端午节的故事英文

端午节的故事英文

　端午节是古老的传统节日，始于中国的春秋战国时期，至今已有多年历史。以下是为大家分享的有关端午节的英文故事，供大家参考借鉴，欢迎浏览!

　1Qu Yuan jumped off river

　屈原投江

　In order to commemorate patriotic poet Qu Yuan who jumped into the Miluo river, and avoid his body to be eaten by fish and shrimp, so people cast many of bamboo rice (rice dumplings) in the river, and compete to row (acetate ship) hoping to find the body of Qu yuan

　为了纪念爱国诗人屈原，居民为了不让跳下汨罗江的屈原尸体被鱼虾吃掉，所以在江里投下许多用竹叶包裹的米食(粽子)，并且竞相划船(赛龙船)希望找到屈原的尸体。

　2Cao E looked for her father’s corpse

　曹娥寻父尸

　Cao E, dutiful girl of the eastern Han dynasty, whose father drowned in the river when she was 14-year old She cried along the river, still didn’t see his father’s corpse after 17 days, and she jumped into the river on May 1st as well, after five days the two corpses folded together and float That was a moving story, so people in the township worship her

　东汉孝女曹娥，因曹父溺江而亡，年仅十四岁的她沿江豪哭，经十七日仍不见曹父尸首，乃在五月一日投江，五日后两尸合抱而浮起的感人事迹， 乡人群而祭之。

　3Wu Zixu's death anniversary

　伍子胥的忌日

　It’s a legend that after He Lu ,the king of Wu died , the prince Fuchai ascended the throne, send armed forces to suppress Yue and won Goujian ,the king of Yue please reconciliation , Fuchai didn’t listen but agreed treacherous official and judged Wu Zixu commit suicide And jumped his body into river on May 5, since then people commemorated him on Dragon Boat Festival

　传说伍子胥助吴伐楚后，吴王阖闾逝世，皇子夫差继位，伐越大胜，越王勾践请和，伍子胥主张和，夫差不听，却听信奸臣言，赐伍子胥自杀，并于于五月五日将尸体投入江中，此后人们于端午节祭祀伍子胥。

　4Madam White Snake

　白蛇传

　The legend of white snake Bai Suzhen, in order to repay Xu Xian , fell in love with him and finally got married On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival white snake drink realgar wine, almost reveal herself snakelike, and among the white snake, Fa Hai and water logging Jinshan temple , are popular folk opera repertoire

　传说白蛇白素贞，为了报答许仙的恩惠，与许仙结为夫妻的凄美的爱情故事。端午节当天白蛇喝了雄黄酒，差点现出蛇形，加上法海白蛇及水淹金山寺的情节，都是脍炙人口的民间戏曲的曲目。

　5端午节的故事

　In the 5th day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, it is the traditional Dragon Boat Festival in China, also known as duyang, five and five As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was a custom of "storing lanes and bathing in May 5th" But today, many activities of Dragon Boat Festival are related to commemorating Qu Yuan, a great Chinese writer

　In the Warring States period, Chu and Qin scramble for hegemony, and the poet Qu Yuan was highly valued by the king of Chu However, Qu Yuan's claim was opposed by the old official of Shangguan doctor Jin Shang He continued to slander Qu Yuan in front of the king of Chu Huai, and the king of Chu Huai gradually alienated Qu Yuan, and the ambitious Qu Yuan felt much pain, and he was with a melancholy and indignation that was difficult to suppress He wrote the immortal poems such as Li Sao and Tian Xiang In 229 BC, Qin conquered eight cities in Chu state, and then sent envoys to King Chu Huai to go to the Qin state Qu Yuan saw through the conspiracy of King Qin and risked death into the palace to state his interests Instead of listening, Chu Huai Wang drove Qu Yuan out of Ying Du When King Chu Huai arrived at the meeting as scheduled, he was imprisoned in Qin state He was filled with regret and depression He died in Qin after three years Soon after the king of Chu defeated the king, he sent troops to attack the state of Chu On the way of exile, Qu Yuan heard the death of King Huai king and the bad news of Ying City to break through

