Wearing sachets in Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese culture convention thorough China. Every Dragon Boat Festival, especially women and children wear sachets. Maybe this is a different way to pay the martrs to Qu Yuan and mourn over Qu Yuan’s death. Some of the sachets are exquisite. And there are lots of shapes of sachets such as goldfish, rabbit, tiger, cat, peach, calabash, pics and so on. The patterns on the sachets are pretty and exaggerate with flowing lines. The sachets are of both the form and spirit of the pattern. And they are wildly appealing. According to the different cultures in different places, the sachets have the local culture inflection.
Tracing back to the origin of sachets, in the early Qing Dynasty Chinese culture, the female had worn something colorful on head to show they had married. This something colorful was called as Xiang Ying. According to the ancient customs, the bride had to wear Xiang Ying when they met the parents-in-law.
Until North and the South Dynasty in the Chinese culture, Xiang Ying had developed into “Xiang Dai”. And it was use in more aspects at that time. People even hung the sachets on the curtain made of thin silk in all the quadrangles or against the wall in order to refresh the air and decorate. The sachets was worthy of the name because it contained the perfume into it. What’s more, it was not only for female any more. The officials and nobilities were wearing sachets to show that they were noble and refined.
The sachets had developed further till Tong Dynasty. The diapasm which was full of perfume had been created. In Song Dynasty, sachets were use more wildly. The cars were decorated with sachets. The perfumes of the Xiang Dai were similar with the Zong Zi. There were realgar, folium artemisiae argyi, borneol, agastache rugosus, rhizome atrctylodis and so on.
In Qing Dynasty, they followed the ancient costume. People often bounded folium artemisiae argyi and acorus calamus into the shape of sword to hang on the door or couch. The elder generation used to make the sachets with colorful silk thread for children. In their opinion, these sachets can prevent the hurt from the evil. Therefore, before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, it starts getting hot. Flies fly everywhere. And it is easier to get disease. People wear a Xiang Bao to sterilize, get rid of the brmidrosis and refresh themselves. Besides, wearing a Xiang Bao represents that people yearn for happy life.
The masterpiece throughout the ages
This is an interesting story in Chinese culture. The story has reflected that the young girls and boys yearned for the beautiful love and happiness in life when they were under the feudal oppression. And it has aroused greatly sympathy from the audiences. In all ages, there were lots of poets composing the beautiful poems to praise the love story between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu. For example, the famous poet Du Mu living in Tong Dynasty had composed “秋夕”. And this poem is so beautiful and touching.
银烛秋光冷画屏，
轻罗小扇扑流萤。
天街夜色凉如水，
卧看牵牛织女星。
Among the exquisite Court of Words, a typical classical Chinese poetry, “Que Qiao Xian” which is composed by Qin Guan in Song Dynasty is one piece of best Words and worth of appreciating.
纤云弄巧，飞星传恨，银河迢迢暗渡。
金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数。
柔情似水，佳期如梦，忍顾鹊桥归路。
两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮！
All in all, the poem is different the commons. In his opinion, the love will stay no matter how long lovers will detach or no matter where they are. This opinion is different the common idea. The common people often wish to stay together minute by minute. And they can not be isolated a second. This poem has been the masterpiece throughout ages.