Hanfu Dressing Elements for Dragon Boat Festival

Speaking of the Dragon Boat Festival customs, we can certainly think of many. In addition to delicious Zongzi, dragon boats, are also about decorating objects that symbolize good luck to drive away poisonous, as well as a variety of commemorative activities.

But do you know what costume elements were used in the Dragon Boat Festival throughout history? Today, let's follow the Hanfu Culture Society and take a look!

 

Catering to the festive atmosphere, the ancient dressing ideas are generally based on the corresponding seasonal elements, these pattern elements decorated on clothing and accessories. Undoubtedly, in the Dragon Boat Festival, the most common of these patterns is the Wu Du (五毒, five poisons) patterns.

In the ancient view, the lunar calendar in May is not a good month, that May is prone to disaster, and the fifth day of May, that is, the day of the Dragon Boat Festival is particularly dangerous.

Therefore, the ancients called the lunar month of May for the "evil month (恶月)", also known as the "poison month (毒月)", and the Dragon Boat Festival this day (May 5) is called "evil day (毒日)".

Therefore, the main activity of the Dragon Boat Festival is to avoid evil and drive away from sickness. Perhaps out of the belief that "poison against poison" reason, although the Wu Du as the object of exorcism but also become a major fashion of the Dragon Boat Festival.

In addition, it is also common to see Ai Hu (艾虎), Tian Shi (天师) and other symbols that can subdue the five poisons, as well as seasonal flowers and fruits and other patterns.

The concept of the Wu Du had taken shape in the Song Dynasty, and the custom of cutting Ai Hu into clothing as a fabric pattern had also emerged.

Song dynasty Dragon Boat Festival in addition to wearing Ai Hu shirt, there are men wearing mugwort leaves, women wearing Ai Hu pattern hairpins, as well as the five-color long-life wisps, wearing spiritual talisman sachets such customs.

By the Ming Dynasty, the custom of wearing Wu Du on the Dragon Boat Festival became more common and even widespread. Zhuang Hua (妆花), Zhi Jin (织金), embroidery and other weaving techniques make the Dragon Boat clothing is extremely gorgeous.

At the same time also appeared some new elements, such as Zhang Tian Shi riding tiger chop Wu Du pattern, Jin Ji (金鸡, gold chicken) pattern, and Luan Feng (鸾凤, phoenix) pattern.

The Lantern Festival is the lantern, the Dragon Boat Festival is the Tian Shi, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the moon rabbit, issued by the calendar is Bao Li Wannian. From the first day of May until the thirteenth day, the palace families and ministers wearing Wu Du Ai Hu Buzi Mang Yi.

--Liu Ruoyu "Zhuo Zhong Zhi"

As you can see, there were detailed records of the pattern of clothing for each festival, and if you work in the palace, such clothes are not only worn on this day of the Dragon Boat Festival, you can wear it for nearly half a month! This shows how important a festival the Dragon Boat Festival was at that time.

 

After looking at these gorgeous artifacts, you may still have a question mark in your mind: won't it be hot to wear clothes with such a complicated weave in summer?

In fact, most of these clothes are made of light and cool fabrics such as yarn, Luo, and Ge. The weaving technology of each fabric determines the difference of their warp and twist structure and breathability to spend the summer coolly.

According to ancient records, whenever there is a festival such as the Dragon Boat Festival, people will tailor new clothes for the festival, pawned out after the festival, and then buy new clothes the following year. Just like modern: "last year's clothes don't match this year's me." It seems to love to buy new clothes has not changed from ancient times to today.

The ancient government has a humane service, is before the Dragon Boat Festival, will reward a large number of summer clothing. The earliest time this policy is certainly only for a few extremely important official positions, Du Fu has received such a gift.

After the Five Dynasties, it became a formal system that was fully implemented, the target also extended to all levels of civil and military officials, when the fabric and number of clothing are also more specific and detailed, and continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties.

 

In addition to clothing, the pursuit of exquisite ancient people also invented a lot of "Dragon Boat Festival related accessories", such as hairpin ornaments, five-color wisps, Wu Du fan, and so on.

From the Republic of China to today, folk has been circulating the Dragon Boat Festival wearing Wu Du elements, children wearing tiger head hats, tiger head shoes, and other customs, you can see the strong vitality of this traditional folklore.

 

In contemporary society, we can also explore new dressing ideas, in the hanfu clothing color scheme to fit the Dragon Boat Festival theme, from the traditional five colors to choose colors with; or with a simple triangle pattern, cute Zongzi or seasonal flowers and fruits pattern clothes, so that the traditional elements become the new fashion, and why is not a cultural heritage?

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