　The fishermen on the river and the people on the shore heard that Dr Qu Yuan threw himself into the river and came to the river to salvage the corpse of Qu Yuan (the custom later evolved into a dragon boat race) In addition, the Dragon poured the realgar wine into the river so that the animals could not be hurt After a long time, a faint dragon was floating on the surface of the water, and the dragon was still covered with a piece of doctor's dress People pulled the dragon on the shore, pulled out the tendons, then wrapped the dragon in the hands and neck of the children, then used the realgar wine, and some were still writing a "King" on the forehead of the children to make the poison Snake pests don't dare to hurt them From then on, at the beginning of May every year in the early May, the people of the state of Chu state the dragon boat on the river, throw the zongzi and drink the male yellow rice wine to commemorate the poet, the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival has been spread like this

　农历五月初五，是我国传统的端午节，又称端阳、重五、端五节。早在周朝，就有“五月五日，蓄兰而沐”的习俗。但今天端午节的'众多活动都与纪念我国伟大的文学家屈原有关。

　战国时代，楚秦争夺霸权，诗人屈原很受楚王器重，然而屈原的主张遭到上官大夫靳尚为首的守旧派的反对，不断在楚怀王的面前诋毁屈原，楚怀王渐渐疏远了屈原，有着远大抱负的屈原倍感痛心，他怀着难以抑制的忧郁悲愤，写出了《离骚》、《天向》等不朽诗篇。公元前229年，秦国攻占了楚国八座城池，接着又派使臣请楚怀王去秦国议和。屈原看破了秦王的阴谋，冒死进宫陈述利害，楚怀王不但不听，反而将屈原逐出郢都。楚怀王如期赴会，一到秦国就被囚禁起来，楚怀王悔恨交加，忧郁成疾，三年后客死于秦国。楚顷衰王即位不久，秦王又派兵攻打楚国，顷衰王仓惶撤离京城，秦兵攻占郢城。屈原在流放途中，接连听到楚怀王客死和郢城攻破的噩耗后，万念俱灰，仰天长叹一声，投入了滚滚激流的汩罗江。

　江上的渔夫和岸上的百姓，听说屈原大夫投江自尽，都纷纷来到江上，奋力打捞屈原的尸体，(此风俗日后演变成赛龙舟)人们纷纷拿出家中的粽子、鸡蛋投入江中，让鱼吃了就不会去咬屈大夫尸身。还有郎中把雄黄酒倒入江中，以便药昏蛟龙水兽，使屈原大夫尸体免遭伤害。过不了多久，水面上浮起了一条昏晕的蛟龙，龙须上还沾著一片屈大夫的衣襟，人们就把这恶龙拉上岸，抽了筋，然後把龙筋缠在孩子们的手、脖子上，又用雄黄酒抹七窍，有的还在小孩子额头上写上一个“王”字，使那些毒蛇害虫都不敢来伤害他们。从此，每年五月初——屈原投江殉难日，楚国人民都到江上划龙舟，投粽子，喝雄黄酒，以此来纪念诗人，端午节的风俗就这样流传下来。

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　　东拼西凑，搜集了一堆资料，楼主自己整理一下吧，去其糟粕，取其精华。自己写我是没这个实力的了，毕竟还是很有些专业的东西在里面……

　　Chinese Literature - Novels and fiction

　　Hongloumeng 红楼梦"The Dream of the Red Chamber"

　　Also called "The story of the Stone (Shitouji 石头记)", this novel written by Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹 (d 1763) is said to be the greatest masterpiece of Chinese fiction A wide branched scholarship does not consent about the main theme of this novel, should it be a novel of sentiment, of Daoist-Buddhist enlightenment, of social observation, of the decay of an aristocratic familiy, or even a veiled attack on Manchu rule The frame of the novel is the contest of a Buddhist and a Daoist priest who make be born a young noble boy called Jia Baoyu 贾宝玉 and his girl cousin Lin Daiyu 林黛玉 With a loving detail describing the life of the two cousins in a huge noble mansion, between gardens and palaces, the red thread is the triangular love between Baoyu, Daiyu and a second girl cousin called Xue Baochai 薛宝钗 that is of more plumper character than the ever sick Daiyu Switching between their life, the divine world and dreams, Baoyu becomes deranged after the disappearance of a stone (the origin of the second title) he had in his mouth when he was born Not knowing, his love Daiyu died, he is tricked to marrying Baochai Becoming aware of being tricked, Baoyu leaves the world of the "red dust" and becomes a monk With hundreds of persons and their stories, paralleling the life and feelings of servants to the life of the main persons, the story is very complex and full of symbolisms, but very interesting and convincing for its encyclopedic character, depicting the life of a noble familiy in the 18th century Qing China 清

