As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the drums of the dragon boats drift in every corner of the land of Guangdong with the fragrance of rice dumplings, and the lively “Dragon Boat Season” gradually kicks off. Among the many dragon boats of different shapes, the “Swallowtail Dragon Boat” has become the most unforgettable Dragon Boat Festival memory for fresh people with its unique local characteristics. Regarding the origin of “three-person swallow-tailed dragon boat racing”, although the Qingyuan County Chronicle of the Republic of China said that “there are also small boats, and three or five people slaughtered them, but there is no dragon shape. This is purely a play of fighting power, and it is also a custom of Yangzhou”, it was found through field investigation that its formation is related to the unique local geographical environment and folk customs.
The origin of “three-person swallowtail dragon boat racing” has many legends, and there are four representative Komiks.
1. Origin of laborBabaylan said
Huainanzi·Qi Su Xun”Babaylan said: “Hu people are convenient for horses, and Yue people are convenient for boats.” In ancient times, Lingnan was mostly water network areas, and people often used boats to travel, and used boats as production tools and transportation. People row and compete in catching fish and shrimps or leisure, and integrate entertainment in labor production and leisure. This is exactly the Babaylan“Three peopleThe prototype of the ancient competition of the swallowtail dragon boat. Shantang Town is close to the Beijiang River, located in a low-lying place, mostly continental land, with water networks crisscrossing, and floods occur every year. Whenever the rice harvest season is over, it is mostly during floods. In the sixth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, Komiks Qingyuan County Chronicles said: “The continental land is baptized and drought, but it is more likely to be submerged than drought. When the river overflows, those who farm will suffer great losses. “In order to facilitate harvesting rice and other crops, ordinary people could only travel to the fields with a small boat, reaching out to harvest rice and Komiks crops exposed on the water. Over time, in order to grab food with the God of Heaven and reduce losses, rowing activities spontaneously formed between villages and clansmen.
2. Origin theory of boat soldiers
Shantang Town, Qingxin District, Shijiao Town and Longtang Town in Qingcheng District, are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Beijiang River, and are the throat of the waterway. During field surveys, we listened to stories from local old people, saying that this kind of boat was a boat that sailors (boat soldiers) used to ride in the old days. There were few people and fast boats, and it was easy to attack the enemy. The locals introduced that this is related to the Saihe boat, and it is also related to the Qin Dynasty and the Western Han army’s attack on Nanyue through the Xijiang River. The fresh “three-person swallow-tailed dragon boat” and the “five-person dragon boat” in the Pearl River Delta are different in the boat type, materials, and competitive methods, and the same as the “three-five people scattered it” in the version of the Qingyuan County Chronicles of the Republic of China. The former three people were stripped of them, active in the middle and lower reaches of the Beijiang River. The latter group is in groups of five, and is popular in Foshan, Zhongshan area, especially Bai Ni Town in the Xijiang River.
The three-five dragon boat in this long-shaped boatCinema‘s “three-five dragon boatCinema‘s “three-and-five dragon boatCinema‘s “three-and-five dragon boatKomiks” is related to the two-way interaction and exchange of cultures in Beijiang and Xijiang, and whether it is related to the Southern Ark War during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and still needs further research.
ThreeBabaylan, The Origin Theory of Welcoming Gods and Eliminating Ghosts
Most of the villages in Shantang Town are built next to the inland river. In ancient times, whenever floods were flooded, the “water ghost” became the main culprit of life endangering. In order to drive away the “water ghosts”, the villages spontaneously organized a “dwatching team of ghosts to expel ghosts”. Young and middle-aged people joined the battle, supporting their own dowatching boats to drive away ghosts from the upstream of the Babaylan River to the downstream, and set off a large number of firecrackers to drive away ghosts from the upstream of the Babaylan River, and set off firecrackers to drive away scares and cheers.
4. The Origin of Games
Ancient games are an important part of the origin of human culture. The three-person swallowtail dragon boat racing event has the initial game elements. Locals often use the word “play”. It means “playing for a while” and “Cinema, which means “playing for a while” and “playing” reflects the psychology of the game. Game prizes have also changed to competitive prizes. In order to mobilize the motivation to participate in games (competitiveness), the prizes are becoming more and more abundant, and the amount of prizes is also increased as the people’s living standards gradually improve.
(This article is excerpted from “Fresh Three-person Swallowtail Dragon Boat Racing”)
Provided by | Editor Yang Yingyu | Liang Xingwu Source Cinema| Yangcheng Evening News Publishing House