What are the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival? Eating zongzi and racing dragon boats, and don't forget to ward off the Five Poisons
The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, and there are quite a lot of customs for it, such as the ones we are more familiar with: eating zongzi, racing dragon boats, drinking realgar wine, wearing colorful strings, eating salted duck eggs, hanging mugwort, and so on. Of course, there is also warding off the Five Poisons. It can be said that China's traditional culture is broad and profound, and there are many customs worth thinking about. Here, Xiaonong will chat with everyone about the issue of warding off the Five Poisons.
1. What are the "Five Poisons"?
People often mention the Five Poisons, and they are often seen on TV and in books. But what exactly are the Five Poisons? You may not necessarily know clearly. In fact, the Five Poisons are the relatively common toxic insects and animals in rural homes, namely the snake, scorpion, centipede, toad, and gecko. Don't you feel that every one of them makes people keep their distance? These five poisonous creatures all have a certain degree of toxicity, so the Five Poisons must be warded off.
2. Why must people wait until May to ward off the Five Poisons?
The Five Poisons are all animals that people fear rather a lot, but why must people wait until May to start warding off the Five Poisons? In fact, May refers to the fifth month of the lunar calendar. In ancient times, people believed that May was an unlucky month, also called the "evil month." In fact, on careful thought, this also has a certain rationale, because in the fifth lunar month the weather has already begun to grow hot, especially in the south, where it is muggy and rainy, making it very easy for people to fall ill, and all kinds of pests begin to come out and reproduce. At this time, people have to carry out activities to ward off the Five Poisons.
3. How to ward off the Five Poisons
In ancient times, there were relatively many ways to ward off the Five Poisons. For example, wearing colorful strings: colorful strings symbolize metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in China's traditional culture, and when children wear them, they can avoid the invasion of poisons and live to a hundred. There is also wearing a Five Poisons bellyband, that is, a bellyband embroidered with the Five Poisons; such a bellyband can keep children healthy.
Sachets are also one way to ward off the Five Poisons, because mugwort, realgar, and other Chinese herbal medicines are placed inside the sachets, and these all have insect-repelling effects. There is also drawing Five Poisons talismans and pasting them on doors, just like the door gods pasted during the Spring Festival, which have the effect of driving away evil harm. In addition to these mentioned, there are also customs such as drinking realgar wine and hanging mugwort at the door, all of which are methods used to ward off the Five Poisons.