　　三国演义Romance of The Three Kingdoms

　　Romance of The Three Kingdoms is one of the great chinese classics and is compiled into a semi-fictional literary masterpiece during the Ming Dynasty by Luo Guanzhong The novel comprises around 70+% fact and 20+% fiction Some issues such as Guan Yu's weapon weighing around 40+ kilograms, the capabilties of Lu Bu, Liu Bei's horses as well as the existence of the Hill of the Fallen Phoenix and some others are probably fictional

　　That period in history can be said as the golden age of chivalry and although it happened more than 1700 years ago, characters such as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang have become household names among the chinese Tales of their exploits, courage, adventures and many more are told in the novel "Romance of The Three Kingdoms"

　　It is one of the most turbulent periods in China's history taking place toward the end of the Han Dynasty where corruption is rampant in the imperial court due to eunuches holding power Coupled with natural disasters such as floods, plague and locust swarms devouring the crops grown by the peasants, hunger and disatisfaction among the peasants soon escalated rapidly until a major rebellion known as the "Yellow Scarves Rebellion" led by Zhang Jiao broke out (It was dubbed "Yellow Scarves" because the rebels tied a yellow scarf on their head) Initially just a small band of rebels, due to widespread hunger and ill-sentiment among the populace, swarms of common folks joined in the rebellion across many parts of the country

　　三国演义人物介绍

　　刘备

　　Liu Bei (161–223 AD), styled Xuándé (玄徳), was a general, warlord, and later the founding emperor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China Although having a later start than his rivals, also lacking both the material resources and social status they commanded, Liu Bei overcame his many defeats to carve out his own realm, that at its peak spanned modern day Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, part of Hubei, and part of Gansu

　　Culturally, due to the tremendously popular novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, Liu Bei is widely known as the ideal benevolent, humane ruler who cared for his people and picked good advisors His character was to advocate the Confucian set of moral values, such as loyalty and compassion

　　张飞

　　Zhang Fei (-221 AD) was a military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China

　　Zhang Fei was shown to have been a masterful general rather than simply a warrior He treated his superiors with respect, but had little respect for his underlings He was often warned by Liu Bei that his habit of over-punishing his own soldiers by lashing and killing would eventually bring himself disaster

　　Zhang Fei married Xiahou Yuan's daughter, who was captured by Zhang Fei's troops as she was out gathering firewood They had a total of two daughters, and the older daughter became the empress of Shu Han after marrying Liu Shan, with Zhuge Liang as the matchmaker After Zhang Fei's eldest daughter had passed away due to natural causes, Zhuge Liang once again played the role of matchmaker, and Liu Shan married Zhang Fei's younger daughter, who thus succeeded her older sister to become the empress of Shu Han

　　Zhang Fei is best portrayed through his description and actions depicted in Records of Three Kingdoms biography by Chen Shou Some claim that Zhang Fei was also an excellent painter

　　Zhang Fei was killed by his own men Zhang Da and Fan Jiang, while preparing his troops to attack the rival Eastern Wu to avenge the death of Guan Yu Zhang Da and Fan Jiang went on to defect to Wu

　　水浒传Outlaws of the Marsh

　　The novel "Outlaws of the Marsh" is somewhat like the Iliad and Odyssey An ancient epic tale no one remembers the period it was composed and immortalized

　　One knows this story is based on real facts and has inspired many storytellers

　　One knows the North Song Dynasty (XIIIth Century) lived its apogee and declined, a victim of corruption and decadence

　　One finds historical traces of these outlaws who challenged the imperial authority and died under the executioner's blade

　　At last, as anyone knows today that a man called Homer wrote the Iliad and Odyssey, no one doubts anymore that a man called Shi Nai-an wrote down during the XIVth century the novel Outlaws of the Marsh that reached us

　　Everyone recognizes that Jin Sheng-tan, during the XVIIth century, published what is now famous as the original version of a novel that obtained the interest and infatuation of successive generations

　　Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh ("All men are brothers" in Pearl Buck's translation, "Shui hu zhuan" in Chinese, "Au Bord de l'Eau" in French ) is an immortal novel because its tale is universal : it speaks of beings (outlaws but also notables, strong muscled heroes but also intellectual, anarchists but also philosophers) who cannot bear injustice nor abuse nor arbitrariness

　　That is the reason they are immortal and their popularity has lasted for centuries

　　Discover the 108 heroes, the episodes , the paper-cuts representing them, the Beijing operas their fighting exploits inspired

