[Explanation] Today is the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and we usher in the Dragon Boat Festival, one of the most important traditional festivals in China.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, the first custom that everyone thinks of is eating zongzi and racing dragon boats.
But in fact, the Dragon Boat Festival has extremely rich cultural connotations, one of which is very important to expel poisons and insects, which contains a very precious concept of epidemic prevention, and is a veritable "public health and epidemic prevention festival".
[Concurrent] Tang Zhiqiang, Secretary General of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Protection and Inheritance Alliance
(In the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival) Most of the customs are related to the prevention of insects and epidemics.
There are calamus wine, realgar wine, cinnabar wine, and the custom of eating five poison cakes.
In terms of hanging stickers, there are three friends of the Dragon Boat Festival, that is, wormwood, wormwood, calamus, and garlic.
The calamus is not the kind of leaf that looks like a sword, and then uses wormwood as a whip and garlic as a hammer. There are three weapons that can repel snakes, scorpions, and germs.
There is a saying in the proverb that inserting willows during the Qingming Festival and inserting mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival, mugwort has a particularly strong taste, so the effect of repelling insects is particularly good.
Especially hanging sachets, which contain sachets of exorcism herbs.
Even dragon boat racing has something to do with eating zongzi, because through this kind of exercise, you can improve and transport, prevent viruses, and improve your ability to prevent epidemics.
[Explanation] On the Dragon Boat Festival, the ancients also bathed and cleaned, so it was also called the Mulan Festival and the Sanitation Festival.
[Concurrent] Tang Zhiqiang, Secretary General of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Protection and Inheritance Alliance
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, people will sweep the courtyard, do the general cleaning, and then bathe with mugwort. It is said that this kind of bathing can repel and prevent insects.
At the same time, there is also a use of air-dried calamus. Boiled water for bathing is also a kind of bathing, which can sterilize and prevent diseases and strengthen the body.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Dragon Boat Festival was also called the Mulan Festival, so this is also called the Sanitation Festival since ancient times.
[Explanation] Why do we need to prevent viruses and epidemics when the Dragon Boat Festival is coming?
Experts say this is inseparable from the climate characteristics at this time.
[Concurrent] Tang Zhiqiang, Secretary General of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Protection and Inheritance Alliance
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is commonly known as the Bad Moon. There are five types of poison, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos, and toads.
In addition, it is difficult for people to produce agricultural products in this season. In the crops in agricultural production, it is more likely to encounter (poisonous insects), which is also a reason.
It was (originated) very early in the process of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and only began to be linked to Qu Yuan after the Tang Dynasty.
[Explanation] There are still many areas in China that still retain the custom of hanging mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Experts said that the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival reflects the precious ideological concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and it is worth continuing to inherit.
[Concurrent] Tang Zhiqiang, Secretary General of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Protection and Inheritance Alliance
You see, during the Dragon Boat Festival, many activities expressed the desire for good weather, healthy life, and social harmony. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, people make zongzi with zongzi leaves, which reflects people's worship of plants and represents Chinese people's prayer for the harmony of yin and yang. , The wish for good weather is presented in the form of festivals.
This also reflects an idea of our epidemic prevention.
Because epidemic prevention must first respect nature and not destroy nature.
Reporter Wang Shibo reports from Beijing
Responsible editor: [Liu Xian]