中國傳統文化 第21期:端午節
The Dragon Boat Festival
The 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year is an important day for the Chinese people. The day called “Duan Wu”（meaning Day of Right Mid-Day) is observed everywhere in China.
每年農曆的五月初五,是中國傳統的端午節，又稱端陽節、重午節、天中節等。
This unique Chinese celebration dates back to earliest times and a number of legends explain its origins.
過端午的習俗由來已久，大約開始於春秋戰國之際。但是關於端午節的始源， 卻有不同的說法。
The best known story centers on a patriotic court official named Qu Yuan, of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period more than 2, 000 years ago.
而其中流傳最廣、影響最大的是紀念屈原一說。
In a last desperate protest, he threw himself into the river and drowned.
屈原自感無力挽救楚國的衰亡，於五月五日自沉汨羅江而死。
Later Qu Yuan’s sympathizers jumped into boats, beat the water with their oars and made rice dumplings wrapped in reed-leaves (zongzi) and scattered them into the Miluo River in the hope that fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings instead of the body of the deceased poet.
老百姓很同情屈原的遭遇，爲了避免屈原的屍體被魚鱉吞食，便於五月五日這一天划着龍舟在江中驅趕魚鱉，並將包好的糉子投放江中來餵魚鱉，以保護屈原的屍體。
