Dragon Boat Festival custom

"Dragon Boat Festival ornaments"

Jianren was an ornament for women in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces during the fifth hour of the year. Generally made of gold and silver wire or copper wire and gold foil, it is shaped like a villain riding a tiger, and there are also bells, bells, tassels, garlic and zongzi. Inserted in women's hair bun, also used for feeding. "Qing Jia Lu" says: "(May 5) people in the city use gold and silver silk as numerous tassels, bells and bells, riding on tigers, which are extremely fine, adorned with small hairpin, strung together, or using copper wire and gold foil for women to insert their temples. They also offered sacrifices to each other, called Jianren. " When healthy people say that they agree with Ai people, they just exchange silks for Ai people. Wu Manyun's Preface to Jiang Xiang Festival Words says: "Hang the custom, healthy people are loving people, but easy to use silks to make them look like tigers, and women wear them." It seems that this will have the effect of exorcising evil spirits and controlling epidemics; When it comes to walking in ancient times, it is purely a women's ornament (note to Cai Yun's Wu Xian).

damselfly, the headdress of women with five knots in the old days. More common in Jiangnan. Some areas are also called healthy people. This thing originated from the ancient walking, and it is a different form of Ai people. "Qing Jia Lu" quoted "The Legacy of Tang and Song Dynasties" as saying: "Who is in the north and south of the river, the system of winning the first prize on the fifth day is extremely ingenious. All the mugwort leaves are made by pressing and selling, or the shapes of immortals, buddhas, harmony, wu, insects, fish, beasts, flowers of eight treasures and the like are embroidered. Crepe spider, beautiful phoenix forest, cocoon tiger velvet tuo, lawn lizard, mantis, cicada and scorpion, gourd and melon, the color is realistic. It is covered with a treasure, and the hydrangeas are numerous, and the bells are hundreds of shapes, or they are strung together. The name is Douniang, which is invincible. "

Ai Hu, an exorcist in the old Dragon Boat Festival, was also used as an ornament. In ancient China, the tiger was regarded as a god beast, and it was thought that it could suppress evil spirits and protect peace. "Custom Pass" says: "The tiger is the penis, and the beasts are also long. Can eat ghosts, ... also evil ". Therefore, people often use tigers to ward off evil spirits, especially in Ai Hu during the Dragon Boat Festival. Ai Hu is either cut with mugwort, or cut the ribbon as a tiger, glued with mugwort leaves, and worn around her hair. The Dragon Boat Festival has been decorated with Ai Hu's customs for more than a thousand years. Song Chen Yuan-gui quoted Miscellaneous Notes on the Year of the Year from Guang Ji of the Year of the Song Dynasty: "The Dragon Boat Festival takes Ai as a tiger, even as big as a black bean, or cuts the ribbon as a tiger, and sticks the leaves of Ai to wear it. Wang Yigong's "Dragon Boat Festival Post" poem: "Ai Hu, the head of the hairpin, drives the evil spirits and knows how to drive the seven treasures of Xiangyun." In the Qing Dynasty, Fucha Dunchong's "Notes on the Years of Yanjing": "Every time you reach the end of the sun, those who are clever in the boudoir make tigers and zongzi out of silk ... wear them with colored threads, hang them on the head of a hairpin, or tie them on the back of a child. The ancient poem says,' Jade swallows a hairpin and loves a tiger lightly', which means this."

Draw a forehead and draw a forehead. During the Dragon Boat Festival, children's foreheads are painted with realgar. Clouds can ward off poisonous insects. The typical method is to draw the word "Wang" on children's foreheads with realgar. One is to borrow realgar to drive away the poison, and the other is to borrow tiger's forehead ("Wang" is like a tiger, and the tiger is the king of beasts, because it is replaced by a tiger) to suppress evil spirits. Qing Fucha Dunchong's "Yanjing Year's Chronicle": "From the first day of the first lunar month, take realgar and sprinkle it with wine, and apply it to the collar and nose and ears of children to avoid poison." In addition to the forehead, nose and ears, it can also be applied elsewhere, with the same intention. Shanxi Hequ County Records says: "Drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival and applying it to children's forehead, hands and feet ... can prolong illness."

