On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a sachet. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines(草药), and finally string them with silk threads. The sachet will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.
The sachets (Hsiang Pao in Chinese香包) are very popular with children and they vie(竞争) with each other to collect as many as possible. Children are not the only ones who collect Hsiang Pao. Older people are often given them as a symbol of respect, and they are highly prized because of the intricate(复杂的) and beautiful embroidery(刺绣) that adorns(装饰) them.
端午节最有特色的饰物就是香包(sachet)。小孩佩戴香包,传说有避邪驱瘟之意。用含有多种香味的药用植物做成的香包也可以预防疾病。
端午节小孩佩香囊,不但有避邪驱瘟之意,而且有襟头点缀之风。香囊内藏有朱砂。 雄黄。香药, 外包以丝布,清香四溢, 再以五色丝线弦扣成索,作各种不同形状,结成一串,形形色色,玲珑夺目。
Ancient folk medicines(民间药物) such as realgar(雄黄酒)are added to the food eaten on the Festival day. This is believed to prevent disease and to promote a healthy digestive system(消化器官). The drinking of realgar in wine supposedly relieves(解除) the effects of poisons accumulated in human bodies.
饮雄黄酒:雄黄本属矿物, 含有三硫化砷成分,与酒混合。即成雄黄酒,用以驱虫解五毒,小儿涂于头额。耳鼻,手足心。 并洒墙壁问, 以法诸毒。流传民间之《白蛇传》故事,即是以雄黄酒解蛇虺诸毒,而现白蛇原形。此种习佰,在长江流域地区的人家很盛行。
The Dragon Boat Festival is a lunar (阴历)holiday, occurring (存正)on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (农历史五月第五天) The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is a significant (有意义的)holiday celebrated (庆祝)in China,and the one with the longest history (历史最悠久)。 The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races (龙舟赛) in the shape of dragons. Competing teams (竞争团队) row their boats forward to a drumbeat (击古)racing to reach the finish end first. The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs(传统习俗)to attempts to (试图)rescue (搭救) the patriotic poet (爱国诗人)Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned (溺死) on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves (竹叶) filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings(棕子)。 The celebration is a time for protection (防护) from evil(邪恶)and disease (疾病) for the rest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthy herbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions (营养品), and displaying (展示) portraits (画像) of evil's nemesis(邪恶报应),Chung Kuei. If one manages to (成功做……) stand (直立)an egg on it's end at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.