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So，People across China are preparing to celebrate the annual Dragon Boat Festival,
全中國正在準備迎接端午節的到來，
which includes many traditions and customs that date back more than two thousand years ago.
端午節的習俗和傳統能夠追溯到2000多年以前。
Today they are still vibrantly alive.
如今，這些傳統活動依然非常盛行。
Zongzi, or sticky rice, a traditional food people eat during the festival, has a history dating back to around 300 BC.
粽子，又叫黏米，是一種人們在端午節食用的傳統食品，它的歷史能夠回到公元前300年左右。
It commemorates the death of a national hero, Qu Yuan from the ancient state of Chu at that time.
當時人們用端午節來紀念民族英雄屈原的去世，他來自古代的楚國。
He committed suicide in a river because of the downfall of his nation.
國破家亡，屈原選擇投江自盡。
To keep his body from being eaten by fish, locals wrapped rice in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river to feed the fish.
為了防止他的尸首被魚所食，當地人用粽子葉來包米飯，并投進江中喂魚。
"Zongzi is made to have very clear edges and angles, which is meant to resemble the unyielding character of Qu Yuan.
粽子的形狀有棱有角，其目的是為了顯示出屈原剛正不阿的品格。
And people often put a red date inside, to symbolize Qu's utter devotion and loyalty to his state,"
人們還經常在粽子中放進紅棗，象征屈原對國家的無限忠誠和熱枕。
After Qu Yuan’s death, people rowed boats to look for his body.
屈原死后，人們乘船尋找他的尸體。
In his home town Zigui in central China’s Hubei province, the Dragon Boat Festival is regarded a bigger event than the Chinese New Year.
在屈原的老家，位于中國中部的河北省秭歸縣，那里的端午節比過春節還要隆重。
Some historical evidence suggests that Chinese people began celebrating the festival even before Qu Yuan’s suicide.
許多歷史資料證明中國慶端午的時間甚至要早于屈原自殺的時間。
On the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, with the change of seasons, insects begin to breed and diseases spread.
中國農歷的五月初五，季節更迭，這時正是蛇蟲繁殖，瘟疫流行的時節。
People would hang mugwart and calamus, drink wealgar wine, and hang up icons of a mythical guardian.
人們會掛起艾蒿和菖蒲，飲雄黃酒，帶護身符。
All of these were believed by the ancients to promote health and well-being.
古人認為這些都是促進身心健康的方法。
The Festival has long been celebrated in Singapore, Malaysia and many other Southeast Asian countries.
一些如新加坡、馬來西亞等東亞國家也早已擁有過端午的習俗。
This traditional Chinese festival is now on the United Nation’s list of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage.
中國的傳統佳節端午節已經被納入了聯合國人類口述和非物質遺產之中。
譯文屬可可英語原創，未經允許，不得轉載。
