The health customs of Dragon Boat Festival mainly include:
? 9? 0 Collect herbs. This is one of the oldest customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. "Xia Zhengxiao" contains: "Store medicine this day to remove toxic gas." Volume 22 of Miscellaneous Medicine Collection quotes the lost article of Miscellaneous Medicine Collection at the Age of Jingchu: "On May 5, competing for miscellaneous medicine can cure all diseases." In the miscellaneous notes of Qi Yaomin's Book at the end of Wei Dynasty, there is a record of catching toads in May, which is also used in pharmacy. Later, many areas have the custom of catching toads on the Dragon Boat Festival. For example, in Jiangsu, toads are harvested at noon and their foam is punctured to make traditional Chinese medicine toad venom. People in Hangzhou also give their children toads, saying that summer can reduce fire and prevent sores. On the 5th, Mo Ding was put into the toad's mouth, hung and dried, and became a toad ingot, which could be dissipated by applying it to the abscess. This custom of catching toad medicine originated from the legend of "toad fighting for soldiers" in Han Dynasty. Another example is the custom of "collecting herbs" on the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianli, Hubei Province, which is also collecting herbs. Herb picking is because the stems and leaves of herbs are mature and have good medicinal properties around the Dragon Boat Festival, and this custom was formed on this day.
? 9? 1 Mulan decoction. Taking a bath with orchid soup at noon is an ancient custom recorded in Da Dai Li. At that time, orchids were not orchids today, but flying grasses of Compositae, which were fragrant 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": "May 5th is called the Blue Bath Festival." "Five Miscellanies" records that people in the Ming Dynasty took a bath with five-colored grass at noon because "there was no orchid soup". Later, herbs such as cattail and wormwood were usually fried for bathing. In Guangdong, use wormwood, cattail, impatiens, magnolia and other flowers and plants; In Hunan, Guangxi and other places, cypress leaves, anemone roots, wormwood, cattail and peach leaves are used for bathing. Regardless of men, women and children, the whole family washes. This custom still exists today. It is said that it can cure skin diseases and ward off evil spirits.
? 9? Drink Pu wine, realgar cinnabar wine and spray wine. Jingchu Chronicle: "Acorus calamus (a perennial herb, born by the water, has reddish roots underground and leaves shaped like swords and spikes." . The rhizome can be used as medicine or medicine) or carved or shredded to cool the wine. "Pu wine is fragrant and refreshing. Later, realgar and vermilion were added to the wine. Xie Ming Zhao Zhe's "Five Miscellaneous Drunks": "Drinking calamus wine is also ... drinking with realgar. "Feng Ming Yingjing's Generalized Moon Order": "On the fifth day, cinnabar wine was used to ward off evil spirits and detoxify, and the forehead, chest, hands and feet were dyed with wine, so there was no danger of poisonous snakes (poisonous snakes mentioned in ancient books). Sprinkle water on walls, doors and windows to avoid poisonous insects. "This custom is very widespread. Up to now, in Binyang, Guangxi, there are packages of medicinal materials for sale during the Dragon Boat Festival, including realgar, Zhu Lei, Platycladus orientalis, peach kernel, Folium Typhae and Folium Artemisiae Argyi. People soak in wine, and then dip it in corners, doors and windows, under beds and so on. Then put wine on the child's ears, nose and navel to drive away poisonous insects and ensure the safety of the child. In addition, in some areas, realgar wine powder is used to draw the word "Wang" on children's foreheads, so that children have the mark of tigers to ward off evil spirits. From a health point of view, these activities are still scientific and reasonable. Realgar mixed with water and wine can be disinfected indoors, and drinking general sprinkling is also quite beneficial.
? 9? 3 pick tea and make herbal tea. In some areas in the north, people like to pick tender leaves and steam wild vegetable leaves to make tea during the Dragon Boat Festival. In Chaozhou, Guangdong, people go to the suburbs of Shan Ye to collect herbs and cook herbal tea. This is also good for health.
