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端午志异

Duan Wu – Interesting Facts

你可能不知道的关于端午节的事实
Dragon Boat Festival Facts

端午节的基本信息 Basic Dragon Boat Festival Facts:

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  • 英文名称：Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Dragon Festival, Zongzi Festival, Rice Dumpling Festival, Duan Wu Festival

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  • English names: Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Dragon Festival, Zongzi Festival, Rice Dumpling Festival, Duan Wu Festival or simply Duanwu

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  • 中文名称：端午节[duān wǔ jié] / 端阳节[duān yáng jié] / 龙舟节[lóng zhōu jié]

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  • Chinese: 端午节[duān wǔ jié] / 端阳节[duān yáng jié] / 龙舟节[lóng zhōu jié]

  • 日期：阴历五月五日

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  • Date: 5th day of 5th lunar month

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  • 历史：超过2000年

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  • History: more than 2,000 years

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  • 风俗习惯：吃粽子、划龙舟、悬菖蒲、挂艾草、戴香囊、系五彩丝线……

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  • Customs: eating Zongzi, dragon boat racing, hanging calamus and wormwood, wearing perfume pouches and five-color threads...

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  • 适合端午节送的礼物：粽子、香囊、咸鸭蛋、松花蛋……

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  • Dragon Boat Festival gifts: Zongzi, perfume pouches, salted eggs, century eggs…

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  • 会庆祝端午节的国家：中国，韩国、马来西亚、越南、日本等亚洲国家，美国、加拿大、英国等

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  • What countries celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival: China, some Asian countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, and USA, Canada, UK…

关于端午节的四大真相
Top 4 Facts of Dragon Boat Festival

1. 在阴历五月初五庆贺
It falls on 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

正如其他的传统中国佳节，端午节的具体日期是根据中国阴历来确定的，其时间为阴历的五月初五。

 

Like other traditional Chinese festivals, the date of the Dragon Boat Festival is also defined by the Chinese lunar calendar, and falls on the fifth day of fifth month.

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虽然阳历的时间是不固定的，但也一般都在集中在六月份。下面是一张最近几年端午节对应日期的表格。

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The Gregorian calendar is not exact, but it usually falls in June. Hereunder is a table of festival dates for recent years.

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2. 为什么要庆祝端午节？
Why is the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated? 

屈原，中国战国时期（公元前475年-公元前221年））的一位爱国诗人，在阴历五月五日这一天为国家献出了自己的生命。因此，端午节一般也被视作纪念屈原的节日。此外，民间关于端午节的意义也流传着别的说法。也有人会在这一天纪念伍子胥，一位生活在中国古代春秋末期（公元前770年-公元前476年）的政治家。还有人也在端午节缅怀东汉时期（公元25年-220年）的孝女曹娥，慨叹她舍身殉父的动人故事。在中国江浙地区，人们将端午节与在革命运动中英勇牺牲的女诗人秋瑾联系在一起。

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Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet in China's Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC), sacrificed himself for his country on the fifth day of May in the lunar calendar, so it is widely accepted that Duanwu Festival is observed to commemorate him. Besides, people also celebrate the day to commemorate Wu Zixu, a statesman of the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), and the filial daughter, Cao E of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220 AD). In Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces, people even attach the festival to the modern poet, Qiu Jin, who was martyred for revolutionary activities.

3. 粽子，端午节最重要的美食
Zongzi is the most important food of the Dragon Boat Festival

粽子，也被称作角黍、角粽。人们将粽子扔进汨罗江以保护屈原的尸身不被鱼儿啃食，粽子就逐渐成为端午节的代表食物。现在，粽子的形状和口味花样百出，品类众多。五芳斋、稻香村、功德林都是中国非常著名的粽子品牌。端午临近，中国民众都会购买或者自己亲手做粽子。他们还会将粽子作为端午节礼物送给亲朋好友或者作为节日礼物发给员工。

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Also known as sticky rice dumplings, it got popular when people threw zongzi into the Miluo River to protect Qu Yuan’s body from being gnawed by fish. Nowadays, Zongzi comes in great variety in terms of shapes and flavors. Wufangzhai Zongzi, Daoxiangcun Zongzi and Godly Zongzi are famous brands in China. When the festival day is approaching, Chinese will buy Zongzi, or make some on their own. They will also give them out to relatives, friends and employees as the Dragon Boat Festival gifts.

