龙真妈妈
(As we enter the month of June, we find ourselves already in the middle of the year. However, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the fifth month just begins and the Chinese people are preparing to celebrate another traditional festival -- the Duanwu Festival.)The Duanwu Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. For thousands of years, Duanwu has been marked by eating Zongzi and racing dragon boats.The taste of Zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to give it a special flavor, varies greatly across China. Zongzi is often made of rice mixed with dates in Northern China, because dates are abundant in the area. Eastern China’s Jiaxing County is famous for its pork-stuffed Zongzi. In the southern province of Guangdong, people stuff Zongzi with pork, ham, chestnuts and other ingredients, making them very rich in flavor. In Sichuan province, Zongzi is usually served with a sugar dressing. Most people still maintain the tradition of eating Zongzi on the day of the Duanwu Festival. But the special delicacy has become so popular that you can now buy it all the year round.Duanwu is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, because dragon boat races are the most popular activity during the festival, especially in Southern China. A dragon boat is shaped like a dragon, and is brightly painted in red, white, yellow and black. Usually, a dragon boat is 20 to 40 meters long, and needs several dozen people to row it. Boatmen row the boat in cadence with the drumbeats, as the captain standing in the bow of the boat waves a small flag to help coordinate the rowing. Before the race gets underway, a solemn ceremony is held to worship the Dragon King.Dragon boat racing is quite a spectacle, with drums beating, colorful flags waving, and thousands of people cheering on both sides of the river. Nowadays, it has become a popular sporting activity in Southern China. International dragon boat races are held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year.The Duanwu Festival used to have other interesting customs that are no longer commonly observed, though you may still find them practiced in some rural areas.Ancient Chinese believed the day of Duanwu was unlucky because midsummer was just around the corner. The hot weather used to bring various diseases, which could spread rampantly. Dispelling disease and driving out evil were the main purpose of the festival. People would paste on their front doors pictures of Zhongkui, a legendary Chinese ghost-catcher. People would also use cattail and mugwort leaves to drive away mosquitoes and other insects.Since children are generally the most vulnerable to disease, they received extra care at this special time. Children would wear necklaces or bracelets, made of red, yellow, blue, white and black threads, to keep evil away from them. They would also receive colorful pouches containing fragrant herbal medicines as presents. They hung these around their necks, and would compete with one another to see whose pouch had the finest needlework. Mothers also made sure to bathe their children in water boiled with herbal medicines. Modern science has proven that these medicines are, in fact, quite beneficial to health.Ancient Chinese believed realgar was an antidote for all poisons, and therefore most effective to drive away evil spirits and kill insects. So everyone would drink some realgar wine during the Duanwu Festival, and children would have the Chinese character for “King” written on their foreheads with realgar wine.这个是少儿版的，你应该是一分钟口头表达吧自己看看哪些部分需要，里面英语都很简单，希望能帮到你。
夜很*^*安静
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 (glutinous rice(糯米)wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
the festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. thisregatta(赛舟会)commemorates the death of qu yuan , an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
qu was a minister of the state of chu situated in present-day hunan and hubei provinces, during thewarring states period(475-221bc)(战国时期). he was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. however, when a dishonest and corrupt prince 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. nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body. thereafter, the state declined and was eventually conquered by the state of qin.
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. but one year, the spirit of qu appeared and told the mourners that a hugereptile(爬行动物)in the river had stolen the rice. the spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.
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(莲子),chestnuts(栗子), 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, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
the dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover qu's body. a typical dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two paddlers seated side by side.
a wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at thestern(船尾). a banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. in the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers,gong(铜锣)beaters andcymbal(铙钹)players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. there are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for qu. all of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. the races are held among different clans, villages and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.
农历五月初五为端午节，端午节的第一个意义就是纪念历史上伟大的民族诗人屈原。端午节是我国二千多年的旧习俗，每到这一天，家家户户都悬钟馗像，挂艾叶菖蒲，赛龙舟，吃粽子，饮雄黄酒，游百病，佩香囊，备牲醴。
The customs vary a lot in different areas of the country, but most of the families would hang the picture of Zhong Kui (a ghost that can exorcise), calamus and moxa in their houses. People have Dragon Boat Races, eat Zong Zi (dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) and carry a spice bag around with them.
端午节特色词汇：
端午节 the Dragon Boat Festival
粽子zongzi/tsung-tse/rice dumpling
糯米glutinous rice
赛龙舟 Dragon boat racing
雄黄酒 realgar wine
香包perfumed medicine bag/sachet
驱邪ward off evil
祛病ward off disease
端午吃什么？
“粽包分两髻，艾束著危冠。旧俗方储药，羸躯亦点丹。”端午节不可不吃的美味食物就是tsung-tse（粽子），这种传统源于汨罗江边的渔夫，将米丢入江中平息江中的蛟龙，希望它们不要伤害屈原。
粽子tsung- tse：Glutinous rice（糯米） filled with meat, nuts or bean paste（豆酱） and wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is associated with Dragon Boat Festival with historical meaning.The custom of eating tsung-tse is
also popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.
