter, was only fourteen years old, crying day and night by the river. 17 days later, he threw himself into the river on May 5, and fished out his father's body five days later.
4. Meet the Taoist God
During the Spring and Autumn Period, after the death of Wu Zixu, a loyal minister of the State of Wu, he became Shen Tao, and the world mourned and sacrificed, so there was the Dragon Boat Festival. This legend is widely circulated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Wu Zixu, a famous Chu national, and his father and brother were all killed by the King of Chu. Later, Zixu defected to the State of Wu, helped the State of Wu to conquer Chu, and entered the State of Chu in the Five Wars. At that time, King Chu Ping was already dead. Zixu dug a grave and whipped 300 bodies to avenge his father's murder. After the death of He Lv, the king of Wu, Fu Cha, his grandson, succeeded to the throne. Wu Jun's morale was high and he was defeated by Yue. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, made peace, and Fu Cha agreed. Zi Xu suggested the complete elimination of Yue State. Fu Cha didn't listen, and Wu Taishou was bought by Yue. He was framed by slanderers, believed by Fu Cha, and gave him a sword. As a result, Zixu died. Zixu, a loyal minister, feels like death. Before he died, he said to his neighbors, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Jason Wu, watching the Vietnamese army enter the city and destroy Wu." Then he killed himself. Fu Cha was furious after hearing this. On May 5th, he wrapped Zixu's body in leather and threw it into the river. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also a day to commemorate Wu Zixu.
5. Dragon Boat Festival
This statement comes from Wen Yiduo's Dragon Boat Festival Examination and Dragon Boat Festival History Education. He thinks that the fifth day of May is the day when Wu Tinghui, the head of the "dragon" in ancient wuyue, held a totem sacrifice when he won the bid for the dragon boat [1]. The main reason is: (1) Eating zongzi and dragon boat racing are the two most important activities of the Dragon Boat Festival, both of which are related to dragons. Zongzi thrown into the water is often stolen by dragons, and dragon boat races. (2) The relationship between race crossing and ancient wuyue is particularly deep. Besides, Wuyue people have the custom of tattooing constantly to look like a dragon. (3) The ancient folk custom of "tying the arm with colored silk" on the fifth day of May should be a relic of the tattoo custom of "Like a dragon".
6. Bad day taboo
In the pre-Qin period, it was generally believed that May was a poisonous month and the fifth was an evil day. According to legend, this day is evil, and the five poisons came out together. According to the Book of Rites, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the orchid bath in the Zhou Dynasty. Midsummer in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals stipulates that people should abstain from sex and fast in May. "Xia Zheng Xiao" records: "Store medicine this day to get rid of poisonous gas." It is recorded in "Da Dai Li" that "the orchid is kept as a bath on May 5", which is also the legend that the fifth day is the taboo day for bathing to exorcise evil spirits. The famous Meng Changjun in Historical Records and Biography of Meng Changjun was born on May 5th. His father asked his mother not to have him, thinking that "a child born in May is longer than a family, which is not good for parents." "Custom Pass" was lost. "It is said that on May 5th, a child was born, and the male harmed his father and the female harmed his mother". Wang Chong, the author of Lun Heng, also described: "The first month and May are taboos; Kill your father and your mother in May of the first month. " Wang Zhene, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was born on the fifth day of May. His grandfather named him "Zhen Xie". Evonne and Song Huizong were born on the fifth day of May, and were fostered outside the palace since childhood. It can be seen that it is a common phenomenon to regard the fifth day of May as an evil day in ancient times. It can be seen that this day has been an unlucky day since the pre-Qin period. In this way, it is logical to insert calamus and mugwort leaves to exorcise ghosts, smoke atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica and drink realgar wine to avoid the epidemic on this day. Moreover, people also avoid the taboo of "Dragon Boat Festival" and call it "Dragon Boat Festival".
7. Summer solstice
Liu Deqian, who holds this view, put forward three main reasons in The Origin of Dragon Boat Festival and Interesting Talk about Traditional Festivals in China: (1) The authoritative book The Story of Jingchu Sui did not mention the festival custom of eating zongzi on the fifth day of May, but was written on the solstice in summer. As for the race, Du Taiqing's Jade Candle Collection in Sui Dynasty listed it as an entertainment activity from summer to the sun, which shows that it is not necessarily to salvage Qu Yuan, a great poet who threw himself into the river. (2) Some contents in the custom of Dragon Boat Festival, such as "stepping on a hundred herbs", "fighting a hundred herbs" and "picking herbs", have nothing to do with Qu Yuan. (3) The first explanation of the Dragon Boat Festival in Ji Huali is: "The sun shines, and the Dragon Boat Festival is in midsummer, so it can also be called midsummer festival. Therefore, the earliest origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is the summer solstice.
Among the numerous sayings, the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan has the most extensive influence. Because of Qu Yuan's outstanding personality and art, people are willing to attribute this anniversary to him.