[Photo via tuchong.com]

Worshiping ancestors and gods, and commemorating the late saints

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is related to many famous people in history. Most of them have two characteristics in common. First, they were all loyal or filial people. Second, all their stories have something to do with water. Qu Yuan threw himself into the river. Wu Zixu was thrown into the river after his death. Cao E jumped into the river to save her father. But the most popular and influential person among them is Qu Yuan, a great patriot, poet, scholar, and official of the state of Chu. During the Song dynasty, Qu Yuan was given the title of "Lord of Loyalty and Valor" for his patriotic action, and the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar officially became the Dragon Boat Festival.

It's traditional for literati in Beijing to go to the Memorial Temple of the Three Patriots near Erzha, or Qingfeng Ship Lock, and offer incense to commemorate Zhuge Liang, Yue Fei, and Wen Tianxiang. The temple is spacious. Zhuoying Pavilion, the pavilion behind the temple, faces the Tonghui River.

Hanging sweet flag and silvery wormwood on the door to ward off illnesses and misfortune

People believe that the fifth month is a "poisonous'' month, and the fifth day of it is the most "poisonous" day. Most native Beijingers hang sweet flag and silvery wormwood on the door and under the eaves on this day. Some people use them to protect the family against evil spirits.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, people also carve sweet flag into tiny puppets, bottle gourds, and the like. They are threaded and worn around children's necks to bring them good luck. Some people even steep sweet flag roots in wine. They believe such wine can bring them health and longevity. Sweet flag leaves are sword-shaped. Fangshi, or sorcerers possessing magical recipes, call them the "swords in water" and claim they can slay all kinds of evil spirits. Because Chinese people consider sweet flag to be something that can ward off evil spirits and misfortune, it is an indispensable part of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Visiting the Temple of Heaven to "avoid poison"

There has been a saying in China since ancient times: "Southerners travel on boats, northerners on horseback." This explains why southerners hold the Dragon Boat Race during the festival, and northerners used to hold archery competitions during the Jin dynasty, where the competitors were asked to shoot the branches of willows while riding. After the 1911 Revolution, a new trend in Beijing has been going to the former royal gardens during the Dragon Boat Festival. The Temple of Heaven is the most frequented place because people believe it is the best place to "avoid poison," but other royal gardens are visited as well. Apart from royal gardens, the Shicha Lake, the Goldfish Pond, the Gaoliang Bridge and Erzha are all popular tourist destinations.

Drinking Realgar Wine

Native Beijingers also drink realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. Potable realgar wine consists of Baijiu (white liquor) or home-brewed Huangjiu (yellow wine) dosed with a tiny amount of realgar. No one drinks undiluted realgar wine. Realgar wine can kill germs, keep insects away, and detoxify the venom of snakes, centipedes, scorpions, geckos and toads. It is also used by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners to treat skin conditions. In ancient times, in the absence of disinfectants such as iodine, realgar wine was used to disinfect wounds and relieve the itch. As for children that were too young to drink alcohol, their parents would smear realgar wine on their foreheads, ears, noses, palms, the soles of their feet and so on in order to kill germs, ward off illnesses, and repel insects.

An ancient poem mentioned that children would hold silvery wormwood, wear sweet flag and write the word "king" with realgar wine on their foreheads to ward off evil spirits and illnesses. Sprinkling realgar wine in the corners of the room, under the bed, and other places can keep your room clean and free from insects. However, modern scientific research shows that realgar wine is only harmless when applied externally. Sparing use is suggested as it can damage your health if you drink it.

(Source: Bj.wenming.cn)