端午节挂艾草的原因
many people know that on the golden festival of端午节, people will hang up the艾草. so how does the艾草 relate to the Golden Festival? why is it important to hang the艾草 during the Golden Festival? below we will provide an article about the reasons for hanging the艾草 during the Golden Festival.
according to traditional wisdom, "leaping into柳 and端午节插艾". in the Golden Festival, people will collect bamboo and菖蒲 as important contents. household members will sweep up grass and clean the house, inserting them on the door frame with bamboo and blooming plants. while also using wild scallions, dragonhead plants, and fish茎 to make person-shaped or tiger-shaped objects called艾人、艾虎; also made flower rings,饰 them nicely, and women will gather many to wear them to fight for good.
1、 it is believed that it is both for health and for prevention
the艾草 ( 花 ) , also called 花艾、艾蒿. its leaves contain fragrances of volatile oils. it can clean the air to kill mosquitoes, bugs, and badmice. in traditional Chinese medicine, 芦草 is put into medications for rationalizing blood circulation, heating子宫, and removing colds. processing 芦草 into "艾绒" ( 艾条) is a way to treat disease.
可见，古人插艾是有一定的防病作用的. the Golden Festival is also known as "卫生节", people will clean their庭院, hang the艾草, wash green bean water, and drink green bean酒, to remove impurities and fight bugs, killing dead things, clearing out the disease. these activities also reflected the traditional customs of the Chinese people.
2、 it is believed that it is both for驱散邪气
during the Golden Festival, when hanging 芦草 and菖蒲 ( 褕草) or rose, hawthorn ( 或称 菭草), there are its reasons. generally, when using 芦、榕、菖蒲用红纸束成一束, then hung on or suspended above the door frame. since 蒄草 grows in the center of five natural things at the beginning of the year, it represents a power to destroy evil spirits, and as it is produced during the growing period, its appearance is called "百阴之气". hanging it on can also remove邪. therefore， it's called water bow ( 或称 褕草), and later this trend was taken up in China as "蒲剑" ( 苍鬼). the Chinese say that to get rid of ghosts and spirits.
and then, the晋代《风土志》 has a passage: 以艾为虎形，或剪彩为小虎，帖以艾叶，内人争相裁之。以后更加菖蒲，或作人形，或肖剑状，名为 菇草，以驱邪却鬼
while the Chinese also use wild scallions, dragonhead plants, and fish茎 to make person-shaped or tiger-shape objects called 芦人、艾虎; also made flower rings,饰 them nicely. women will gather many to wear them to fight for good.
after that, the Chinese have also used scallions, dragonhead plants, and fish茎 to make person-shaped or tiger-shape objects called 菭草, which is named 蒄草 to remove the spirits and bring peace; or made flower rings,佩饰 them. they are also known as "蒲剑", which can be thrown to kill demons and spirits.
in summary: during the Golden Festival, the Chinese people use 芦草 and 蒄草 ( 或称 褕草) for health purposes and for fighting bad things; while they also used these objects for traditional customs. this is a practice that has been passed down through generations.