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4. 龙舟赛，历史悠久的端午节习俗
Dragon boat race is a time-honored custom of the festival.

古代中国人民以龙舟竞渡的形式举行祭祀龙图腾的活动，这就是龙舟赛的起源。后来，人们又将其确立为纪念屈原的习俗。龙舟赛迄今已拥有2000多年的历史，并在今天成为一项国际体育赛事。

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The race is derived from worshiping activities for totem pole dragons in ancient China, and it was fixed as a practice to commemorate Qu Yuan later. With a history over 2,000 years, it has become an international sporting event.

9 个有关端午节的有趣小知识
9 Fun Dragon Boat Festival Facts

1. 假如端午节当天下了雨，那么可能就是来年歉收的征兆。但如果当天是个大晴天，那么就代表了生活的方方面面都即将蒸蒸日上，来年一定是个好年！

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If it rains on the festival day, it would be an omen for a poor harvest, whereas a sunny day indicates a flourishing and prosperous year in any aspects of life.

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2. 为了躲避灾邪，已经出嫁的女儿要回到娘家和自己的家人共度节日。

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To avoid the evil spirits, a married daughter will return to her parents' home and spend the festival with their families together.

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3. 端午节在过去其实是“健康日”，人们会在当天打扫屋子并且用草药水沐浴来预防皮肤病。

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Dragon Boat Festival was actually a Health Day in the past, for people would clean their house and take an herb water bath which helped to prevent against skin diseases.

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4. 在秦朝之前（公元前221年-公元前207年），阴历五月五日被视为“恶日”，中国古代的百姓会在门框上悬挂菖蒲和艾叶来驱赶害虫和其他有毒的动物，例如蛇、蝎子、蜈蚣、壁虎以及蟾蜍等。佩戴香囊同样也可以帮助古代人民免受虫子叮咬以及其他皮肤问题。

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Before the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC), the fifth day of the fifth lunar month was regarded  as an evil day, and Chinese people would hang calamus and mugwort leaves on their door frame to dispel away pests and other poisonous animals, such as snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos and toads. Carrying perfume pouches could also protect one from insect bites and other skin problems.

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5. 在端午节时喝雄黄酒是非常古老的习俗了，大人们还会在这天用雄黄酒揉搓孩子们的脸蛋和额头。事实上，雄黄酒里是含有微量毒素的，因此，人们不宜过量饮用或加热后饮用。

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Drinking realgar wine during the festival day is an old custom, and kids' cheek and forehead will also be rubbed with the liquid. In fact, there are tiny toxins in the wine, so it is not proper to over drink or drink after it is heated.

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6. 古代有种迷信的说法认为，端午节当天井中的水是有毒的，因此人们需要提前准备足量的水，避免在端午节时从井中取水。

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According to the superstition, the water in a well is poisonous on that day, so people should prepare enough water in advance and avoid drawing water from a well in Duanwu Festival.

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7. 除了粽子，你在端午节当天还会吃什么？根据习俗，人们往往也会吃黄鳝、茶叶蛋、大蒜蛋、煎堆（也被称作麻团、麻球）和打糕（长柄木槌打制而成的糯米糕）等食物。

 

What do you eat on the Dragon Boat Festival apart from Zongzi? People also customarily have eels, eggs boiled with garlic and tea, Jiandui (a kind of fried glutinous rice cakes) and Dagao Cakes(made by hammering the boiled sticky rice into paste).

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8. 农村地区奉行一个古老的传统，生活在那里的人们需要在端午节当天去采摘草药，因为人们相信在那天采集的草药都具有最好的功效。

 

An old tradition is that people living in rural areas would go to pick the herb medicine on the Dragon Boat Festival, for it is believed that herbs collected on that day have the best medical effect.

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9. 佩戴五色丝线制成的手链在孩子们之中非常流行，这代表了对健康与顺利的美好希冀。五色指的一般是红色、绿色、黄色、白色和黑色。孩子们需要在端午节后的第一场雨来临时把手链扔掉，这将会带来未来一整年的好运。

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Wearing a five-color string bracelet is also a popular tradition for kids, which can be an appeal to prosperity and good health. The five colors are composed of green, white, yellow, red and black. They need to cast it away in the first rain after the Dragon Boat Festival.

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