你的端午节过得够传统吗?

音频下载[点击右键另存为]
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zongzi, or glutinous rice dumplings, and racing dragon boats. However some other traditions also relating to the festival have been neglected by many Chinese living in big cities. Let's follow our Liu Min to find out more about the Dragon boat festival's interesting customs.

Reporter:
Every Dragon Boat Festival, the renowned Chinese traditional food shop Dao Xiangcun is packed with customers. The manager Wen Jie says the rice dumplings are selling well.

A1 "There are only some with fresh meat stuffing left. We usually start selling early in the morning, and those with dates sold out just before 10:00am …Now that Zong Zi is sold out, many elderly people will have to buy the leaves and rice to make it themselves."

A lady is picking wrapping leaves and some stuffing. I asked her which filling she prefers.

A2 "Dates, I like rice dumplings with dates."(In Chinese I asked her - are you northern Chinese?) "Yes, northern Chinese usually love the ones with dates better and in the south they love the meat stuffing."

That's something most Chinese people know about rice dumplings, but there are some things we don't know. Professor Zhao Shu, from the Chinese folk literature and Art Society, explains that there are some idioms relating to the number of dates put into the rice dumplings.

A4 "One date in the dumpling means whole-hearted love. Two dates means friendship between two people. Three dates means elderly people have three blessings, such as good luck, wealth and health. Four dates means keeping safe and sound during the four seasons. Five dates are for those whose career will go smoothly in the future."

Besides rice dumplings, Wudu cakes are also a kind of traditional food people enjoy at this time of the year. Cake Shop manager Wen Jie says this is one of their marketing strategies to win over more traditional Chinese customers.

A5 "Wudu Cakes are usually welcomed by elderly people. It means driving away the evil spirits and praying for blessings."

The Dragon Boat Festival is usually held during the transition from spring to summer. Some bugs and poisonous animals such as scorpions, toads, spiders, centipedes and serpents would come out at this time of the year. Ancient Chinese people regard them as the five poisonous spirits which can bring bad luck and disease. They believed eating cakes carved with these animals' patterns in them could chase away them, and no longer hurt them. With the Wudu cake, Xiong Huang liquor is also a necessity during the festival. Professor Zhao Shu explains.

A6 "In ancient times, people had the tradition of drinking Xiong Huang liquor and now more people are drinking Panax wine. While drinking this wine, ancient Chinese people would take a spa in the water floating with orchids to get rid of bad luck and keep healthy."

Besides these traditions, there are also some traditions rarely seen in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Fore example, wearing Wudu fragrant decorations is also a tradition to keep away from the poisonous bugs. Girls usually would wear bracelets made from five different coloured threads to ensure a better future. Certain wormwood called Ai Cao is also hung on the gate of residents to drive away mosquitos and ghosts.