Different festivals have different customs and activities. The most well-known custom of the Dragon Boat Festival is eating rice dumplings. So, let’s take a look at what other customs and activities there are during the Dragon Boat Festival besides eating rice dumplings? From the perspective of the 24 solar terms, the fifth month of the lunar calendar has entered the middle of summer, which is exactly the midsummer season. Therefore, the fifth month of the lunar calendar is known as the poisonous month. Come to Shuimo.com and join the editor to learn more about May.Are there any other customs and activities during the Dragon Boat Festival besides eating rice dumplings?Activity 1: Fighting GrassAccording to the Liang Dynasty scholar Zong Yan's "Jingchu Sui Shi Ji", "On May 5th, people of all ethnic groups trample on the grass and play the game of fighting with grass." Activity 2: Playing Polo Polo is a game in which one hits a ball with a stick while riding on a horse. It was called Jiju in ancient times. The northern ethnic groups in China do not have the custom of dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival, but they do practice archery and play polo on this day, which is obviously a legacy of the competitive customs of the northern nomadic peoples. Activity 3: Zhong Kui Dance In folk culture, "Zhong Kui" is a symbol of warding off evil and upholding righteousness. Dancing Zhong Kui during the Dragon Boat Festival symbolizes the elimination of the five poisons, peace throughout the four seasons, and longevity and good harvests. Activity 4: Drinking Pu wine, realgar wine, and cinnabar wine "Yueling Guangyi" by Feng Yingjing of the Ming Dynasty wrote: "On the fifth day, use cinnabar wine to ward off evil spirits and detoxify. Use the wine to stain your forehead, chest, hands and soles of your feet to avoid the trouble of vipers (a kind of poisonous snake mentioned in ancient books). Also sprinkle the walls, doors and windows with the wine to avoid poisonous insects." This custom is quite widespread. Activity 5: Collecting herbs and making herbal tea Volume 22 of Sui Shi Guang Ji, titled "Collecting Various Herbs", quotes a lost text from Jingchu Sui Shi Ji: "On May 5th, people compete to collect various herbs, which can cure all kinds of diseases." The Chinese people still generally believe that the herbs collected during the Dragon Boat Festival are the most effective. Activity 6: Avoid the Five Poisons In the minds of ancient northerners, the Dragon Boat Festival was a poisonous and evil day. This idea has been passed down among the people, which is why there are various customs of praying for peace and avoiding the five poisons. Activity 7: Hiding from the Dragon Boat Festival The "Jiajing and Longqing Chronicles" also records: "Married girls were called back to celebrate the festival." Also, "Luanzhou Chronicles" records: "Newly married women are welcomed back home in this month, which is called 'hiding from the Dragon Boat Festival'." Activity 8: Fumigation of Atractylodes Fumigation with Atractylodes lancea is one of the traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. In folk culture, Atractylodes lancea is used to disinfect the air. Natural Atractylodes lancea are tied together and the thin smoke produced after burning not only emits a fresh fragrance, but also drives away mosquitoes and makes people feel refreshed. Activity 9: Tying five-colored silk threads On the Dragon Boat Festival, children tie five-colored silk threads on their wrists and ankles to ward off evil spirits. Activity 10: Hanging mugwort and calamus The tradition of arranging various flowers and plants to ward off evil spirits and cure diseases during the Dragon Boat Festival is also very old. Activity 11: Dragon Boat Race Dragon boat racing has a long history and is a collective paddling competition involving multiple people. The dragon boat race is divided into several sections, including inviting the dragon, offering sacrifices to the dragon god, parading the dragon and collecting the dragon. Before a dragon boat race, a grand sacrificial ceremony is usually held, where the dragon is first invited and the gods are offered sacrifices. |
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