　　人物

　　Gai Ping Health gave special love make the world anyway, famous arena Like charges to stick, chicken, and did not take wives, all hit others physique Village Creek Village haunted legends, villagers digging a river in the town engraved art, ghost was rushed to the East seven Classical hell, then alone will be engraved Creek Village in places away from the East side down Thus so-called "Tota kings"

　　晁盖平 生仗义疏财，专爱结交天下好汉，闻名江湖。喜欢刺枪使棒，身强力壮，不取妻室，终日打熬筋骨。传说邻村西溪村闹鬼，村人凿了一个青石宝塔镇在溪边，鬼就被赶到了东溪村。晁盖大怒，就去西溪村独自将青石宝塔夺了过来在东溪边放下。因此人称“托塔天王”。

　　西游记Pilgrimage to the West

　　Journey to the West is a mythological novel based on many centuries of popular tradition It was probably put into its present form in the 15708 by Wu Cheng’en (1500-82)

　　This lively fantasy relates the amazing adventures of the priest San-zang as he travels west in search of Buddhist sutras with his three disciples, the irreverent and capable on-

　　key, greedy Pig, and Friar Sand The opening chapters recount the earlier exploits of Monkey, culminating in his rebellion against Heaven We then learn how Sanzang became a monk and was sent on his pilgrimage by the Tang emperor who had escaped death with the help of an Underworld official

　　The main story, the journey, takes the priest through all kinds of entertaining trials and tribulations, mainly at the

　　hands of monsters and spirits who want to eat him Only the courage and powers of his disciples, especially Monkey, save him from death Monkey is the hero of the fantasy, and the reader will soon learn why he has long been so loved in China Will the pilgrims reach the Vulture Peak and obtain the Scriptures The answer will only be found at the end of the lOO-chapter novel

　　The story is as full of imagination as Monkey is of magic, and packed with incident and down-to-earth humour The illustrations are from 19th-century Chinese edition This is the first of the three volumes of the novel

A three-year-old boy saved his mum's life by using her mobile phone to call for help

One morning, Aaron Green, found his mum Cally Wooton lying on the floor of her bedroom, and was not able to wake her up He immediately turned to his mum's Blackberry mobile phone on the bed, opened it, found the address book, and called his mum's grandmother, even though he had never been shown how to use the phone Little Aaron told her: Mummy's sick, she's very ill

The grandmother called Cally's best friend Kara McCoy, who lived nearby Kara ran to Cally's house She found Cally was lying on the bedroom floor She must have fallen off the bed She was moving but wouldn't answer Kara was scared She didn't know what to do She was helpless, so she called the ambulance（救护车）

Cally was sent to hospital and was found that she had a diabetic seizure（糖尿病发作）After five days in hospital, Cally was well again

Aaron has just started learning his ABCKara said, But he was very brave and calm He did better than me

If it wasn't for Aaron, 1 wouldn't be here now The doctors said 1 was lucky to be alivethe boy's mother said,“ I don't know how he did it It is not easy to use that phone It feels like I must have been watched over by an angel who was guiding him through what to do I want everyone to know what a Superman he is”

46What did Aaron do when he found his mum lying on the floor

AHe ran away at once

B He didn't know what to do

C He called his mum's grandmother

DHe called his mum's best friend, Kara

47From the passage we know that

A Cally was well the next day

B Cally told his son to call for help

C Cally's mother sent her to hospital

D Cally's son saved her life by using her mobile phone

48 The underlined word shein the passage refers to____

A Cally B Kara C the doctor D Cally' s grandmother

49This passage may be _______

A an advertisement B a piece of news

C a poster D a survey

中秋：

Mid-Autumn Festival

The joyous Mid-Autumn Festival, the third and last festival for the living, was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon, around the time of the autumn equinox Many referred to it simply as the "Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon" In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurred sometime between the second week of September and the second week ofOctober

This day was also considered a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time and food was abundant With delinquent accounts settled prior to the festival , it was a time for relaxation and celebration Food offerings were placed on an altar set up in the courtyard Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, pomegranates , melons, oranges and pomelos might be seen Special foods for the festival included moon cakes, cooked taro, edible snails from the taro patches or rice paddies cooked with sweet basil, and water caltrope, a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns Some people insisted that cooked taro be included because at the time of creation, taro was the first food discovered at night in the moonlight Of all these foods, it could not be omitted from the Mid-Autumn Festival