There are also many activities to ward off evil spirits and eliminate epidemics during the Dragon Boat Festival, which are closely related to the above-mentioned health-keeping customs. It used to be a popular custom to tie arms with five-color silk. In the book "Customs and Righteousness" in the Han Dynasty, it was recorded: "On May 5, five colors were given to prolong life, and folklore was beneficial to people's lives." The Chronicle of Jingchu said: "It is not a disease to tie your arms with colorful silks, which is called' Bing Bing'. In addition, there are long life wisps, even life wisps, soldiers and soldiers, five-color wisps, various ropes and so on. It is said that it was also caused by Qu Yuan, which can drive away disasters. Why are multicolored silk threads so powerful? In "Bao Pu Zi" by Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there is also a kind of witchcraft that hangs five-color paper in the mountains to summon five ghosts and gods. It is probably a symbol of the protection of the five ghosts and gods, which originated from the concept of five elements in ancient China. In addition, it may stem from the custom of tattooing in ancient southerners. " "History of Han Geography" records that the Yue people "tattooed their hair to avoid harm". Liu Yiqing, a native of A Jin, is the author of Shi Shuo and other books. In the book, rice dumplings are wrapped in five-color silk and thrown into the river, fearing mosquitoes and dragons. Although it is a legend, it reveals some interesting information. Five-color silk tied to the arm, or tattoos, and other accessories. For example, Taiping Yulan quoted "Customs Pass") and wrote: "There are other weaves to give each other a legacy. "Stripes, that is, colored woven ribbons, also go hand in hand with five-color silk. There is also the custom of paying soldiers on credit (this custom has been lost for a long time and is only recorded in Taiping YuLan). These customs spread to later generations, that is, developed into a variety of beautiful and fun sachets and other accessories. For example, "Tokyo Dream Record") remembers Kaifeng in the Northern Song Dynasty and wants to buy it after the Dragon Boat Festival. " Saussurea involucrata and Artemisia argyi (perennial sweet clover, with fragrant leaves, can be used as medicine, as a hemostatic agent and moxibustion. It is also called "osmanthus fragrans and silver-like drum flower". Is wearing accessories. "The Old Story of Wulin" was given to the concubines in Hangzhou in the Southern Song Dynasty: "Cuiye, five-color sunflower pomegranate, golden silk cuifan, real pearl, hundred ropes, hairpin, management, sachet, soft fragrant dragon clothes." Ji Sheng, Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, said, "Young girls cut the ribbon and fold the blessings, sewing the equations of old healthy people, corn millet, garlic, five poisons and tigers with soft silk." During the Dragon Boat Festival, it was made into a small sachet in the shape of a human figure (developed from the ancient Ai people), zongzi, garlic, five poisons and a lane tiger. Jia Qinglu records another kind of healthy person: "People in the city are called healthy people because they use gold and silver silk as numerous tassels (ancient hats are tied to the collar), chime bells and ride tigers, which are extremely exquisite, and use small hairpin as a string, or copper wire and gold foil for women to insert manes and worship each other." Women will also wear mugwort on steamed buns and insert pomegranate flowers, which can ward off evil spirits and play a decorative role.
There are all kinds of flowers and plants that can exorcise evil spirits in the Dragon Boat Festival, and the source is also long. The earliest example is hanging wormwood on the door. The Chronicle of Jingchu: "Collecting wormwood is like hanging on the door to poison gas." This is because mugwort is an important medicinal plant, and it can also be used for treating diseases, moxibustion at acupoints and expelling insects. The temperature in May contains the most oil of mugwort leaves (which is at the peak of temperature growth), so the effect is the best, and people are scrambling to pick mugwort leaves. Besides turning Aiza into a human being, he was also made into the shape of a tiger, which is the so-called Ai Hu. The note in the Chronicle of Jingchu says: "Take Ai as a tiger shape, or cut the ribbon as a tiger shape, and mail it to my wife to try it on." At the same time, there are also Pu bundles, cut Pu Jian and Pu Long tied with Pu on the door. "Jing Di Ji Sheng at the age of four": "(Dragon Boat Festival) insert Pulong Ai Hu." Jia Qinglu Volume 5: "Depp is a sword, cutting the canopy as a whip, and garlic with peach handles are hung in the bed to exorcise ghosts." Peach stalks are auspicious things 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 was burned to drive away mosquitoes and flies. In Hunan, Zhejiang and other places, kudzu vine is used to hang on doors. It is said that kudzu vine is a chain that locks ghosts and can exorcise evil spirits.
There are games such as playing herbs, playing herbs, etc., which are related to picking herbs and picking Aipu, and are the heritage of ancient people's wild entertainment. Later, it developed into decorative arts such as flower arrangement.
People think that May is the time when the five poisons (scorpion, snake, centipede, gecko and toad) appear, and people should use various methods to prevent the harm of the 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 they can no longer be rampant. This is a witchcraft legacy to ward off evil spirits. Folk people also embroider five poisons on clothes and decorate five poisons on cakes, all of which mean expulsion.
The Dragon Boat Festival is also decorated with peach blossom seals. Peach is an exorcism in folk customs, which originated from the myth of Shen Tu and Lei Yu. It is engraved with peach characters, which also means to disperse noise. "History of Continuing Han Rites": "Zhu Suo and Five-color Peach Seal are the door ornaments to block evil spirits." This is the origin of ambiguous symbols and auspicious gourds in later generations. "Dream of Liang Lu" Volume III: "It is the custom of the Song Dynasty for the sergeant and other scholars to write the sentence" Mid-Autumn Festival on May 5, red mouth and white tongue all disappear. " "Yanjing Year" also records: "Duanyang cut all kinds of gourds with colored paper for daily use, stuck it upside down on the threshold and released poisonous gas. "This is the custom of the Qing dynasty. Some still hang silk tassels and ribbons on paper gourds to look better, or cut the shape of the five poisons in the gourd and stick it on the door, which also means that the five poisons will be exhausted. You are a "troubled gourd".
There is still the custom of hanging a mirror on the door to ward off evil spirits. At noon on May 5th in the Tang Dynasty, a bronze mirror was cast in the center of the Yangtze River in Yangzhou to pay tribute to the emperor, also to ward off evil spirits (see Tang Shi Bu). Therefore, later generations often hang mirrors in front of the door to exorcise evil spirits. (Ma Dayong's "Talking about the Festival")