dragon boat race traditions at the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. these exciting races were inspired by the villager‘s valiant attempts to rescue chu yuan from the mi lo river. this tradition has remained unbroken for centuries.
tzung tzu a very popular dish during the dragon boat festival is tzung tzu. this tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. the tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the mi low river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour chu yuan.
ay taso the time of year of the dragon boat festival, the fifth lunar moon, has more significance than just the story of chu yuan. many chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. families will hang various herbs, called ay tsao, on their door for protection. the drinking of realgar wine is thought to remove poisons from the body. hsiang bao are also worn. these sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness.
又到了飘满棕子香味的端午节了，让我想起了我们家乡端午节的习俗。
我五岁那年，在湖南老家过了一个端午节。那天上午，爸爸领着我去看划龙舟比赛。还没有到江边，远远地就听到了锣鼓喧天，非常热闹。走近一看，江边插着许多彩旗，岸上人山人海，五条龙舟在江里一字排开，划船手摩拳擦掌在准备着。正式比赛开始了，只听一声炮响，五条龙舟像五支离弦的箭一样向前驶去，你追我赶，争先恐后。加油声、锣鼓声、欢呼声……异常热闹。
这时天空下起了绵绵细雨，但是人们一点也不在乎，完全沉浸在这欢乐的海洋里。在人们的欢呼声中，有一条龙舟划到了终点，笑声、欢呼声更响亮了。
我看见岸上看热闹的人往江里扔粽子和鸡蛋，我非常奇怪地问：“爸爸，他们在做什么，为什么要把好端端的粽子扔进水里呢?”爸爸说：“赛龙舟起源于古时楚国人因舍不得贤臣屈原投江死去，许多人划船追赶拯救。他们争先恐后，追到洞庭湖时不见踪迹。以后每年五月五日划龙舟纪念他。借划龙舟赶走江中之鱼，同时丢粽子等食物喂给鱼吃，以免鱼吃掉屈原的身体。”
我爱家乡的端午节。我们家乡的爱国诗人屈原值得我们永远怀念。
