The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival in our country. There are various activities to celebrate the festival. Different places have different customs. What are the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival? As a Chinese, the Dragon Boat Festival these customs must know!
What are the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival
Writing runes and reciting Incantations
The ancients believed that may 5 was a bad month and a bad day. Therefore, on this day of the Dragon Boat Festival, we must hang the charm of exorcism indoors. Moreover, there are some strict rituals for hanging exorcism amulets, such as writing at sunrise or noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, using raw Zhu as writing materials, and placing saltpeter in inkstones and writing population, etc.
Three friends of Dragon Boat Festival
Artemisia argyi leaf, Acorus calamus and garlic are known as the "three friends of the Dragon Boat Festival". In ancient times, people thought that diseases were caused by ghosts and evils. Therefore, on the Dragon Boat Festival, people used Acorus calamus as a sword, Artemisia argyi as a whip and garlic as a hammer, also known as the "three weapons". They thought that they could repel snakes, insects, pathogenic bacteria and kill demons. From a scientific point of view, Artemisia argyi and Acorus calamus contain aromatic oil, which have the same bactericidal effect as garlic.
Ordering realgar wine to dispel ghosts
In addition, there was also a saying in ancient times that realgar wine was used to dispel ghosts on children's forehead. On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, women put Artemisia argyi on their children's ears and Acorus calamus on their heads, and then wrote the word "Wang" on their forehead with realgar wine. It is said that this can make ghosts fear and live forever.
Hanging multicolored thread
Multicolored thread is also called multicolored long life thread in ancient times. In traditional Chinese culture, the five colors of green, red, white, black and yellow, which symbolize the five elements, are regarded as auspicious colors. On the day of Dragon Boat Festival, children should tie five color silk thread on their wrists and ankles to ensure their health. Ying Shao's "Customs General" records: "on May 5, he tied his arms with multicolored silk, named Changming thread, named Xuming thread, named Bibing tie, named wuse thread, named Zhusuo, named Bibing and ghost, and ordered people not to get sick and pestilence.".
Drink realgar wine
The folk dragon boat festival in the south of the Yangtze River has the custom of eating 'Wuhuang', which are eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted egg yolk and realgar wine. People think that poisonous insects such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes can be cracked by realgar wine, and drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival can drive away evil spirits and detoxify and keep healthy. In some places, the custom is to drink Acorus wine on the Dragon Boat Festival, so its medicinal effect is more direct. Usually before the festival, the Acorus calamus will be chopped, accompanied by realgar, immersed in wine, the festival can drink.
Ghost ship
The custom of welcoming the ghost boat is the custom of the Han nationality. On the Dragon Boat Festival every year, the custom of welcoming the ghost boat is popular in parts of Southern Jiangxi. Because of the shallow water in this area, dragon boat racing can not be carried out, so on the fifth day of May, a dry boat made of papyrus was used to take the boat to climb the heights and tour the streets, which is called ghost boat. Eight or nine of the ghosts were lazy, so they got on the boat. After touring the streets, he burned the dry boat outside the village. In order to burn the ghost on the boat to death, he did not harm the world and made people enjoy peace.
Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival
Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional custom in China, but there is a special custom of eating black rice zongzi in aoshanggu village, Suxian District, Chenzhou. Aoshang black rice dumpling is an original local delicacy with dietotherapy effect. It is made from more than ten edible leaves in the mountains, such as black rice leaves, zezichai leaves, jingangcinentou leaves and Liquidambar tender leaves. It is washed, crushed, filtered, squeezed, and then soaked in glutinous rice. There are some fillings, such as barbecued pork and salted egg yolk, in it, It can dispel wind and dampness, cool and detoxify.
Wear tiger shoes
Tiger head shoes are one of the traditional handicrafts in China. When a child is just born, his family should provide him with a pair of shoes, hoping to use the tiger head pattern to ward off evil spirits and protect the child from disease and disaster. In rural areas in the south of the Yangtze River, children are allowed to wear "tiger shoes" on the Dragon Boat Festival, which can keep them healthy and ward off mosquitoes and evil spirits.
Eat the fifth egg
In ancient times, may was regarded as the 'poisonous month' and 'evil month', and the plague spread. On the fifth day of May, it was the first of the nine poisons. As the saying goes, "first day cake, second day rice dumpling, third day snail, fourth day wormwood, fifth day egg." "Egg on the fifth day of junior high school" refers to that people have to cook and eat eggs on the fifth day of junior high school. In the morning, people collect herbs, calamus, pomegranate branches, peach branches, citrus branches, etc., which are collectively referred to as "noon grass". At noon, the 'noon grass' and eggs cooked together, fragrant taste. People take a bath with boiled egg soup. After the bath, they put on new summer clothes. Each person eats two more eggs. Then adults wipe realgar powder on their hands and write the word "Wang" on their children's forehead for good luck.