Besides using zongzi (粽子) as prayer offerings to the house deities and ancestors, it is a common practice for my family to hang up certain healthy herbs and lallang on our door on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month or double fifth. The hawkers at the markets will usually have the types of herbs that we want and sometimes they have already tied them up for us. My mum and Aunt May have time and again told me that it was to get rid of evil. Well, today I delved further into why this act was necessary for this day and would like to share my findings with you.
The Chinese believe that the day of the Double Fifth is characterized by the struggle between the dual force of yin and yang as the yang reaches a culminating point with the arrival of the summer and the yin, symbolizing darkness and dampness, comes into full play. As the fifth lunar month is the hottest month of the year, ‘undesirable’ vapours abound and are considered to be very “poisonous." Therefore attempts are made to harmonize both the yin and yang so that the diseases and other forms of illnesses could be kept at bay.
Of all the charms and talismans available, the "Five poisons" and "Five Colours" are considered the most powerful and protective.
The Chinese believe that the day of the Double Fifth is characterized by the struggle between the dual force of yin and yang as the yang reaches a culminating point with the arrival of the summer and the yin, symbolizing darkness and dampness, comes into full play. As the fifth lunar month is the hottest month of the year, ‘undesirable’ vapours abound and are considered to be very “poisonous." Therefore attempts are made to harmonize both the yin and yang so that the diseases and other forms of illnesses could be kept at bay.
Of all the charms and talismans available, the "Five poisons" and "Five Colours" are considered the most powerful and protective.
Five poisons
The "Five Poisons" (WuDu) motif contain images of five types of venomous animals. The animals represented are the snake, centipede, scorpion, lizard, and toad (sometimes the spider replaces one of these creatures). Their images are embroidered on clothing, stamped on cakes, and engraved on paper charms, with the idea of avoiding bites from them or to counteract other kinds of poisons with the accumulated poison of the five.
Five Colors
The five colors are powerful motif because each colour is associated with one of the Five Elements (azure=wood, red=fire, yellow=earth, white=metal, and black=water). The elements, which are five natural forces, work together in a cyclical order to represent periods of rise and decay, production and destruction. Wood prevails over earth; metal prevails over vood; fire over metal; water over fire; and earth over water. Thus by symbolizing the essence of creation, the endless cycle of elements and their correlations with colours, directions, seasons, and so on, are especially effective in banishing pernicious influences.
Five Colors
The five colors are powerful motif because each colour is associated with one of the Five Elements (azure=wood, red=fire, yellow=earth, white=metal, and black=water). The elements, which are five natural forces, work together in a cyclical order to represent periods of rise and decay, production and destruction. Wood prevails over earth; metal prevails over vood; fire over metal; water over fire; and earth over water. Thus by symbolizing the essence of creation, the endless cycle of elements and their correlations with colours, directions, seasons, and so on, are especially effective in banishing pernicious influences.
To prepare for the festival and to protect themselves from evil spirits, the people wear a talisman or hang a picture of Zhong-Kui (the guardian against evil spirits) over their front doors. Other ways to ward off the evil is by carrying fragrant pouches (Hsiang Pao) made of silk. These pouches contain sachets of herbs or medicine. Some also drink Xiong Huang Wine or other nutritious concotions to that effect. The rest of the year will be lucky for And if anyone can balance an egg on its end at exactly noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (Double Fifth Day), the rest of the year will be lucky for them.
References:
http://www.goodlucklife.com/excerpt.html
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/dec97/holiday/boatz.html
http://www.chinatownology.com/dragon_boat_festival.htm
http://www.chinatownology.com/zong_zi.htm
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kyfoo/chinese/DragonboatFestival.html
http://www.geneseo.edu/~mw6/dragon.htm
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