The round moon cakes, measuring about three inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness, resembled Western fruitcakes in taste and consistency These cakes were made with melon seeds, lotus seeds, almonds, minced meats, bean paste, orange peels and lard A golden yolk from a salted duck egg was placed at the center of each cake, and the golden brown crust was decorated with symbols of the festival Traditionally, thirteen moon cakes were piled in a pyramid to symbolize the thirteen moons of a "complete year," that is, twelve moons plus one intercalary moon

Origin

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festivity for both the Han and minority nationalities The custom of worshipping the moon (called xi yue in Chinese) can be traced back as far as the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 BC-1066 BC) In the Zhou Dynasty(1066 BC-221 BC), people hold ceremonies to greet winter and worship the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival sets in It becomes very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty(618-907 AD) that people enjoy and worship the full moon In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD), however, people send round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion When it becomes dark, they look up at the full silver moon or go sightseeing on lakes to celebrate the festival Since the Ming (1368-1644 AD ) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911AD), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration becomes unprecedented popular Together with the celebration there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances However, the custom of playing under the moon is not so popular as it used to be nowadays, but it is not less popular to enjoy the bright silver moon Whenever the festival sets in, people will look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home, and extending all of their best wishes to them

Moon Cakes

There is this story about the moon-cake during the Yuan dynasty (AD 1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (AD 960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to the foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without being discovered The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes Backed into each moon caked was a message with the outline of the attack On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attached and overthrew the government Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend and was called the Moon Cake

For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert People compare moon cakes to the plum pudding and fruit cakes which are served in the English holiday seasons

Nowadays, there are hundreds varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of Moon Festival

Different Celebrated Forms

For thousands of years, the Chinese people have related the vicissitudes of life to changes of the moon as it waxes and wanes; joy and sorrow, parting and reunion Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion All family members try to get together on this special day Those who can not return home watch the bright moonlight and feel deep longing for their loved ones

Today,festivities centered about the Mid-Autumn Festival are more varied After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special perfomances in parks or on public squares

People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival In Guangzhou in South China, a huge lantern show is a big attraction for local citizens Thousands of differently shaped lanterns are lit, forming a fantastic contrast with the bright moonlight

In East Chia's Zhejiang Province, watching the flood tide of the Qian-tang River during the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a must for local peple, but also an attraction for those from other parts of the country The ebb and flow of tides coincide with the waxing and waning of the moon as it exerts a strong gravitational pull In mid autumn, the sun, earth and moon send out strong gravitational forces upon the seas The outh of the Qiantang River is shaped lik a bugle So the flood tide which forms at the narrow mouth is particularly impressive Spectators crowd on the river bank,watching the roaring waves At its peak, the tide rises as high as three and a half meters

Legends

There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China the most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e ascended to the moon

A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes The trees and grass were scorched The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry Many people died of hunger and thirst

The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help When Hou Yi arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns one after another The weather immediately turned cooler Heavy rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned green Life had been restored and humanity was saved

One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo contaiver, A young man comes forward, asking for a drink When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e tealizes that he is their savior, Hou Yi Inviting him to drink, Chang'e plucks a beautiful flower and gives it to him as a token of respect Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her This meeting kindles the spark of their love And soon after that, they get married

A mortal's life is limited, of course So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to look for an elixir of lifeHe goes to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lives

Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, a fine powder made from kerndls of fruit which grows on the tree of eternity At the same time, she tells him:If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal life But if only one of you takes it,that one will ascend to Heaven and become immortal

Hou Yi returns home and tells his wife all that has happened and they decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright

A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng secretly hears about their planHe wishes Hou Yi an early death so that he can drink the elixir himeslf and become immortalHis opportunity finally arrives One day,when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi is on his way home from hunting Feng Meng kills him The murderer then runs to Hou Yi's home and forces Chang'e to give him the elixir, Without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the elixir and drinks it all

Overcome with grief, Chang'e rushes to her dead husband's sied, weeping bitterlySoon the elixir begins to have its effect and Chang'e feels herself being lifted towards Heaven

Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the earth There she lives a simple and contented life Even though she is in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals Never does she forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi and the love she feels for the people who have shared their sadness and happiness

Another legend explained the role of the Old Man on the Moon, the Divine Match-maker The Chinese believed that marriages were made in Heaven but prepared on the moon The Old Man on the Moon tied the feet of young men and women with red cords for marriage Thus a maiden made offerings and prayed to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that some day she would ride in the red bridal sedan chair

