What customs and activities are there during the Dragon Boat Festival? Is the Dragon Boat Festival about getting rid of evil?
The customs and activities of different festivals are also different, but not everyone knows about them. So, let’s take a look at what customs and activities are there during the Dragon Boat Festival? The earthly branch of the fifth month in the lunar calendar is Wu, which represents Yang Fire, so it is also called the Wu month. The fifth month in the lunar calendar is the time when summer insects chirp and the fragrance of midsummer fills the air. For more information about the fifth month in the lunar calendar, please pay attention to Mr. Shui Mo’s special feature on the fifth month in the lunar calendar!What customs and activities are there during the Dragon Boat Festival?1. Eat ZongziWhen talking about the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, one thing we must not forget is eating rice dumplings. As one of the traditional foods of the Dragon Boat Festival, rice dumplings also have a very important position. The custom of eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival has been popular in China for thousands of years and has become one of the most influential and widely covered folk food customs of the Chinese nation. 2. Dragon Boat Racing Dragon boat racing is also held during the Dragon Boat Festival in some areas. There is a certain connection between dragon boat racing and Qu Yuan. It is said that it originated from the ancient Chu people who were reluctant to see the virtuous minister Qu Yuan die in the river, so many people rowed boats to chase and save him. Therefore, dragon boat racing has become one of the customs on the Dragon Boat Festival. 3. Hanging mugwort During the Dragon Boat Festival, every household will hang mugwort and cattail on the door. It is recorded in "Jingchu Sui Shi Ji": "Pick mugwort to make people and hang them on the doors to ward off poisonous gas." This is because mugwort is an important medicinal plant, which can be made into moxa to treat diseases, moxibustion acupoints, and repel insects. 4. Wear a sachet In the northern region of our country, there is a saying that children should wear sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival to bless their safe and healthy growth. Of course, it is also taboo to lose the sachets worn on the Dragon Boat Festival. This is one of the taboos of the Dragon Boat Festival. 5. Tie five-colored silk threads There is also a custom of tying five-colored silk threads on the Dragon Boat Festival. On the Dragon Boat Festival, children have to tie five-colored silk threads on their wrists and ankles to ward off evil spirits. According to traditional custom, people twist thick silk threads of red, green, yellow, white and black into colorful ropes and tie them around children's arms or necks. They start tying them on May 5th and keep them until the birthday of "Seventh Mother" on Chinese Valentine's Day, when they are then taken off and burned along with gold paper. 6. Avoid the five poisons There is also a custom of avoiding the five poisons on the Dragon Boat Festival. Every Dragon Boat Festival, people use various methods to prevent the harm of the five poisons. Generally, a picture of the five poisonous creatures is posted in the house. Five poisonous creatures are printed on red paper, and then five needles are pricked on the five poisonous creatures. It is believed that the poisonous creatures are stabbed to death and cannot run rampant anymore. Is the Dragon Boat Festival about getting rid of evil?Yes, there is also a belief that the Dragon Boat Festival is a time to get rid of evil.In fact, the main reason is that in ancient times, people also called the Dragon Boat Festival the "evil month" and the "evil day". Therefore, there are many traditional customs to drive away evil spirits on the Dragon Boat Festival. Especially in the Jianghuai region of our country, every family hangs the image of Zhong Kui on the Dragon Boat Festival to ward off evil spirits. The need to eliminate evil on the Dragon Boat Festival is actually related to a folk story: According to legend, it happened on the fifth day of the fifth month during the Kaiyuan period. When Emperor Minghuang of Tang returned to the palace after giving a lecture at Mount Li, he suffered from malaria and dreamed of two ghosts, one big and one small. The small ghost wore bright red crotchless pants. They stole Yang Guifei's sachet and Emperor Minghuang's jade flute and ran around the palace. The big ghost was wearing a blue robe and a hat and was barefoot. He caught the little ghost, dug out its eyes, and swallowed it in one gulp. Emperor Tang Minghuang hurriedly asked what was going on. The big ghost said, "I, Zhong Kui, have failed the martial arts examination. I am willing to eliminate demons for your majesty." After Emperor Minghuang woke up, his malaria soon recovered. He then ordered Wu Daozi to paint a picture of Zhong Kui catching ghosts according to what he saw in the dream, and ordered the whole country to post it during the Dragon Boat Festival to drive away evil spirits. From then on, the tradition of pasting images of Zhong Kui on the Dragon Boat Festival has been passed down. When it comes to exorcising evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, the most common way is to use mugwort. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, mugwort needs to be hung in front of the hall to achieve the effect of exorcising evil spirits. Of course, sometimes people also cut mugwort into the shape of a tiger, or cut paper into a little tiger, and stick it with mugwort leaves. Women compete to wear it to ward off evil spirits and drive away miasma. In many areas, people use calamus to make swords and insert them on the door lintels. In the Jiangnan region, during the Dragon Boat Festival, every family uses calamus, pomegranate flowers, garlic, and dragon boat flowers to make human figures, called "mugwort men", and place them in the house to ward off evil spirits. |
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