在端午節，吃粽子、戴香包之類的傳統活動少不了。今天我們就來用英語聊聊端午節的各項大家所熟知的傳統習俗。
The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of more than 2,000 years. It is usually in June in the Gregorian calendar.
端午節（農曆五月初五）是中國古老的傳統節日，始於春秋戰國時期，至今已有2000多年歷史，通常在陽曆的六月份。
端午節來源：
Qu was a minister of the State of Chu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during the Warring States Period (475-221BC)（戰國時期）. He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually conquered by the State of Qin.
The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the mourners that a huge reptile（爬行動物）in the river had stolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.
端午節吃什麼？
「粽包分兩髻，艾束著危冠。舊俗方儲藥，羸軀亦點丹。」
端午節不可不吃的美味食物就是粽子（tsung-tse/glutinous rice dumpling），這種傳統源於汨羅江邊的漁夫，將米丟入江中平息江中的蛟龍，希望它們不要傷害屈原。
粽子tsung-tse：Glutinous rice（糯米） filled with meat, nuts or bean paste（豆醬） and wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is associated with Dragon Boat Festival with historical meaning.The custom of eating tsung-tse is also popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.
因為南北方的飲食文化差異，粽子裡面的餡兒也有所不同，北方多為甜味粽子，以豆沙（bean paste）、紅棗（date）等做餡兒，而南方則多為鹹味粽子，以肉（meat）、堅果（nut）等做餡兒。在朝鮮、韓國和日本等亞洲國家，也有吃粽子的習俗。
端午節喝什麼？
「櫻桃桑椹與菖蒲，更買雄黃酒一壺。」
端午節嘗試一下雄黃酒吧。端午節這天，人們把雄黃倒入酒中飲用，並把雄黃酒(realgar wine)塗在小孩兒的耳、鼻、額頭、手、足等處，希望這樣可以使孩子們不受蛇蟲的傷害，同時也能驅趕惡靈（fend off evil spirits）。
Adults drink realgar wine, which can fend off evil spirits.
端午節玩什麼？
「鼓聲三下紅旗開，兩龍躍出浮水來。棹影斡波飛萬劍，鼓聲劈浪鳴千雷。」
端午節最應景的節目就是賽龍舟（dragon boat racing ）。端午節也叫龍舟節，可見賽龍舟是端午節必不可少的一項活動。
Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.
A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern（船尾）. A banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers, gong（銅鑼）beaters and cymbal（鐃鈸）players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.
端午節戴什麼？
端午節最有特色的飾物就是香包（sachet）。小孩佩戴香包，傳說有避邪驅瘟之意。用含有多種香味的藥用植物（ herbal medicines）做成的香包也可以預防疾病。
端午節掛什麼？
「不效艾符趨習俗，但祈蒲酒話昇平。」
許多人相信五月是一年中容易引發疾病的危險時節，因此必須有許多防備家人生病的措施。端午節時，人們會將一種特別的植物——艾草掛在門口，作為保護之用。
在門上掛艾葉和菖蒲（branches of moxa and calamus around the doors of their homes）和懸鐘馗像(display portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei)都是為了驅疾避兇，討個吉利。
編輯：馬文英
來源：中國日報網英語點津