The dragon boat festival is a totem festival. Falling on the 5th of the fifth lunar month, it is close to the summer solstice. Pestilence, as a result of the heat and dampness, is at its worst, threatening lives of human community. Images of legendary animals and totem animals are pasted on the door or carried along for safeguard. Inevitably, the theme of art works for this festival is awareness of
life and safety.
Chinese mugwort was considered a magic herbal medicine to cure heat and damp related disease in ancient time. As a result, Mugwort became a legendary panacea to idol. According to the Chinese local chronicles, "Use cattail on the Dragon Boat Day and insert mugwort at the door side prevent bad luck and get rid of illness", and "paste cattail and mugwort paper cow on the door on The
Dragon Boat Day keeps sick, ness away." In the fifth Lunar month, every household started hanging red ornaments, putting out cattail dragon or mugwort tiger, and decorating windows with auspicious red paper toad. Young girls cut out letter "Fu" in layers for good luck; and small kids wore bright red toad made of broomcorn, garlic, and other plants to ease the heat of the smnmer and keep off disease. These customs are still widely practiced today as folk festivities on the Dragon Boat Day.
