农历五月初五，俗称"端午节"，是中国传统节日之一。农历以地支纪月，五月为午。端是"开端"的意思，因此初五也可称为端五。"五"与"午"通，故有名端午，它也被人称为端五、重五、端阳。
      在先秦时代，人们普遍认为五月是个毒月，而五日则是恶日。据《礼记》载，端午源于周代的蓄兰沐浴，目的是以浴驱邪。历史上有名的孟尝君，因为在端午出生，其父甚至要求其母不要生下他，认为这个孩子将不利于父母。从先秦以后，五月初五就被认作是不吉之日。为了祈求家宅平安，躲避灾祸，每家每户在这天都会在门前插菖蒲、艾叶以驱鬼，薰苍术、白芷、喝雄黄酒以避疫。 
      事实上，由于端午正值春夏交替，天气燥热，人易生病，瘟疫也易流行；加上蛇虫等毒物处于繁殖期，易咬伤人，民间的这些端午节习俗恰好为家庭做了卫生消毒，由此看来，端午可算是传统的医药卫生节，是人们与疾病、毒虫做斗争的节日。
       除去在家中消毒避疫，民间在端午这一日还有许多有趣的习俗，如挂香包、编长命缕、包粽子等。自屈原在五月初五投江自尽后，吃粽子和赛龙舟更成为端午节必做的两件事，以纪念这位伟大的爱国诗人。    在今天，端午节已为国家法定节假日。2006年5月20日，该民俗被列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。

The fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the date of the Duanwu Festival, one of China's traditional holidays, commonly known in English as the Dragon Boat Festival.  Time in the lunar calendar is counted by the twelve Earthly Branches, the fifth of which is wu. Duan means "beginning," hence the name Duanwu, meaning "the beginning of the fifth."  The festival is also known as the Double Fifth, as well as Duanyang (yang meaning sun), signifying that the festival falls on the summer solstice. 

In the pre-Qin period, it was commonly held that the month of May was a "poisonous" month, while the fifth day of the month was an "evil" day.  According to the Book of Rites, the Duanwu Festival originated in the Zhou Dynasty with the practice of bathing with orchid extract as a remedy to drive off evil spirits.  When Meng Changjun, a famous figure in Chinese history, was born on the fifth day of May, his father was so concerned by the date that he demanded Meng's mother not give birth to the boy, fearing that the child would bring misfortune on the parents.  Ever since pre-Qin times, the fifth of May has been seen as day of ill omen.  To pray for a family's safety and avoid disaster, all households would stick calamus and Chinese mugwort leaves before their doors to ward off evil spirits, and burn special herbs like Chinese atractylodes and Angelica, and also drink realgar wine to prevent illness. 

In truth, as this date marks the transition from spring to summer, when the weather becomes hot and dry, people are actually more susceptible to illness, and epidemics are easily spread.  In addition, people are more likely to be stung by poisonous snakes and worms, which reproduce during this time, and these Duanwu Festival folk customs serve to disinfect and sanitize people's homes.  In this light, the Duanwu Festival can be seen as a traditional medicinal and hygienic holiday, a holiday to fight against sickness and poisonous insects.

Aside from household hygiene, there are also many other interesting folk customs practiced during the Duanwu Festival, such as wearing fragrant pouches, weaving colorful protective braids, and making zongzi, a kind of rice dumpling steamed in bamboo leaves.  Eating zongzi and competing in dragon boat races have also become two of the most prominent customs of the festival, to commemorate the sacrifice of China's great patriotic poet, Qu Yuan, who committed suicide by drowning himself in a river on the fifth of May.

Today, Duanwu Festival is a national public holiday.  As of May 20th, 2006, the folk customs of the festival were officially recognized by the state in the first list of national intangible cultural heritage.

• dragon [´drægən]   n.龙   (初中英语单词)
• beginning [bi´giniŋ]   n.开始，开端；起源   (初中英语单词)
• disaster [di´zɑ:stə]   n.灾难，不幸   (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli]   ad.事实上；实际上   (初中英语单词)
• illness [´ilnis]   n.生病，不健康，疾病   (初中英语单词)
• addition [ə´diʃən]   n.加；加法；附加物   (初中英语单词)
• holiday [´hɔlidi]   n.假日，假期，节日   (初中英语单词)
• sickness [´siknis]   n.生病；呕吐，恶心   (初中英语单词)
• prominent [´prɔminənt]   a.突起的；凸出的   (初中英语单词)
• cultural [´kʌltʃərəl]   a.文化(上)的；教养的   (初中英语单词)
• calendar [´kælində]   n.日历；月历；历法   (高中英语单词)
• festival [´festivəl]   n.节日；庆祝；欢庆   (高中英语单词)
• commonly [´kɔmənli]   ad.一般地；通常   (高中英语单词)
• earthly [´ə:θli]   a.地球的；世俗的   (高中英语单词)
• extract [ik´strækt, ´ekstrækt]   vt.取出；摘录 n.精华   (高中英语单词)
• remedy [´remidi]   n.药品 vt.医治；减轻   (高中英语单词)
• concerned [kən´sə:nd]   a.有关的；担心的   (高中英语单词)
• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən]   n.不幸；灾祸   (高中英语单词)
• reproduce [,ri:prə´dju:s]   v.繁殖；复制；翻版   (高中英语单词)
• fragrant [´freigrənt]   a.芳香的，芬芳的   (高中英语单词)
• bamboo [,bæm´bu:]   n.竹   (高中英语单词)
• patriotic [,pætri´ɔtik]   a.爱国的   (高中英语单词)
• suicide [´su:isaid, ´sju:-]   n.&a.自杀(者)(的)   (高中英语单词)
• traditional [trə´diʃənəl]   a.传统的，习惯的   (英语四级单词)
• dynasty [´dinəsti]   n.王朝；朝代   (英语四级单词)
• transition [træn´ziʃən, -´si-]   n.转变；过渡   (英语四级单词)
• poisonous [´pɔizənəs]   a.有毒的；讨厌的   (英语四级单词)
• hygiene [´haidʒi:n]   n.健康法；卫生学   (英语四级单词)
• protective [prə´tektiv]   a.防护的；保护贸易的   (英语四级单词)
• officially [ə´fiʃəli]   ad.以职员身份；正式   (英语四级单词)
• heritage [´heritidʒ]   n.遗产，继承物   (英语四级单词)
• susceptible [sə´septəbəl]   a.敏感的；易受影响的   (英语六级单词)
• practiced [´præktist]   a.经验丰富的；熟练的   (英语六级单词)
• commemorate [kə´meməreit]   vt.纪念   (英语六级单词)