记忆里的端午节｜The Dragon Boat Festival in My Memory

每天五分钟听经典英文故事，读绘本，磨耳朵。一个男孩在端午节这天，从五色线、艾草和粽子中，慢慢懂得了古老心愿的意义，也记住了奶奶的温暖。On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, Xiaoman woke up and found a five color thread tied around his wristRed, yellow, blue, white, and black, the thin threads twisted together, resting against his skin, a little itchyHe frowned and asked his grandma, "Why do we have to tie this on every year I'm not a zongzi"Grandma was in the kitchen, washing bamboo leavesThe green leaves floated in the water basin, like little boatsShe did not answer right awayShe just handed a leaf to Xiaoman for him to smellThe scent was very fresh, carrying the fragrance of grass and rainGrandma said, "The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar monthLong ago, people believed that when the fifth month arrived, the weather grew hot, insects multiplied, and people fell ill more easilySo they would hang mugwort and calamus at the door, wear sachets, and tie five color threads around children's wristsIt was not for decorationIt was to keep peace and safety close by"Xiaoman ran to the door and sure enough, he saw a bundle of mugwort tucked above the doorframeWhen the wind blew, the tips of the leaves swayed gently, as if standing guard for the homeThe water in the pot began to bubbleGrandma wrapped glutinous rice, red dates, and red bean paste into the bamboo leaves, bit by bitHer hands were steadyAs she wound the string around, the zongzi took shape in her palm, forming a tiny pointed cornerXiaoman asked, "Then why do we eat zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival"Grandma said, "There are many storiesThe best known one is that people do this to honor Qu YuanLegend says that after he threw himself into the river, the common people rowed their boats to search for him and threw balls of rice into the water, hoping the fish and shrimp would not harm his bodyOver time, the rowing became dragon boat racing, and the rice balls slowly became zongzi"Xiaoman looked down at the white steam rising from the edge of the potSo a zongzi was not just rice and datesInside it was also the heart of people from long ago, who wanted to hold on to someone they lovedAt noon, the sound of dragon boat drums came from far awayBoom, boom, boomXiaoman stood by the window and listenedThe sound did not feel like a race to himIt felt more like many people searching together across the waterGrandma placed the cooked zongzi into a bowlWhen she unwrapped the leaves, steam rose into the air, and the glutinous rice glistenedXiaoman took a bite, and the sweetness melted slowly on his tongueSuddenly, he did not want to cut off the five color thread anymoreGrandma said, "In our hometown, when the first rain after the Dragon Boat Festival comes, you can take off the thread and place it by the waterThe old folks say the rain will carry away all the bad things"A few days later, the first rain really did fallXiaoman stood under the eaves and gently untied the five color threadRainwater flowed along the roof tiles into a thin little streamHe placed the thread into it and watched it drift slowly awayIn that moment, he felt he understood the Dragon Boat FestivalIt was not a big holiday, nor a distant legendIt was the bundle of mugwort at the door, the zongzi in the pot, the tiny thread around a wristIt was grown ups quietly tying an ancient wish onto a child前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动