Why put mugwort on Dragon Boat Festival? Reveal the cultural connotations behind traditional customs
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the important traditional festivals in China. In addition to eating rice dumplings and racing dragon boats, hanging mugwort is also an indispensable custom. So, why put mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival? What are the cultural connotations and scientific basis behind this custom? This article will give you a detailed analysis based on the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days.
1. The origin and legend of releasing mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival

There are many folk theories about the custom of hanging mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival. Here are a few common explanations:
| legend type | Content description | cultural significance |
|---|---|---|
| Exorcise evil spirits and avoid epidemics | The ancients believed that May was the "poisonous month" and mugwort had the effect of exorcising evil spirits. | Reflects the ancient people’s emphasis on health |
| In memory of Qu Yuan | People used mugwort to repel mosquitoes and protect Qu Yuan’s body | Express admiration for patriotic poets |
| Seasonal health care | Mugwort is most effective during the Dragon Boat Festival | It embodies the traditional Chinese medicine idea of "treating the disease before it's too late" |
2. Scientific value and efficacy of mugwort
Modern scientific research has confirmed that mugwort does have a variety of medicinal values. The following are the main functions of mugwort:
| Efficacy Category | Specific role | scientific basis |
|---|---|---|
| Antibacterial and insect repellent | Inhibit various bacteria and repel mosquitoes | Contains volatile oils and special odor substances |
| Regulate immunity | Enhance human body resistance | Contains multiple active ingredients |
| Warm menstruation and stop bleeding | Treat gynecological diseases | Clinical verification of traditional Chinese medicine |
| purify air | Remove odor and freshen the air | The role of volatile components |
3. The correct way to hang mugwort on Dragon Boat Festival
According to traditional customs and modern practices, there are the following precautions for hanging mugwort:
| Project | traditional practice | modern improvements |
|---|---|---|
| hang time | Dragon Boat Festival morning | It can also be done 1-2 days before the festival |
| hanging position | Both sides of the door | Available for doors, windows and balconies |
| Wormwood treatment | The whole plant hangs | Can be made into bouquets or sachets |
| shelf life | Air dry naturally | Can be saved until Double Ninth Festival |
4. Changes in contemporary people’s perception of hanging wormwood on the Dragon Boat Festival
With the development of society, people's understanding of traditional customs is also changing. The following are related topics that have been hotly discussed on the Internet in the past 10 days:
| Hot topics | focus of discussion | Percentage of views |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of traditional customs | Cultural inheritance vs formalism | 65% support inheritance |
| Commercialization of mugwort | Creative products are popular | 80% expressed acceptance |
| scientific explanation | Pay more attention to practical effects | 72% agree with the value of science |
| environmental issues | Wormwood cultivation and ecology | 55% are concerned about sustainability |
5. Modern Innovation of Dragon Boat Festival Wormwood Culture
While retaining the traditional core, mugwort culture is also constantly innovating:
1.creative products: Derivatives such as mugwort sachets, mugwort essential oil, and mugwort tea are emerging in endlessly, which not only inherit culture but also meet modern needs.
2.cultural experience: Experience activities such as "Mugwort Picking Festival" and "Handmade Mugwort Sachet" have been launched in many places to attract young people to participate.
3.health concept: Combined with the health-preserving theory of traditional Chinese medicine, we promote traditional therapies such as "moxibustion" to rejuvenate ancient wisdom.
4.artistic creation: Mugwort elements have been integrated into paintings, photography, and cultural and creative products, becoming a source of inspiration for cultural creativity.
Conclusion
The custom of hanging wormwood on the Dragon Boat Festival carries the Chinese nation's pursuit of health, reverence for nature and respect for tradition. Today, with advanced science and technology, we must not only understand its scientific basis, but also inherit its cultural connotation, so that this ancient custom can rejuvenate in the new era.
No matter how the times change, hanging a bunch of mugwort is not only a ritual of the festival, but also a tribute to traditional culture and a yearning for a healthy life. This Dragon Boat Festival, you might as well hang a bunch of mugwort by yourself and feel the charm of traditional customs.
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