Longevity wisp, I hate to wear ornaments during the Dragon Boat Festival. Also known as life-renewing thread, life-renewing thread, life-prolonging thread, and longevity thread, it is also called "Bai Suo", "Bing Shao" and "Colorful thread", with different names, and basically the same shape and function. In the Dragon Boat Festival, it is made of five-colored silk, or hung at the door, or worn by children's neck, or tied by children's arms, or hung on bed curtains, cradles and other places. It is said that it can avoid disasters and eliminate diseases, bless well-being and prolong life. There are five shapes of this kind of festival: simple five-color silk threads are combined into a rope and tied to the arm; Decorate Suk Kim ornaments on colorful ropes and hang them around the neck; Colorful rope is folded into a square victory and decorated on the chest; Colorful knots are worn by portraits; Embroider and draw the sun, the moon, the stars, the black beasts and other things with colorful silk threads to pay tribute to your elders. This custom began in the Han Dynasty. Ying Shao in the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote "A Lost Story of Customs": "In the afternoon, I tied my arms with colorful silk to avoid ghosts and soldiers, so that people would not get sick. One is a long-lived wisp, and the other is a soldier." Later, they became accustomed to each other until they were near and modern. Qing Fu Cha Dun's "Yanjing Years" recorded the custom at that time: "Every time you reach the end of the sun, those who are clever in the boudoir will be made into tigers, zongzi, Hulu, cherries and mulberries with colored threads, hung on the head of the hairpin or tied on the back of children." Among them, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the court gave ministers such things as saving things. In the first year of Xingyuan in Tang Daizong, the court once gave a hundred rope axes. "History of the Song Dynasty: Rites XV": "The day before, the golden thread was given to the officials to prolong their lives and the colorful thread was given to them. Wear it on holidays. " Pouch

wear sachets, also called sachets, sachets, purses, etc., which are made of five-colored silk thread and sewn with rags. They are filled with spices (made from Chinese herbal medicines such as Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Herba Scutellariae, Rhizoma Kaempferiae, Gan Song, and Radix Kaempferiae) and are worn on the chest, with a fragrant smell. Chen Shiliang's "Guang Ji at the Age of Years" quoted "Miscellaneous Notes at the Age of Years" as saying that "Duanwu is made of red and white colors, such as a bag, and colored lines run through it, making it look like a flower." And another kind of "mussel powder bell": "On the fifth day, mussel powder is put in the silk, and it is decorated with cotton, if you count the beads. Let children take it to absorb sweat. " The contents of these carry-on bags have changed several times, from sweat-absorbing mussel powder, talisman to exorcise evil spirits, copper coins and realgar powder to sachets filled with spices, and their production has become increasingly exquisite, becoming a unique folk art of the Dragon Boat Festival.

you are very particular about wearing sachets. In order to prevent diseases and keep fit, the elderly generally like to wear plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, peaches, apples, lotus flowers, dolls riding fish, dolls holding cocks, double lotus flowers and other shapes, symbolizing birds and flowers, all the best, husband and wife loving each other and family harmony. Children like birds and animals, such as tigers and leopards; Monkeys, cockfights, etc. Young people are the most particular about wearing sachets. If they are lovers in love, the affectionate girl will carefully make one or two unique sachets long ago to catch up with her lover before the festival. The young man is wearing a sachet given by his sweetheart, which naturally causes comments from men and women around him, and praises the young man's object for its ingenuity.

As mentioned above, the Dragon Boat Festival is a poisonous day and an evil day in the eyes of the ancients. This idea has been handed down in folk beliefs, so there are various customs of seeking peace and avoiding disasters. In fact, this is because the summer weather is hot and dry, people are easy to get sick, and plagues are also easy to spread; In addition, snakes and insects are prone to bite people, so be very careful, which forms this habit. All kinds of customs, such as picking herbs, sprinkling walls and doors with realgar wine and drinking Pu wine, seem superstitious, but they are also health activities beneficial to health. Dragon Boat Festival can be regarded as a traditional medical and health festival, and it is a festival for people to fight diseases and poisonous insects. Today, these health customs should still be developed and carried forward.

