Why do we hang mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May? How to hang mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival?
Many careful friends in life should have discovered that during the Dragon Boat Festival, many households will hang a green plant on their doors. In fact, that is what we call mugwort. So why do we hang mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival? Let’s find out together. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival. Since ancient times, there has been a custom of dragon boat racing on the Dragon Boat Festival. The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival in 2018 vary from place to place, and contain profound Chinese traditional folk culture.What kind of plant is mugwort?Mugwort, alias: Xiaomao, Bingtai, Ecao, Xiangai, Qi Ai, Aixiao, Artemisia annua, Artemisia argyi, Artemisia annua, Penggao, Mugwort, moxibustion grass, medical grass, yellow grass, mugwort wool, etc. Perennial herb or slightly semi-shrub, the plant has a strong aroma. The stem is solitary or few, brown or grayish yellow brown, slightly lignified at the base, mycelial at the upper part, and has a few short branches. The leaves are thick and papery, covered with grayish white short soft hairs on the upper side, and the base usually has no stipules or very small stipules; the upper leaves and bracts are pinnate-cleft, the head inflorescence is elliptical, the corolla is tubular or goblet-shaped, with glandular dots on the outside, the anthers are narrowly linear, and the style is nearly equal to or slightly longer than the corolla. Achenes are long oval or oblong. Flowering and fruiting period is September-October. The whole plant is used as medicine, which has the effects of warming the meridians, removing dampness, dispelling cold, stopping bleeding, relieving inflammation, relieving asthma, relieving cough, stabilizing pregnancy and anti-allergic. Mugwort is dried and crushed to make "mogwort wool", which is used to make moxa sticks for moxibustion, and can also be used as the raw material for "ink paste". Distributed in Asia and Europe.Why do we hang mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May?When it comes to mugwort, many people think of its ability to ward off cold, and it also has a deep connection with the Dragon Boat Festival. When talking about the Dragon Boat Festival, we have to talk in detail about a plant that has a lot to do with this festival, mugwort.During the Dragon Boat Festival, people have the custom of hanging mugwort leaves. That is, people hang mugwort at the door or make mugwort into the shape of a tiger and hang it on the door to ward off evil spirits and disasters and pray for blessings. According to historical records, people “planted mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival”, “held a mugwort flag to invite good fortune” and “hung it on the door to remove poisonous air”. These all reflect people’s beautiful visions about mugwort, and they hope that through mugwort, they can drive away evil spirits and avoid harm, and enjoy good fortune and health. In addition to the influence of customs, there is another important reason for picking mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is related to the habits of mugwort. Mugwort can be used as medicine and has high medicinal value. Li Shizhen said in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that "mugwort can cure all kinds of diseases." The medicinal value of mugwort is highest in May, especially right after the Dragon Boat Festival. When the temperature rises, the mugwort will grow too vigorously and lose its good medicinal value. After picking mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival, it can be dried for future use. Detailed explanation 1. The Dragon Boat Festival is the first festival after the beginning of summer. The temperature rises, and it is a period when diseases are more prevalent. Therefore, many years ago, people often hung a few mugwort plants at their doorsteps. Due to the special fragrance of mugwort, people used it to drive away diseases, prevent mosquitoes, and ward off evil spirits. 2. In addition to hanging mugwort and calamus on the door, women often start to pin "mugwort tiger" on their hairline on the Dragon Boat Festival. Men wear "mugwort tiger" or "calamus sword" on their chest or hang it around their waist. People believe that this can prevent the invasion of evil toxins and ensure good health. 3. Some people hang banyan branches, pomegranate flowers or garlic on their doors during the Dragon Boat Festival. In folk culture, people believe that hanging banyan branches has the auspicious meaning of making the body healthy, and garlic can dispel evil and cure insect poison; pomegranate peel is a traditional Chinese medicinal material, and pomegranate flowers also have the function of curing diseases, so these plants are regarded as auspicious symbols that protect family safety during the Dragon Boat Festival. How to hang mugwort during Dragon Boat Festival?There are reasons for hanging mugwort, calamus (Pujian), pomegranate and garlic at the door during the Dragon Boat Festival. Usually, mugwort, banyan and calamus are tied into a bundle with red paper and then inserted or hung on the door. Because calamus is the first of the five auspicious plants in the sky, it symbolizes a sword that can ward off evil. Because its growing season and appearance are considered to be sensitive to the "hundred yin energy", its leaves are sword-shaped, and inserting them at the door can ward off evil. Therefore, the alchemists called it "water sword", and later customs extended it to "cattail sword", which can kill all kinds of evil. In the Qing Dynasty, Gu Tieqing recorded in "Qing Jia Lu" that "cut cattails into swords, cut reeds into whips, and add peach stems and garlic to them, and hang them on the bedside, all to ward off evil spirits." In the Jin Dynasty’s “Fengtuzhi”, it is mentioned that “moxa is made into the shape of a tiger, or ribbons are cut into a small tiger, and then covered with moxa leaves. Housewives compete to cut them. Later, calamus is added, or made into the shape of a human or a sword, and named calamus sword to drive away evil spirits and ghosts.” |
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