The five-color rope can be worn all year round, but it depends on local customs. In most areas, from May 5th to July 7th, "Qiniang" birthday, it is still in water, washed away by rain and burned with gold, or it is the first rain after the Dragon Boat Festival. However, in some places, the colorful ropes can be worn all the time without any taboos.
In the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, the first important thing for adults when they get up is to tie the Dragon Boat rope around the wrists, ankles, and necks of sleeping children. When the rope is tied, the child cannot speak. Some married men are also forced by their wives to wear colorful ropes. Many men are afraid of being laughed at, so they secretly tie them around their ankles. This five-color rope is also very delicate. It must be tied before sunrise, otherwise it won't work. The five-color rope should not be broken or discarded arbitrarily. It can only be placed at the drainage outlet of the courtyard wall after the Dragon Boat Festival, and washed away by the rain.
Is it okay not to throw away the five-color rope of the Dragon Boat Festival?
It's okay not to throw away the five-color rope of the Dragon Boat Festival. There is a saying that the colored rope worn on the Dragon Boat Festival is removed on the birthday of "Qiniangma" on July 7th, and burned together. In some places, after the Dragon Boat Festival, the first rain is taken off and thrown into the river, allowing it to be washed away by the rain.
The five-color rope of the Dragon Boat Festival is also called "longevity thread", "continuation of life thread", "continuation of life silk", "longevity thread", and "longevity line". It has different names, but the form and function are basically the same. The five-color thread is worn on the left or right side of the body depending on gender, and can be tied around the wrist or ankle. There is another story that if a child is not yet one year old, only a red thread is tied.
The five-color thread is made by twisting (weaving) five colors of silk threads: blue, red, white, black, and yellow. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, adults tie the five-color thread around the children's wrists, forearms, and necks. People believe that tying the five-color thread can drive away evil and disease, and ensure long life. Therefore, the five-color thread is also called "longevity thread", "continuation of life thread", "protection against war thread", "red thread", and in the folk it is also called "flower rope".
There are many rules about wearing the five-color thread during the Dragon Boat Festival. According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, these five colors represent wood, metal, fire, water, and earth. At the same time, they symbolize east, west, south, north, and center, containing the power of the five directions, which can drive away evil spirits, eliminate diseases, and keep people healthy and long-lived.
