西瓜源自域外,其傳播、推廣和普及不僅為中國帶來了優質果蔬,而且豐富了原有的傳統歲時節日民俗文化生活。中國的元旦(春節)、上元節、端午節、薦新、立秋、七夕節、中元節、中秋節等傳統歲時節日民俗中都不同程度地吸納和融合了西瓜元素。究其原因,西瓜至少在生物特性、成熟時間和生態特性等三個方面契合了傳統歲時節日民俗的宗旨和訴求。作為傳統歲時節日民俗文化的重要元素,西瓜是一筆非常重要的農業文化遺產,應當注意挖掘其文化價值和社會意義,使之得以有效保護、傳承和發展。

Watermelon is a kind of foreign crop.Its spread,promotion and popularity not only brought China an excellent fruit,but also enriched the original folk cultural life of traditional festivals.Many Chinese traditional folk festivals,such as Chinese New Year(Spring Festival),the Lantern Festival,Dragon Boat Festival,New Crops Recommendation,Beginning of Autumn,Chinese Valentine’s Day,Hungry Ghost Festival,the Mid-Autumn Festival,and so on,have all absorbed and combined elements of watermelon to different extent.Investigating the reasons,watermelon fits the purposes and demands of traditional Chinese Folk Festivals at least in biological features,ripening time and ecological character.Watermelon traditional festival folk culture is a very important agricultural cultural heritage,so its cultural value and social significance deserve our attention,and an effective protection,inheritance and development of the culture should be ensured.