Customs of the Dragon Boat Festival in my hometown

Let me tell you about the Dragon Boat Festival customs in our hometown. My hometown is Hebei.

1. Dragon Boat Festival Customs: Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is the main custom of our Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it originated from the ancient Chu people who were reluctant to leave their virtuous minister Qu Yuan and threw himself into the river. Many people rowed boats to chase and save him. They scrambled to catch up and disappeared when they reached Dongting Lake. After that, dragon boat racing was held every May 5th to commemorate the event. He rowed dragon boats to disperse the fish in the river to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body. The custom of racing was popular in Wu, Yue and Chu.

2. Dragon Boat Festival customs: Eating rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival

Eating rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional custom in my country. Generally, many areas eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, but in Aoshang Ancient Village, Suxian District, Chenzhou, there is a special custom of eating black rice dumplings. Aoshang black rice dumpling is a local delicacy with therapeutic effect. It is made from more than ten kinds of edible leaves in the wild on the mountain, such as black rice leaves, Zezi firewood leaves, diamond thorn heads, liquidambar leaves and other edible leaves. Mash it clean, filter and squeeze out the juice, then soak it in glutinous rice with stuffings such as barbecued pork and salted egg yolk. Steam it out. It is fragrant and not greasy. It also has the effects of strengthening the stomach and digestion, dispelling wind and dampness, cooling and detoxifying.