At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the area we now know as China had falleninto a state of fragmentation and conflict. While the Zhou dynasty had ruled forseveral centuries, several other states, originally feudal domains, tried tocarve out their own kingdoms. The state of Qin would eventually emerge thevictor and unify all of China under one rule for the first time in history.
Qu Yuan served as minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man,he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampantcorruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of otherofficials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the QinKingdom, the officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service.In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhouhad been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into theMilou River. His last poem reads:
Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair,Grieving that I was born in such anunlucky time.I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,And waited forthe wind to come,to sour up on my journey
As he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats,beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water tofeed braver fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.
The Modern Dragon Boat Festival started from that time to this day, peoplecommemorated Qu Yuan through Dragon Boat Races, eating zong zi, and severalother activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifthlunar month.
Dragon Boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawingcrowds of spectators. Dragon Boats are generally brightly painted and decoratedcanoes. Ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their heads are shapedlike open-mouthed dragons, while the sterns end with a scaly tail. Depending onthe length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. A drummer and flag-catcher standat the front of the boat. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be"brought to life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony. Races can have anynumber of boats competing, with the winner being the first team to grab a flagat the end of the course. Annual races take place all over China, Hong Kong,Macao, Chinese Taiwan, and other overseas Chinese communities.
On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up witha sachet. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill thebags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and finally string them with silkthreads. The sachet will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of agarment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.
The sachetsare very popular with children and they vie with each other tocollect as many as possible. Children are not the only ones who collect HsiangPao. Older people are often given them as a symbol of respect, and they arehighly prized because of the intricate and beautiful embroidery that adornsthem.
端午节英语演讲稿3
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Its Qu Yuans day ofcommemoration. In the morning, I wore a beautiful skirt, I had eaten glutinousrice dumplings, and I followed my father. Mother went to her grandmothers housetogether. I see my brother. My sister is waiting for me at the door.
As soon as I got off the train, they were dragged into the room and playedgames. I will be a patient first, my sister will be a doctor and my brother willbe a nurse. At noon, grandma made a full table lunch, we ate lunch, heart. Theaunt said, "if I can eat such a rich dish every day, I will be satisfied."
In the afternoon, when our family went back to grandmas house, my aunt.Great aunt came. They also sent a lot of things to our kids. We had a good timetoday.
端午节英语演讲稿4
Today, I went to the grandmas home with my father and mother forthe Dragon Boat Festival. When we entered the door, grandma said, "today isDragon Boat Festival. Lets make dumplings." We promised. Grandma said, "bambooleaves need to be soaked for a while.
After a while, we began to pack the zongzi. Each of us picked up threepieces of bamboo leaves, grabbed a handful of glutinous rice with our hands, putthem in the bamboo leaves, and put on some big red dates. And then wrap it intoa cone. Im glad to have a zongzi wrapped up. I said to grandma, "the dumplingsare so simple. Grandma said, "the real bag is not easy!" After finishing thepackage, the dumplings were cooked.
Our whole family is very happy to eat sweet rice dumplings.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day ofthe fifth lunar month.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is a significant holiday celebrated inChina, and the one with the longest history. The Dragon Boat Festival iscelebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row theirboats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first.
The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs toattempts to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifthday of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bambooleaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat therice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eatingtzungtzu and rice dumplings.
The celebration's is a time for protection from evil and disease for therest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthyherbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions, and displayingportraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei. If one manages to stand an egg on it'send at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.