端午节：

The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of more than 2,000 years It is usually in June in the Gregorian calendarThere are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is in commemoration of Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) Qu Yuan was minister of the State of Chu and one of China's earliest poets In face of great pressure from the powerful Qin State, he advocated enriching the country and strengthening its military forces so as to fight against the Qin However, he was opposed by aristocrats headed by Zi Lan, and later deposed and exiled by King Huai In his exiled days, he still cared much for his country and people and composed immortal poems including Li Sao (The Lament), Tian Wen (Heavenly Questions) and Jiu Ge (Nine Songs), which had far-reaching influences In 278 BC, he heard the news that Qin troops had finally conquered Chu's capital, so he finished his last piece Huai Sha (Embracing Sand) and plunged himself into the Miluo River, clasping his arms to a large stone The day happened to be the 5th of the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar After his death, the people of Chu crowded to the bank of the river to pay their respects to him The fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river to look for his body People threw into the water zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves) and eggs to divert possible fish or shrimp from attacking his body An old doctor poured a jug of reaglar wine (Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar) into the water, hoping to turn all aquatic beasts drunk That's why people later followed the customs such as dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine on that day

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 Folk tales say the game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan's body, but experts, after painstaking 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 following thousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britain as well as China's Taiwan and Hong Kong Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports item which features both Chinese tradition and modern sporting spirit In 1980, it was listed into the state sports competition programs and has since been held every year The award is called "Qu Yuan Cup"

Zongzi is an essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival It is said that people ate them in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) In early times, it was only glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or other plant leaves and tied with colored thread, but now the fillings are more diversified, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, and ham and egg yolk If time permits, people will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzi themselves Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever stuff they want The custom of eating zongzi is now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations

On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a perfume pouch They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and finally string them with silk threads The perfume pouch 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

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in corn leaves The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them They are generally steamed

清明节：

Celebrated two weeks after the vernal equinox, Tomb Sweeping Day is one of the few traditional Chinese holidays that follows the solar calendar-- typically falling on April 4, 5, or 6 Its Chinese name "Qing Ming" literally means "Clear Brightness," hinting at its importance as a celebration of Spring Similar to the spring festivals of other cultures, Tomb Sweeping Day celebrates the rebirth of nature, while marking the beginning of the planting season and other outdoor activities

Qing Ming Jie in Ancient Times

In ancient times, people celebrated Qing Ming Jie with dancing, singing, picnics, and kite flying Colored boiled eggs would be broken to symbolize the opening of life In the capital, the Emperor would plant trees on the palace grounds to celebrate the renewing nature of spring In the villages, young men and women would court each other

The Tomb Sweeping Day as Celebrated Today

With the passing of time, this celebration of life became a day to the honor past ancestors Following folk religion, the Chinese believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors looked after the family Sacrifices of food and spirit money could keep them happy, and the family would prosper through good harvests and more children

Today, Chinese visit their family graves to tend to any underbrush that has grown Weeds are pulled, and dirt swept away, and the family will set out offerings of food and spirit money Unlike the sacrifices at a family's home altar, the offerings at the tomb usually consist of dry, bland food One theory is that since any number of ghosts rome around a grave area, the less appealing food will be consumed by the ancestors, and not be plundered by strangers

Honoring Ancestors

Honoring ancestors begins with proper positioning of a gravesite and coffin Experts in feng shui, or geomancy, determine the quality of land by the surrounding aspects of streams, rivers, trees, hills, and so forth An area that faces south, with groves of pine trees creates the best flow of cosmic energy required to keep ancestors happy Unfortunately, nowadays, with China's burgeoning population, public cemetaries have quickly surplanted private gravesites Family elders will visit the gravesite at least once a year to tend to the tombs

While bland food is placed by the tombs on Qing Ming Jie, the Chinese regularly provide scrumptious offerings to their ancestors at altar tables in their homes The food usually consists of chicken, eggs, or other dishes a deceased ancestor was fond of Accompanied by rice, the dishes and eating utensils are carefully arranged so as to bring good luck Sometimes, a family will put burning incense with the offering so as to expedite the transfer of nutritious elements to the ancestors In some parts of China, the food is then eaten by the entire family

Kites

Besides the traditions of honoring the dead, people also often fly kits on Tomb Sweeping Day Kites can come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors Designs could include frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, crabs, bats, and storks

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