英语口语:端午节的来源与习俗是什么

The Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar.It is one of the three most important of the annual Chinese festivals.The other two are the Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year.

端午节在每年阴历的五月初五与我们相遇，它是最重要的中国三大节日之一，另外两个为中秋节和农历春节。

he story of this colorful festival concerns a famous Chinese scholar-statesman named Chu Yuan.Who some three centuries before the birth of Christ,served the King of Chu during the Warring States period.As a loyal minister,Chu Yuan at first enjoyed the full confidence and respect of his sovereign.Eventually,through the intrigues of his rivals,he was discredited.

这个丰富多彩的节日与我国历史上着名的诗人、政治家屈原息息相关。在公元前三世纪的战国时期，屈原是楚国的重臣。作为尊贵的三闾大夫，在端政初期，屈原充满自信并深得皇帝尊重，但随着政敌和小人的阴谋诋毁，屈原渐渐失去了信任

Chu Yuan was never able to regain the emperor's favor and on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the year 278 B.C.(Before Christ),at the age of 62,Chu Yuan clasped a stone to his chest and plunged into the Milo River in the Hunan Province.

屈原最终再没能赢得楚怀王及顷襄王的信任，最终在公元前278年五月初五在湖南省汨罗江怀石自沉江底。时年62岁。

Respecting the minister as an upright and honest man,the people who lived in the area jumped into their boats and rushed out in a vain search for him.This unsuccessful rescue attempt is a part of what the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates every year.

人们为了体现对于屈原先生高尚而诚洁的品格的尊敬，在汨罗江附近的人们乘着龙舟，寻找着屈原的遗体，虽然最终没有找到，但此次不成功的营救行动却成为端午节每年的纪念活动。

Probably the most exciting and interesting aspect of the festival is the racing of the Dragon Boats.These races not only symbolize the people's attempt to save Chu Yuan,they also demonstrate the Chinese virtues of cooperation and teamwork.

在端午节活动中最为激烈精彩的莫过于赛龙舟了，当然这已不仅仅是营救屈原的象征了，而是一种深切体现中华民族协同合作美好品质的证明。

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After Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River,the local people living adjacent to the River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the river to appease the dragons.

屈原偷汨罗江自尽后，汨罗江畔的居民匆忙地划船在江内寻找他，并且把米丢人汨罗江里，以平息江里的蛟龙。

To the Chinese the fifth lunar moon is more than just the Dragon Boat Festival.Since antiquity,they have believed that this month is a pestilential and danger-fraught period.Children born in this month are said to be difficult to raise,and people tend to concentrate their efforts during this time attempting to protect their families from ills and misfortune.The day of the Dragon Boat Festival is customarily the time when cleaning and sanitation are stressed.Most families hang calamus and artemisia above their doors,both as a decoration and as a preventive against pestilence.

在五月初五这一天，意义其实超过了赛龙舟吃粽子种种。在古代，人们认为五月是危险和病祸盛行的月份，新生儿也认为难以成活，因此这天人们会进行各种活动来保护自己的家庭远离不幸。端午节这天有很多习俗，清理打扫是重点，大多数家庭在门前悬挂菖蒲和艾草，这既是端午节的装饰也是驱除瘟疫的防范。

Ancient folk medicine such as realgar are added to the food eaten on the Festival day.This is believed to prevent disease and to promote a healthy digestive system The drinking of realgar in wine supposedly relieves the effects of poisons accumulated in human bodies.

古代人在这天还会少许饮一些雄黄的药酒，他们坚信雄黄酒可以祛除病痛，提高我们消化系统的健康。但现今科学证实，饮雄黄酒对于人体会有一定的毒害作用。

With time going by,the custom still lingers on.The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the statutory holidays in China.

随着时间的流逝，这风俗历久犹存。端午节也成为了中国法定节假日之一。

Chinese calendar/lunar calendar农历，阴历

Solar calendar阳历

In honour of为纪念（为向......表示敬意，为......庆祝）

Dragon Boat Race赛龙舟（端午节又叫龙舟节）

Zongzi粽子（晋代，粽子被正式定为端午节食品）

Realgar wine雄黄酒

throw oneself into积极从事，投入

throw into扔进，使......（突然）陷入某一状态

adjacent to邻近的，毗连的

rush into仓促行动

appease（动词）使平息，使满足

Linger on徘徊，逗留

statutory holidays法定节假日