Hygienic custom of Dragon Boat Festival

① Herb picking. This is one of the oldest customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. "Xia Xiaozheng" contains: "Store medicine this day to remove poisonous gas." Volume 22 of "Collection of Miscellaneous Drugs" quoted the lost article of "Collection of Miscellaneous Drugs at the Age of Jingchu": "On May 5, competing for miscellaneous drugs can cure all diseases." In the Miscellaneous Notes of Qi Min Yao Shu in the late Wei Dynasty, there is a record of catching toads in May, which is also used for pharmacy. Later, there was a custom of catching toads on the Dragon Boat Festival in many areas. For example, in Jiangsu, toads were harvested at noon, and their foam was pricked to make traditional Chinese medicine toad venom. People in Hangzhou also give children toads, saying that they can cool down the fire and have no boils in summer. And on the 5th, put Mo Ding in the toad's mouth, hang it up and dry it, and it will become a toad ingot, which can be dissipated when applied to the abscess. This custom of catching toad medicine originated from the legend of "toad fighting for soldiers" in Han Dynasty. Another example is Hubei Jianli's custom of "picking herbs" at the Dragon Boat Festival, and also picking herbs. Herb picking is because the stems and leaves of herbs are mature and have good medicinal properties before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, and this custom was formed on this day.

② Mulan decoction and taking a bath in mid-afternoon are ancient customs recorded in Da Dai Li. At that time, orchids were not today's orchids, but Eupatorium odoratum of Compositae, which had fragrance and could be decocted and bathed. "Nine Songs in the Cloud" also has the sentence "Bathing orchid soup will make you fragrant". "The Chronicle of Jingchu's Age": "May 5th is called the Orchid Bathing Festival." "Five Miscellanies" records that people in the Ming Dynasty took a bath with five-colored grass at noon because "orchid soup is not available". Later, it was usually fried cattails, wormwood and other herbs to take a bath. In Guangdong, flowers and plants such as wormwood, cattail, impatiens and magnolia are used; In Hunan, Guangxi and other places, cypress leaves, anemone root, wormwood, cattail and peach leaves are used to make a bath. No matter men, women and children, the whole family washes it. This custom still exists today. It is said that it can cure skin diseases and eliminate evil spirits.

③ drink pu wine, realgar and cinnabar wine, and spray with wine. Jingchu Chronicle: "Acorus calamus (a perennial herb, born at the water's edge, has reddish roots underground and leaves shaped like swords and spikes.". Rootstock can be used as spice or medicine) or carved or shredded to cool wine. " Pu wine is fragrant and refreshing. Later, realgar and cinnabar were added to the wine. Ming Xie Zhaozhe's "Five Miscellaneous Zui": "Drinking calamus wine is also ... and drinking it with realgar." Ming Feng Yingjing's "The Broad Sense of the Moon Order": "On the fifth day, use cinnabar wine to ward off evil spirits and detoxify, and use wine to dye the forehead, chest, hands and feet, so there is no danger of snakes (a poisonous snake mentioned in ancient books). Sprinkle walls and doors and windows to avoid poisonous insects. " This custom is widely spread. Up to now, for example, in Binyang, Guangxi, during the Dragon Boat Festival, there are packages of medicinal materials for sale, including realgar, Zhu Lei, arborvitae, peach kernel, cattail leaf, mugwort leaf, etc. People soak in the wine, then dip it in the corners of walls, doors and windows, under the bed, etc., and then coat the ears, nose and navel of children with wine to drive away poisonous insects and seek the safety of children. In addition, some areas also use realgar wine powder to draw the word "king" on children's foreheads, so that children bear the imprint of tigers to ward off evil spirits. These activities, from the health point of view, are still scientifically justified. Realgar mixed with water and wine can be disinfected and sterilized indoors, and drinking Pu sprinkle is also quite beneficial.

