新冠疫情此时仍在席卷全球，互道一句“端午安康”，即是这节日里最贴心的问候。
可你注意过吗？为什么端午节的祝福语与其他节日不同，不是“端午快乐”，而是“端午安康”呢？原来，在传统文化中，端午这一天有着不一样的意义。Unlike other holidays which are usually greeted with the word "happy," such as "Happy New Year," the Dragon Boat Festival spurns this usage. Why? Because traditionally, the day has been thought of as an "evil" day.端午节是农历五月初五，正值夏季，气温骤升，全国不少地方还进入了多雨季节，湿热的环境容易滋生疫病，于是端午节被称为“毒日”。古人把这一天视为预防疾病的重要时机，因此辟邪驱瘟、祛病祈福成了端午节主题之一。 The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the beginning of summer season. It's believed that during hot weather, people can easily fall ill and epidemics can spread, especially with the prevalence of mosquitoes. Besides snakes and insects, many of which are poisonous and are breeding during this time, there's a higher chance of being bitten.Such potential risks make the day look evil, so that ancient people regarded it an important timing to prevent diseases.Most Dragon Boat Festival customs have been developed to prevent diseases and keep healthy. /CFP
端午节的习俗大致可以分为两类。第一类是由古时祭龙和祭奠屈原演变而来的，例如赛龙舟和吃粽子。另一类则与防疫有关，例如挂艾草、插菖蒲、饮雄黄、佩香囊等。Dragon Boat Festival customs can be roughly divided into two categories. One is to worship the god of dragon and heroes, such as Qu Yuan. The tokens include dragon boat races and eating glutinous rice dumpling, or zongzi. Another category aims to fend off evils and keep people healthy.A bunch of wormwood and calamus. /CFP
“五月五端午，天师骑艾虎，手持菖蒲剑，瘟神归地府。”这一首广为流传的歌谣，形象地叙述了端午节家家户户门上插艾草和菖蒲以驱逐瘟疫的习俗。艾草或菖蒲这两种药用植物常被古人用来驱邪防疫。艾草的茎、叶都含有挥发性芳香油，所产生的奇特芳香，可以提神醒脑、杀虫灭菌，也能净化空气。而菖蒲则被称为五瑞之首，是中国传统文化中可防疫驱邪的灵草。On the Dragon Boat Festival, you may find a bunch of wormwood and calamus hanging on the front gate or inserted in the gate frame of many houses. The two medicinal plants have an aroma that can help purify the air. It also looks like a sword to expel evil away from home.传统文化中，饮雄黄酒也是端午节重要的习俗之一。“称锤粽子满盘堆，好侑雄黄人酒杯。馀沥尚堪祛五毒，乱涂儿额噗墙隈。”这首诗描写的就是人们在端午节喝雄黄酒避虫毒的情形。在古代，人们把雄黄酒涂抹在蚊子或其他昆虫的叮咬处，以此消肿解毒。There is an old saying, "Drinking the realgar wine, all diseases will go away." Realgar, also a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has the effect of detoxification and sterilization. In ancient times, people apply the realgar wine to mosquito or other insect bites to reduce swelling and detoxify. But, realgar is actually a poisonous plant, even drinking a little realgar wine is harmful to our body, so we today drink yellow rice wine instead.Making a perfume sachet. /CGTN众所周知，香甜软糯的粽子是中国端午节的特色食物并深受人们喜爱。事实上，端午节的香囊也是人们的“宠儿”。不但香味令人精神治愈，还像艾草、菖蒲、雄黄一样有驱虫、防疫的功效。天津社会科学院的研究员、历史学家罗树伟表示：“从传统防疫角度来看，有些习俗真的有利于消毒灭菌，改善个人卫生。因此，我们也可以把端午节作为一个关注健康的节日。”Perfume sachets work mainly in two ways: one is to prevent mosquitoes and insects. Because the Dragon Boat Festival is held in south China's Meiyu season, mosquitoes are very rampant and easy to spread infectious diseases. In ancient times, the control of mosquitoes was a matter of life and death, wearing a perfume sachet thus played a role in disinfection and driving away mosquitoes. Another is to improve the mental state. During hot summer, people usually lose their appetite. Putting certain amount of herbs in the sachets can help improve their mental state, thus reducing the possibility of illness to some extent.
Wash hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand soap and in clean flowing water. /CFP
People pin good wishes on the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival. But in modern times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific preventive measures are needed most.
最后愿大家端午安康！