Symposium report

Yang Xiu, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Folklore Society and associate researcher at the China Academy of Arts' Institute of Art Studies, reported his observations about the festival at a symposium in Jiaxing on May 13 last year.

He said the traditional customs of eating zongzi and wearing small packets containing scented grass are continuing, with different types of packets and zongzi appearing every year.

In 2008, the State Council revised the national observances of annual holidays and commemorative days, officially including Dragon Boat Festival as a national statutory holiday. The custom of wearing a small packet during the festival became popular again during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, due to heightened awareness of the need to eradicate diseases.

Taking a bath during Dragon Boat Festival is also popular. According to folklore, noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the best yang moment of the year. Taking a bath in the sun at noon on this day is said to prevent the arrival of an epidemic for the next 12 months.

In Guangdong province, children are still bathed with mugwort water at noon on this day. In rural areas, scenes of mothers placing a wooden basin in a courtyard, with the water infused with mugwort, cypress, hyacinth and magnolia, are childhood memories for many.

Zheng Tuyou, vice-president of the Chinese Folklore Society and professor in the department of Chinese at Fudan University, believes that traditional Chinese festivals often have three functions: gratitude for nature and the blessings of ancestors; coordination between humankind and nature; and guidance for daily production and cultural activities.

"For Dragon Boat Festival, coordination is especially evident," Zheng said.

Important role

After the festival, temperatures rise, humidity gradually increases, various fungi and bacteria multiply, people are prone to illness, and disease is more likely to spread. Numerous types of insects are active, with mosquitoes and flies breeding in large numbers, Zheng added.

"Mugwort is hung on doors, while small packets are worn to repel insects. The fresh mugwort leaves purify the air, keep rooms hygienic, and in ancient times they played an important role in disinfection and warding off evil spirits," Zhang said.

He added that these folk customs signify people's awareness of the relationship between the environment and their health.

Villagers in Shandong province used to clean their eyes during Dragon Boat Festival. On the day, the villagers went to a field before the sun rose, collected the dew on mugwort, and washed their eyes. According to folklore, this custom gave them immunity against eye diseases for a year.

The custom arose after an outbreak of pink eye disease in rural areas in old times due to the mutual use of soap and towels among family members at a time when supplies of fresh water were scarce.

Zhang Congjun, a professor at Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, said that in ancient times, people believed that mugwort could ward off evil spirits and exorcisms, as the dew on the plant had a sacred component.

Yang, from the Chinese Folklore Society, said that due to increased scientific knowledge about hygiene, such beliefs are gradually disappearing.

However, epidemic prevention methods and hygiene concepts during Dragon Boat Festival still have cultural significance today, Yang added.