What are the five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival? Why do we eat five red foods during the Dragon Boat Festival?

What are the five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival? Why do we eat five red foods during the Dragon Boat Festival?
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the traditional festivals. I believe everyone has heard of the five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival. So, let’s take a look at what the five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival refer to. Chinese people believe that the fifth month of the lunar calendar is a poisonous month, and the Dragon Boat Festival is the first of the nine poisonous days. For more information about the fifth month of the lunar calendar, please follow Mr. Shui Mo's website!

What are the five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival?

I believe everyone has heard that we should eat five red foods during the Dragon Boat Festival, but not everyone knows which five red foods they are.
The five reds of the Dragon Boat Festival actually refer to: roast duck, amaranth, duck eggs, lobster, and realgar wine.
Introduction to the five red dishes of Dragon Boat Festival: roast duck:
The main reason is that in ancient times the fifth month of the lunar calendar was called the poisonous month. There were many poisonous substances and evil plants in the fifth month of the lunar calendar. The ancients would eat five kinds of red food to scare away the poisonous substances, hoping that they would not run into their homes. Roast duck is bright red in color, so there is a custom of eating roast duck on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Introduction to the five red dishes of Dragon Boat Festival: Amaranth:
Amaranth is a type of vegetable and is also the most common vegetable in daily life. Amaranth is the most "senior" of the "five reds". Pan Zongding of the Republic of China period recorded in "Jinling Sui Shi Ji" that in the past, people in Nanjing must eat amaranth on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is said to avoid abdominal pain. The reason for eating amaranth is the same as that for eating roast duck.
Introduction to the five reds of Dragon Boat Festival: duck eggs:
The duck eggs here do not refer to ordinary duck eggs, but salted duck eggs. Red oil duck eggs are also one of the "five reds". Around the Qingming Festival, ordinary families begin to pickle a batch of duck eggs, because at this time "Qingming eggs are good as a meal." The Dragon Boat Festival is the season for eating salted duck eggs. In addition, the yolk of salted duck eggs is relatively red, so it is a custom to eat duck eggs during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Introduction to the five red dragon boat festival lobster:
Lobster is a kind of seafood and is loved by many people in daily life. In terms of time, lobster has been included in the "Five Reds" the shortest time. It has been on the dining table of Nanjing people since the 1970s, gradually replacing "fried shrimp" and becoming the new favorite among the "Five Reds". Therefore, in modern life, many friends also eat lobster during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Introduction to the Dragon Boat Festival Five Reds: Realgar Wine:
In addition to the above four kinds of food, the five reds also include realgar wine. The custom of drinking realgar wine is related to driving away the five poisons. Ancient people believed that realgar could control snakes, scorpions and other insects. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, there is a custom of drinking realgar wine.

Why do we eat five red foods during the Dragon Boat Festival?

Eating five red foods during the Dragon Boat Festival is actually related to a legend.
A long time ago, the heaven and earth were ruled by the Jade Emperor. For the safety of the human world, the Jade Emperor announced that all poisonous creatures in heaven had to wait until the first spring thunder before they could go to the mortal world. Therefore, the Jingzhe Festival came into being.
However, because some poisonous creatures are more afraid of cold, they will choose to go to the human world together during the Dragon Boat Festival. These poisonous creatures are called the Five Poisons, which are: snakes, spiders, scorpions, centipedes and geckos.
These five poisonous creatures came to the world during the Dragon Boat Festival. As soon as they arrived at the door of a house, they heard the hostess of the house say, "Eat quickly, these are the fried five poisonous creatures." The five poisonous creatures were shocked and leaned over to look through the window. They saw five red dishes on five plates on the table. The hostess said as she ate that this five-poison dish was really delicious. The “Five Red Vegetables” turned into blood in the eyes of the five poisonous creatures. They were so frightened that they fled from the house in a hurry and never dared to go there again.
Since then, people have been eating five kinds of red vegetables on the Dragon Boat Festival to scare away poisonous animals and hope they will not enter their homes. Therefore, the so-called "five reds" have become a must-have menu on the Dragon Boat Festival table.

<<:  What are the missing five elements for those born on the Dragon Boat Festival in 2021? Is your life good?

>>:  Introduction to working hours after the Dragon Boat Festival in 2021. When do we start working?

Recommend

What is the origin of the Lantern Festival?

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the ...

Is it okay to hold a funeral on the 13th day of the 11th lunar month in 2017?

Introduction: Everyone will experience birth, agin...

Can the funeral be held on November 28th of the lunar calendar in 2017?

Introduction: In traditional culture, everyone att...

Is it possible to travel on the second day of the eleventh lunar month in 2017?

Introduction: With the coming of cold winter, the ...