端午节习俗之赛龙舟

Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. Asthe gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniouslyand hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.

Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. Asthe gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniouslyand hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales saythe game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan's body, but experts, afterpainstaking and meticulous research, conclude that dragon boat racing is a semi-religious,semi-entertaining program from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). In the followingthousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britain as well as China's Taiwanand Hong Kong. Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports item whichfeatures both Chinese tradition and modern sporting spirit. In 1980, it was listed into the statesports competition programs and has since been held every year. The award is called "Qu YuanCup."

“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。

賽龙舟，是端午节的主要习俗。相传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，追至洞庭湖时不见踪迹。之后每年五月五日划龙舟以纪念之。借划龙舟驱散江中之鱼，以免鱼吃掉屈原的身体。竞渡之习，盛行于吴、越、楚。

其实 ，“龙舟竞渡早在战国时代就有了。在急鼓声中划刻成龙形的独木舟，做竞渡游戏，以娱神与乐人，是祭仪中半宗教性、半娱乐性的节目。后来，赛龙舟除纪念屈原之外，在各地人们还付予了不同的寓意。此外，划龙舟也先后传入邻国日本、越南等及英国。1980年，赛龙舟被列入中国国家体育比赛项目，并每年举行“屈原杯龙舟赛。