Why do we hang five-colored ropes on the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th? How should I wear it?
The Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th is a particularly important traditional event in China. Therefore, China has gradually formed a variety of traditional activities over its long history. So why do we hang five-colored ropes on May 5th? The Dragon Boat Festival in 2018 has been one of the most important traditional festivals throughout the ages, with a series of folk customs such as dragon boat racing and eating rice dumplings. Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the world's intangible cultural heritage that my country has applied for.Why do we hang five-colored ropes on the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th?The five-colored thread was also called the five-colored longevity thread in ancient times. The Dragon Boat Festival was originally a festival for girls and is known as China's Girls' Day.Tying a five-colored longevity thread is an ancient custom that has existed since the Song Dynasty. Thick red, green, yellow, white and black silk threads are twisted into colorful ropes and tied around girls' arms and necks. They are called longevity ropes or life-extending ropes. The Ming Dynasty poet Yu Youding's poem "Song of the Fifth Day in the Imperial Capital" said "Tying out five threads can prolong one's life", which refers to this custom. Han Dynasty Ying Shao's "Customs and Customs" records: "On May 5th, people tie five-colored silk on their arms, which is called the long life thread." Later generations also called it "the life-extending thread." According to this, this custom has been passed down from the Han Dynasty and has been around for two thousand years. According to traditional custom, five-colored silk threads are twisted into a knot and tied around children's arms from May 5th to July 7th, the birthday of "Seventh Mother". Then the knot is taken off and burned together with the gold paper. There is also a saying that if you cut the colorful thread and throw it in the rain on the first rainy day after the Dragon Boat Festival, it will bring you good luck for the whole year. The five-colored threads are also called "five-color thread", "red rope", "hundred ropes", etc., and are a must-have item for the Dragon Boat Festival. It is a custom in Shaanxi to tie colorful silk threads around children's wrists, ankles and necks on the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that this can ward off evil spirits and prevent the five poisons from getting close. This colorful silk thread must be worn until "June 6th" when it is cut off and thrown into the river to be washed away. According to the legend in Shaanxi Province, this is related to the deeds of the Medicine King Sun Simiao. Throwing the colorful thread into the river is equivalent to taking away all diseases, and has the nature of sending away disasters. Nowadays, embroidery silk thread is generally used, with many and bright colors, and the color usage is relatively flexible, with as many as more than ten colors and as few as two or three. Five-color rope wearing time(1) On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, before the sun rises, adults get up and tie dragon boat strings around the wrists, ankles, and necks of sleeping children. In some places, you can wear it the night before. You can refer to local customs for details.(2) Children are not allowed to speak while the colorful string is being tied, and they are not allowed to tear or discard the colorful string at will after it is put on. (3) The ribbons were not taken down and burned until the seventh day of the seventh month, the birthday of “Seventh Mother”. In some places, people pick the apples and throw them into the river when the first rain falls after the Dragon Boat Festival, letting the rain wash them away. Where should the five-colored rope be worn?The five-colored thread is made of five colors of threads, and not just any five colors will do. They must be blue, white, red, black and yellow. According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, these five colors represent wood, gold, fire, water and earth respectively. They also symbolize east, west, south, north and center. They contain the five divine powers of the five directions, which can drive away evil spirits, cure diseases, strengthen the body, and make people healthy and long-lived.During the Dragon Boat Festival, men wear five-colored ropes on the left and women on the right. They can be tied around the wrist or the ankle to avoid the five poisons and prevent plague. |
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