④ picking tea and making herbal tea. In some areas in the north, it is fond of picking tender leaves and steaming potherb leaves during the Dragon Boat Festival to make tea. In Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, people go to the suburb of Shan Ye to collect herbs and boil herbal tea. This is also good for health.

There are many kinds of flowers and plants that can exorcise evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, which have a long history. The earliest example is hanging wormwood on the door, "A Record of the Age of Jingchu": "Ai Ai is a man, hanging on the door to poison gas." This is because Artemisia argyi is an important medicinal plant, which can also be used to treat diseases, moxibustion points and repel insects. May Wen contains the most oil of Artemisia argyi (at this time, it is at the peak of Wen's growth), so it has the best effect, and people are scrambling to pick Artemisia argyi. In addition to using Ai Zha as a human being, Ai Zha was also made into a tiger shape, which was called Ai Hu. The note in The Chronicle of the Age of Jingchu said: "Take Ai as a tiger shape, or cut the ribbon as a tiger, and post it to my wife in Ai Ye to try to wear it." At the same time, the door is also hung with Pu Bundle, Pu Jian cut by Ge Pu, and Pu Long tied by Pu Bundle. "Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jing": "(Dragon Boat Festival) Insert Pulong Ai Hu." "Qing Jia Lu" Volume 5: "Dai Pu is the sword, cutting the canopy as the whip, and the assistant is the peach stalk garlic, which hangs in the bed, all of which are used to exorcise ghosts." Peach stalk is an auspicious thing to ward off evil spirits, and garlic is considered as a bronze hammer symbolizing weapons, which is matched with Pu Jian and Peng Bian to drive away furtiveness. In addition, mugwort is burned to drive away mosquitoes and flies. In Hunan, Zhejiang and other places, kudzu vine is used to hang on the door. It is said that kudzu vine is an iron chain that locks ghosts and can drive away evil spirits.

There are games such as playing and fighting a hundred herbs, which are related to picking herbs and picking Aipu, and they are the legacy of ancient people's entertainment in the wild. Later, it developed into decorative arts such as flower arrangement. Five Poisons Map

People think that May is the time when five poisons (scorpion, snake, centipede, spider and toad) appear, and people should use various methods to prevent the harm of five poisons. Generally, a map of five poisons is posted in the house, five poisons are printed on red paper, and then five needles are stuck on the five poisons, that is, the poisons are stabbed to death and can no longer be rampant. This is a witchcraft legacy to ward off evil spirits. Folk also embroidered five poisons on clothes and decorated cakes with five poisons patterns, all of which meant expelling them.

The Dragon Boat Festival is also decorated with peach seals. Peach is an exorcism in folk custom, which originated from the myth of shentu and Yu Lei. It is engraved with peach, which also means to dispel the noise. "The History of Ritual in the Continued Han Dynasty": "Zhu Suo and the five-color peach seal are the door decorations to stop evil spirits." This is the origin of the ambiguous symbols and auspicious gourds of later generations. "Dream Liang Lu" Volume 3: "The sergeant and other scholars wrote the sentence" The Mid-Autumn Festival on May 5, the red mouth and white tongue are completely eliminated "at noon, which is the custom of the Song Dynasty. "The Year of Yanjing" also recorded: "Duanyang cut all kinds of gourds with colored paper for daily use and stuck them on the doorsill upside down to release toxic gas." This is the custom of the Qing Dynasty. Some also hang silk tassels and ribbons on paper gourds to make them look better, or cut out the shape of the five poisons in the gourds and stick them on the door, which also means to vent the gas of the five poisons, meaning "gourd for disaster relief".

