The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Double Fifth Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, the other two being the Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year。
The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named Chu Yuan. He was a good and respected man, but because of the misdeeds of jealous rivals he eventually fell into disfavor in the emperor's court。
Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow Chu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Low river. Because of their admiration for Chu Yuan, the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons。
Although they were unable to find Chu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated today during the Dragon Boat Festival。
端午节的由来
端午节，又称为五五节，因为端午节是在农历的五月五日，是三个重要的中国节庆之一，其他两个分别是中秋节和农历新年。
这个节日的由来是古代中国有一位博学多闻的官吏屈原，他是一位爱民而且又受到尊崇的官吏，但是由於一位充满嫉妒的官吏陷害，从此在朝廷中被皇帝所冷落。由於无法获得皇帝的重视，屈原在忧郁的情况下投汨罗江自尽。
由於对屈原的爱戴，汨罗江畔的居民匆忙的划船在江内寻找屈原，并且将米丢入汨罗江中，以平息汨罗江中的蛟龙。即使他们当时并没有找到屈原，但是他们的行为，直到今天在端午节的时候，仍然被人们传颂纪念著。
dragon boat龙舟(名词)
That dragon boat is very colorful. 那艘龙舟非常鲜艳。
festival节庆(名词)
In Taiwan, people celebrate many different festivals. 在台湾，人们庆祝许多不同的节庆。
lunar calendar农历
The lunar calendar is different from the calendar used in the west. 农历和西方所用的历法不一样。scholarly 博学多闻的(形容词)
Our professor is very scholarly. 我们的教授非常博学多闻。
government 政府(名词)
I think our government needs some reforms. 我想我们的政府需要一些改革。
official公务员(名词)
That official helped me to get my visa. 那位公务员协助我取得签证。
respected受敬重的(形容词)
The woman is very respected because of her abilities. 那位女性因为能力而受到敬重。
misdeed 罪行，不当的行为(名词)
His misdeeds brought him bad fortune. 他不当的行为造成他悲惨的命运。
jealous嫉妒(形容词)
My girlfriend is jealous of my female friends. 我的女朋友总是嫉妒我其他的女性朋友。
rival对手(名词)
His rivals are trying to defeat him. 他的对手尝试击败他。
disfavor不赞成、反对(动词)
Most people disfavor his ideas because they are outdated。大部分的人都不赞成他的意见，因为那些意见都过时了！
admiration钦佩、赞美(名词)
His kindness gained him the admiration of all the people. 他的仁慈获得人们对他的赞美和钦佩。adjacent邻近的、毗邻的(介系词)
The post office is adjacent to the bank. 那邮局在银行的旁边。
appease缓和、平息(动词)
This food should appease his hunger。这些食物应该会让他感到比较不饥饿了。
commemorate庆祝、纪念(动词)
On this day we commemorate those soldiers who died during battle。在这一天，我们纪念那些在战争中捐躯的军人。
风俗习惯
Dragon Boat race
Traditions At the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races were inspired by the villager's valiant attempts to rescue Chu Yuan from the Mi Lo river. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries。
Tzung Tzu
A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat festival is tzung tzu. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of tzung tzu is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Mi Low river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour Chu Yuan。
Ay Taso
The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth lunar moon, has more significance than just the story of Chu Yuan. Many Chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. Families will hang various herbs, called Ay Tsao, on their door for protection. The drinking of realgar wine is thought to remove poisons from the body. Hsiang Bao are also worn. These sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness。
