The custom of wearing five-color ropes during the Dragon Boat Festival is prevalent, but these ropes are not to be discarded casually. There are specific rules for their disposal. So when should the five-color ropes be thrown away during the Dragon Boat Festival? Let's find out together. Huayi Network has prepared a special section on the fifth lunar month in 2019. If you want to learn more about the fifth lunar month, please click on Huayi Network.

When should the five-color ropes be discarded during the Dragon Boat Festival?

The five-color ropes should be kept until the birthday of "Qiniangma" on July 7th, and then they should be burned along with the golden paper. In some places, the first rain after the Dragon Boat Festival is the time to remove the ropes and throw them into the river so that they can be washed away by the rain.

Related beliefs about wearing five-color ropes during the Dragon Boat Festival

1. On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival before the sun rises, adults tie the Dragon Boat rope around the wrists, ankles, and neck of sleeping children. In some areas, the five-color ropes can be worn the night before.
2. When tying the five-color ropes, the child must not speak, and once tied, the child must not arbitrarily break or discard the five-color ropes.
3. The five-color ropes are made from five different colored threads. These five colors are not arbitrary; they must be green, white, red, black, and yellow. According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, these five colors represent wood, metal, fire, water, and earth, as well as east, west, south, north, and center. They embody the power of the five directions, which can ward off evil spirits, eliminate diseases, and promote health and longevity.
4. Wearing the five-color ropes during the Dragon Boat Festival follows the principle of "men on the left, women on the right." They can be tied around the wrists or ankles, protecting against the five poisonous creatures and preventing epidemics.

What are the legends of the Dragon Boat Festival?

Commemorating Qu Yuan
According to legend, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning because he could not realize his ambitions and had no way to serve his country, which was invaded. After people learned of Qu Yuan's death, they were very sad, and many people went to the Miluo River to mourn him. Some fishermen even threw food into the river, hoping that the fish and shrimp would be full and would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This action was widely imitated, and some people also wrapped rice in leaves and put it in the river. This custom has been passed down, so people eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) on May 5th of the lunar calendar to commemorate Qu Yuan.
Commemorating Cao E
When Cao E was 14 years old, her father drowned in the water on May 5th. She cried bitterly and then committed suicide by jumping into the river on May 22nd. Five days later, her body was found floating on the river with her father's body. The local people believed that Cao E was a very filial child, so the local official built a temple for her and renamed the village Cao E Village. People believed that Cao E's filial piety moved heaven, so they commemorated Cao E every year on May 5th.
A Festival of the Dragon
Wen Yiduo once referred to the Dragon Boat Festival as the "Festival of the Dragon." Is the Dragon Boat Festival meant to commemorate the dragon? According to legend, ancient dragon tribes performed totem rituals, so they offered zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) to the river for the dragons to eat. Moreover, the dragon boats used in dragon boat races are also dragon-shaped. Therefore, ancient people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th to commemorate the festival of the dragon.
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