端午喝什么？
“樱桃桑椹与菖蒲，更买雄黄酒一壶。”端午节尝试一下雄黄酒吧。端午节这天，人们把雄黄倒入酒中饮用，并把雄黄酒涂在小孩儿的耳、鼻、额头、手、足等处，希望这样可以使孩子们不受蛇虫的伤害。
It is a very popular practice to drink this kind of Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar at the Dragon Boat Festival. This is for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year.
端午玩什么？
“鼓声三下红旗开，两龙跃出浮水来。棹影斡波飞万剑，鼓声劈浪鸣千雷。”端午节最应景的节目就是赛龙舟。
Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.
端午戴什么？
端午节最有特色的饰物就是香包
（sachet）。小孩佩戴香包，传说有避邪驱瘟之意。用含有多种香味的'药用植物做成的香包也可以预防疾病。
On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a sachet. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines（草药）, and finally string them with silk threads. The sachet will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.
端午挂什么？
“不效艾符趋习俗，但祈蒲酒话升平。”
许多人相信五月是一年中容易引发疾病的危险时节，因此必须有许多防备家人生病的措施。端午节时，人们会将一种特别的植物-艾草挂在门口，作为保护之用。
在门上挂艾叶和菖蒲hang branches of moxa and calamus around the doors of their homes 和悬钟馗像display portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei都是为了驱疾避凶，讨个吉利。
The Dragon Boat Festival（5th May in Chinese lunar calendar）also called Zongzi Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. It is one of the oldest traditional festival in China with more than 2,000 years history. It’s said that it is to commemorate the death of a Chinese patriotic poet, Qu Yuan. There are lots of activities for Chinese people to celebrate in this festival. Such as hanging pictures of Zhong Kui, hanging calamus and moxa on the door, eating Zongzi, carrying about spice bags, drinking realgar wine, organizing dragon boat race, etc.
1. Hanging picture of Zhong Kui----- It’s believed that hanging the picture of ZhongKui on the door can prevent evil from coming in people’s house.
2. Hanging calamus and moxa on the door----- People will clean up the house and hang calamus and moxa on the door to meet Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to against evil, it can guide happiness into people’s
house.
3. Eating Zongzi. ----In ancient times, the fishmen living by the Miluo River always throw Zongzi into the river to prevent fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body. This custom has been passed so far. Now people always eat Zongzi on this day.
4. Carrying out spice bags.----- Spice bags is full of many kinds of spice. On Dragon Festival, parents also dress their children up with spice bags. People think it could bring fortune and happiness.
5. Drinking realgar wine-----In Dragon Boat Festival, people drink realgar wine, and and smear it on children’
s bodies to prevent insect bites and
stings.
6. Dragon Boat Race-----Dragon boat race is the most important activity in Dragon Boat Festival. We hold the Dragon Boat Race to celebrate the good harvest. Besides, it is also a symbol of team work and competition.
狮城*青云
端午节（英文为dragonboatfestival或doublefifthfestival）又称为端阳节，为每年的农历5月初五日，在湖北、湖南、贵州、四川一带，端午节又分为大端午与小端午。小端午为每年农历五月初五，大端午为每年农历五月十五日。时至今日，端午节在中国人民中仍是一个十分盛行的隆重节日。国家非常重视非物质文化遗产的保护，2006年5月20日，该民俗经国务院批准列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。2009年9月30日在阿联酋首都阿布扎比召开的联合国教科文组织保护非物质文化遗产政府间委员会会议决定：中国端午节成功入选《世界人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。为弘扬和传承民族传统文化,从2008年起端午节已增设为国家法定节假日。thedragonboatfestival(englishasdragonboatfestivalordoublefifthfestival)alsoknownasthedragonboatfestival,fortheannuallunarnewyear5atthebeginningoffive,inhubei,hunan,guizhou,sichuanarea,thedragonboatfestivalisdividedintolargeandsmalldragonboatfestivaldragonboatfestival.smalldragonboatfortheyearmayinchineselunarcalendar,may15thannuallunarnewyeardragonboatforlarge.today,thedragonboatfestivalinchinaisstillaverypopularinthegrandfestival.thestateattachesgreatimportancetotheprotectionofnonmaterialculturalheritage,may20,2006,thecustomisapprovedbythestatecouncilincludedinthefirstbatchofnationalintangibleculturalheritage.september30,2009inabudhabiattheunescointangibleculturalheritageprotectionintergovernmentalcommitteemeetingdecided:chinesedragonboatfestivalissuccessfulandselected"worldintangibleculturalheritagelist".tocarryforwardthetraditionalculture,from2008thedragonboatfestivalhasbeenaddedtothenationallegalholiday.
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