In the Tang Dynasty, a bronze mirror was cast in the heart of the Yangtze River in Yangzhou at noon on May 5th to pay tribute to the emperor, which was also meant to ward off evil spirits (see Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty). Therefore, later generations are more than hanging mirrors in front of the door to exorcise evil spirits.

hanging wormwood, calamus, and fig branches

There are other reasons for hanging wormwood, calamus (Pujian), pomegranate, and garlic at the door during the Dragon Boat Festival. Usually, Artemisia argyi, Ficus microcarpa and Acorus calamus are tied into a bundle with red paper and then inserted or hung on the door. Because Acorus calamus is the first of the five auspicious symbols in the sky, the symbol is except the ominous sword, because the growing season and shape are regarded as "the breath of a hundred yin", and the leaves are sword-shaped, which can be inserted at the door to ward off evil spirits. Therefore, alchemists called it "water sword", and later customs extended it to "Pujian", which can cut thousands of evils. In Qing Dynasty, Gu Tieqing recorded in Qing Jia Lu that "cutting Pu as a sword, cutting Peng as a whip, and hanging garlic with peach stalks on the bed, all of which were used to exorcise ghosts". However, in the Local Records of the Jin Dynasty, there is a saying that "Ai is a tiger, or the ribbon is cut as a tiger, and the leaves are attached to Ai, and my wife is scrambling to cut it. In the future, it will be even more calamus, or humanoid, or Xiaojian-shaped, named Pujian, to exorcise evil spirits but ghosts. "

wormwood represents a hundred blessings, and it is a kind of herb that can cure diseases. It can make people healthy when inserted at the door. In ancient China, it has always been a medicinal plant. The moxibustion method in acupuncture is to use wormwood as the main component and burn it on acupuncture points to treat diseases. The legend that wormwood can exorcise evil spirits has been circulating for a long time, mainly because it has the function of medicine. For example, Zonggu's Chronicle of the Age of Jingchu records that "when the chicken is not crowing, those who pick wormwood look like human beings, take it and collect it with moxibustion, which is very effective." It is the day when Ai Cai takes the form of a human figure and hangs on the door, which can poison gas. " Most people also have the custom of planting wormwood in front of and behind houses for good luck. Taiwan Province folks also put up "noon couplets" during the Dragon Boat Festival, which have the same function as the talisman. Some noon couplets have the following sentence: "Holding the Aiqi to attract a hundred blessings, hanging a sword on the door to cut a thousand evils". The folk significance of Ficus microcarpa branches can make the body vigorous. "It is braver to insert Ficus microcarpa and braver to insert Artemisia argyi". There are also local customs that hang pomegranate, garlic or Shandan, and garlic is used to eliminate evil and treat insect poison; Shandan prescription can cure madness, and pomegranate flowers can avoid Huang Chao. Pomegranate flowers are the flowers of this season and also have the function of treating diseases. Pomegranate peel is a common Chinese medicine. And the relationship between pomegranate flower and Huang Chao, there is a story. During the Huang Chao Rebellion, Huang Chao once forced a village and happened to see a woman with an older child on her back and a younger one in her hand. Huang Chao was very curious and asked why. The woman didn't know Huang Chao, so she just said that because Huang Chao came and killed her uncle's family, this was the only lifeline left, so in case she couldn't take care of both, she had to sacrifice her own flesh and blood to save her uncle's flesh and blood. Huang Chao was deeply moved and told the woman that as long as pomegranate flowers were hung on the door, she could avoid the disaster of Huang Chao.

Hiding from the Dragon Boat Festival is the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival, which refers to taking a newly married or married daughter home for the festival. Referred to as "hiding in the afternoon", it is also called "hiding from the end". It is customary to take May and May 5th as evil months and days, and all things need to be avoided, because there is a custom of taking women home to hide from the Dragon Boat Festival. This custom seems to have been formed in the Song Dynasty. In Lu You's poem "Feng Sui", there is a sentence that "the goat cavity wine bears the burden to meet the woman, and the drum dragon boat is sent to compete with the gods". "Jiajing Longqing Zhi" also recorded a cloud: "Married women are called back for the holidays". Also, "Luanzhou Zhi": "The new bride of a woman welcomes the moon back, which is called" hiding from the Dragon Boat Festival ".

it rains during the Dragon Boat Festival, when people are old.