Games related to herb and wormwood collecting are treading on grasses and fighting with grass, which are derivatives of ancient wilderness trips, and even later they evolved into flower arrangement.
Folk believes that May is the time when five poisonous creatures are active to injure people. The five poisonous creatures are scorpion, snake, centipede, spider and toad. Thus, people would find any possible ways to avoid them. Generally, people would paint five poisonous creatures on red paper and stick the painting onto walls. Then, they would use five needles to penetrate the five creatures, meaning to kill them, so they would not dash around. This is an old custom evolved from ancient witchcraft to dispel evils. People also embroider five poisonous creatures on clothes, or decorate cakes with these five creatures, both intending to expel them.
On Dragon Boat Festival, people use stamp carved out of peach wood as door decoration. Peach is an object traditionally to dispel ghosts, originated from the folklore about Shenshu and Yulu brothers. Rite Records of Extension of Han History notes, “Red lock and colored peach stamp are used as door decoration to expel sinister gases.” The talisman and blessing gourd are products evolved from this. Volume 3 of Menglianglu says, “Senior homes would use cinnabar to write ‘Mid-sky Festival on May 5, all vicious insects are eliminated.’” This practice is a custom in Song dynasty. Yangjing Seasonal Records writes, “On Dragon Boat Festival, cut colored paper into various gourds, and stick them upside down on doors and windows to keep off poisonous gases.” This is a custom in Qing dynasty. Sometimes, tassel and ribbon are added to the design of paper gourd, which are much beautiful. Other designs would have five poisonous creatures cut out on gourd. When these designs are stuck upside down on doors, the intention is to clearly release the bad energy from five poisonous creatures.
In Tang dynasty, copper mirror would be molded specially at noon on May 5 in the centre of Yangtze River, and then be sent to emperor, which was called mirror for son of heaven, with the same intention to repulse evil.
Hanging the painting of Zhongkui
The practice of Zhongkui catching ghosts is a custom on Dragon Boat Festival. In Yangtze River and Huaihe River basins, paintings with Zhongkui inside are hung in each and every home, indicating to protect the house and repulse spirits. In Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Minghuang in Tang dynasty, after lecturing from Lishan Mountain, the emperor was stricken by malaria and dreamed two ghosts, a large one and a small one. The small ghost wore bright red trousers, and stole the fragrant purse of Yang favored concubine and the jade flute of the emperor. The larger ghost caught the small ghost, dug his eyes out and swallowed down. The emperor shouted to ask what’s going on. The larger ghost replied, “I am Zhongkui, I failed in the examination for selecting generals for your majesty. So I determined to dispel ghosts for your majesty. When the emperor woke up, his malaria was over, so he ordered the famous painter Wu Daozi to paint what he had dreamed. Then the emperor issued an edict that each house should stick this painting on Dragon Boat Festival to dispel evil spirits.”
(Source: bjchinese.bjedu.cn)
