Can you wash clothes on the Dragon Boat Festival?
It is allowed to wash clothes on the Dragon Boat Festival.Since ancient times, there has been a custom of washing with herbal water on the Dragon Boat Festival. Therefore, both the body and clothes should be cleaned on this day.
【Herbal Water Bath】
Herbal water, also known as "Mulan Tang" in ancient texts, can treat skin diseases and remove evil qi. On the Dragon Boat Festival, plants have the strongest medicinal properties of the year, and everywhere is full of medicine. In many parts of China during the Dragon Boat Festival, people collect herbs and boil them into herbal water for bathing. The medicinal properties of the Dragon Boat herbs play a crucial role in this tradition.
The earliest written records of the custom of washing with herbal water date back to the end of the Western Han Dynasty in the "Daji Li Ji" (The Book of Rites). However, the "lan" mentioned in the text is not orchids but rather the fragrant plant "Peilan" from the Asteraceae family or other medicinal herbs that can be boiled for bathing. This custom still exists today and is widely practiced.
In Guangdong, children use herbs like bitter grass, wheat, and plants such as mugwort, reed, phoenix flower, and white magnolia to boil water for washing. Teenage and adult males go to rivers or seashores for a shower, called "Dragon Boat water," to wash away bad luck and bring good fortune. In Hunan and Guangxi, people use leaves of cypress, big wind root, mugwort, calamus, and peach leaves to make herbal water for bathing, and all family members, regardless of age, take a bath.
What should not be done on the Dragon Boat Festival?
1. Avoid the "Evil Month"The fifth month is called the "Evil Month" in feng shui customs, which is considered an unlucky month. The Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is called "Chong Wu" (Double Fifth), meaning "evil upon evil," and is the unluckiest day of the month. Therefore, there is a custom of "escaping the noon" on the Dragon Boat Festival. Children under one year old must be sent to their grandmother's house to ward off evil spirits and avoid misfortune.
2. Avoid Swimming
In some places, swimming is avoided on the Dragon Boat Festival, especially in areas where people have drowned before. The folk believe that on this day, many drowned ghosts return to the world to find substitutes. Therefore, they throw zongzi (rice dumplings) into the water to share with them so that they won't target themselves.
3. Avoid Sexual Activity
During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is not advisable to engage in sexual activity, especially during the "Nine Toxins" period, as it is easy for "toxic" energy to enter the body and harm health.
