Dragon Boat Festival
01 · Historical Records
The above customs and cultural scenes have been sporadically recorded in writing since the Han dynasty: Yan Yanzhi's "Text of Sacrifice to Qu Yuan" of 424 CE, Wu Jun's "Xu Qixie Ji" (Sequel to Records of Marvels) of the early sixth century, and the slightly later "Jingchu Suishiji" (Records of the Seasons of Jing-Chu) and the "Geographical Treatise" of the "Book of Sui" all contain related descriptions.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Dragon Boat Festival on the banks of the Miluo River in Hunan generally begins on the first day of the fifth lunar month and ends on the fifteenth. The Duanwu customs along the river at Chutang, Yujie, Fenghuangshan, Heshi, Guiyi, Honghua, Xinshi, Wukou, Changle and the like include, besides holding feasts, eating zongzi, inserting mugwort and hanging calamus, drinking realgar wine and racing dragon boats, such distinctive customs as carving dragon heads, stealing sacred wood, chanting words of praise, launching the dragon boat, reddening the dragon head, worshipping at the temple, sacrificing to the dragon and sacrificing to Qu Yuan. These folk rituals have rich cultural connotations and have left many Duanwu folk songs, such as "Rather waste a year's fields than lose a May boat." The Dragon Boat Festival has immersed generation after generation of working people in traditional culture, arousing their yearning for a better life, their prayers for a prosperous country and contented people, and their deep remembrance of sages such as Qu Yuan; moreover, young men and women have taken this festival as an excellent opportunity for matchmaking and socializing. The distinctive individual character of the Dragon Boat Festival on the banks of the Miluo River can fully display the features of the local culture of the Miluo River region. Duanwu on the banks of the Miluo River runs from the first to the fifteenth of the fifth month, one day more at each end than in the interior, and the river ports of Chutang, Yujie, Fenghuangshan, Heshi, Guiyi, Honghua, Xinshi, Wukou, Changle and others each have their own races and boat teams. Beyond the races, the Duanwu here preserves a complete set of preparatory procedures relating to the boat and to the gods: to build the dragon one must first carve the dragon head, and only when the head is finished is the body prepared; before the dragon boat is launched the dragon must be sacrificed to, and only after worshipping at the temple and sacrificing to the dragon does the dragon head get reddened and the boat enter the competition; in addition there is the custom of stealing sacred wood, in which the more people the better when the material is taken, and those who take it bear no responsibility, the implication being that the sacred wood has already been enshrined by many hands. These stages follow one another in sequence, showing that the river festival is not merely a single race but a complete set of seasonal rites centered on the boat.
Carving the dragon head
A dragon head is carved to the size of the hull before the body is covered with a bamboo screen, and the two are joined under drum and gong.
Rites for the dragon and the temple visit
Before launching, the dragon is offered sacrifice at the temple shrine; once the rites end, the head is painted red and the boats depart.
The race and its local sayings
Races run for days along the river before packed banks; local sayings weigh the boats against a year’s harvest.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Customs such as watching dragon boats, returning to one's parents' home, bidding farewell to Duanyang, inserting mugwort and drinking yellow wine have an even stronger local character. The emphasis of Duanwu differs among the ports along the Miluo River: river-facing ports take dragon boat racing as their main feature, while villages take boat-building, dragon sacrifice and boat-sending-off as the honor of the whole village; around the Qu Yuan Shrine the sacrificial rites weigh more heavily, with floating on the river, reciting the Lisao and throwing zongzi all present. The customs of watching dragon boats, returning to one's parents' home, bidding farewell to Duanyang, inserting mugwort and drinking yellow wine are more widespread in the water country of central Hunan.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, with changes in people's way of life, the cultural connotations of the Dragon Boat Festival on the banks of the Miluo River are diminishing day by day, and it needs to be rescued and protected.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Tan Guozheng 05-2970
- Liu Guisheng 05-2971
- Xiang Fuchang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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