During the Dragon Boat Festival, Acorus calamus and Folium Artemisiae Argyi are inserted to exorcise ghosts, Atractylodes lancea and Angelica dahurica are smoked, and realgar wine is drunk to avoid epidemics. Every family sweeps the court, puts calamus and moxa sticks in the lintel and hangs them in the hall. Wormwood, calamus and garlic are called "Three Friends of Dragon Boat Festival".
In the pre-Qin period, it was generally believed that May was a poisonous month and the fifth day was an evil day. According to legend, evil is in power on this day, and five poisons come out at the same time. The five poisons refer to scorpions, snakes, wasps, centipedes and toads. Five poisons are popular pests among the people.
According to the Book of Rites, the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the orchid bath in the Zhou Dynasty. The chapter "A Midsummer Story" in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals stipulates that people should abstain from sex and fast in May. "Xia Ji" records that medicine was stored on this day to remove toxic gas.
It is recorded in "Da Dai Li" that "orchid bathing in the fifth day of May" is used to ward off evil spirits.
There are also many legends, and the fifth day is the day of death. According to Records of Historical Records and Biography of Meng Changjun, Meng Changjun, a famous man in history, was born on the fifth day of May. His father begged his mother not to have him, thinking that the child born on this day was not good for his parents.
Wang Zhene, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was born on the fifth day of May. His grandfather named him "Zhen Xie". Wang Zhene, the word Jinglue, was a famous soldier in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He was the grandson of Wang Meng, the former prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, and later returned to Jin with his uncle.
Wang Zhene was good at reading the art of war, and was good at strategy, which was appreciated by Liu Yu, a general of the Chinese army in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He used to be General Zhenwu and General Long Xiang. With Emperor Wu of Song's expedition to the North, he made outstanding achievements, made important contributions to defeating the late Qin Dynasty, and entered the ranks of General Lu.
Evonne of Song Huizong was also born on the fifth day of May, so she was put in foster care outside the palace since she was a child.
It can be seen that it is a common phenomenon to regard the fifth day of May as an evil day in ancient times. Since the pre-Qin period, this day has been an unlucky day. In this way, it is logical to insert calamus and mugwort leaves to exorcise ghosts, smoke atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica and drink realgar wine to avoid the epidemic on this day. People call it Dragon Boat Festival to avoid the taboo of Dragon Boat Festival.
The implication of hanging wormwood on Dragon Boat Festival:
1, pray for good luck
Most people also have the custom of planting wormwood in front of and behind their houses for good luck. People in Taiwan Province Province also put up "afternoon couplets" on the Dragon Boat Festival, which have the same function as amulets. There is a saying in some afternoon couplets: "Holding a strange love will attract a hundred blessings, and hanging a sword to close the door will kill a thousand evils". The folk significance of banyan branches can make the body strong. "It is braver to insert banyan trees, and it is braver to insert mugwort leaves". There is also the local custom of hanging pomegranate, garlic or Shandan, and garlic is used to eliminate disasters and treat pests and poisons; Shandan can cure madness, pomegranate can avoid Huang Chao. Pomegranate flower is the flower of this season, and it also has the function of treating diseases. Pomegranate peel is a common Chinese medicine.
There is also a story about the relationship between pomegranate flower and Huang Chao. During the Huang Chao Uprising, Huang Chao once passed a village and happened to see a woman with a big child on her back and a child in her hand. Huang Chao was curious and asked why. Women don't know Huang Chao, just say that because Huang Chao came and killed her uncle's family, this is the only remaining lifeline, so if she can't attend to both, she will 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, the disaster in Huang Chao could be avoided.
2, exorcise ghosts and evil spirits
There are reasons for hanging wormwood, calamus (Pujian), pomegranate and garlic at the entrance of Dragon Boat Festival. Usually mugwort leaves, banyan trees and calamus are tied into a bundle with red paper and then inserted or hung on the door. Because Acorus calamus is the head of five pistils in the sky, symbolizing evil sword, because the growing season and shape are regarded as "the spirit of a hundred yin", and the leaves are sword-shaped and can be inserted at the door to ward off evil spirits. Therefore, the alchemist called it "water sword", and later the custom extended to "general sword", which can cut off all evil. In the Qing Dynasty, Gu Tieqing recorded in Jia Qinglu that "chopping Pu as a sword, chopping Peng as a whip, and hanging peach stalks and garlic on the bed are all used to exorcise ghosts".
However, in the local chronicles of the Jin Dynasty, there is "mourning for the tiger, or cutting the ribbon for the tiger, with mourning attached to the leaves, and the wife fighting to cut it." In the future, it will be calamus, or human form, or Xiao Jian shape, called Pujian, to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. "
3. Zhao Baifu
"Holding Aiqi in your hand is a blessing, and hanging a sword under the door is a thousand evils." Hanging wormwood and cattail at the entrance of the Dragon Boat Festival is like putting a spell on it, which can seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Wormwood represents a hundred blessings and is a kind of herbal medicine that can cure diseases. Inserting it at the door can make you healthy. In ancient China, it has always been a medicinal plant. Moxibustion in acupuncture uses wormwood as the main component and burns it at acupoints 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 Jingchu records that "when chickens are not crowing, those who pick wormwood look like people, take it and collect it with moxibustion, which is very effective." On this day, Ai Cai became a human figure, hung on the door, and could cast poison gas. "