【Answer to Win Gift】Preserving the Tradition of Fragrant Sachets for Blessing During Dragon Boat Festival

【答題贏大禮】傳承端午節香囊祈福傳統

Preserving the Tradition of Fragrant Sachets for Blessing During Dragon Boat Festival

    The Dragon Boat Festival is a significant traditional holiday in Taiwan. Ancient people believed that the hot weather in May brought various poisons. Besides the popular customs of eating rice dumplings and dragon boat racing, people also hung or wore sachets filled with medicinal herbs at their doorways or on their bodies to repel evil, insects, and ensure safety.

    Another tradition holds that for the first three years after a daughter marries, she must return home for the Dragon Boat Festival with sachets for her family and local children, as the fragrance is believed to ward off evil. These sachets are typically made from mugwort, calamus, peppermint, and eupatorium. According to ancient beliefs, mugwort repels mosquitoes and evil spirits, calamus dispels dampness, peppermint repels insects, and eupatorium boosts immunity. The combination of these herbs symbolizes peace and health. You can buy or make a sachet this Dragon Boat Festival to experience Taiwanese cultural traditions and appreciate the value of Chinese herbs in daily life. Additionally, making sachets aligns with SDG 4's goal of promoting quality education and lifelong learning through continuous self-education in different cultures.

端午節保留香囊祈福傳統

    端午節是台灣重要的傳統節日。古人認為五月天氣炎熱，會帶來各種毒害。除了吃粽子、賽龍舟等流行習俗外，人們還將裝滿藥材的香囊掛在門口或佩戴在身上，以驅邪、驅蟲、保平安。

    另一個傳統是，女兒出嫁後的前三年，端午節必須帶著香囊回家給家人和當地的孩子，因為香囊的香味被認為可以避邪。這些香囊通常由艾草、菖蒲、薄荷和玉竹製成。根據古代的信仰，艾草可以驅蚊避邪，菖蒲可以祛除濕氣，薄荷可以驅蟲，而玉竹則可以增強免疫力。這些草藥的組合象徵著和平與健康。今年端午節，您可以購買或自制香囊，體驗台灣的文化傳統，感受中草藥在日常生活中的價值。此外，製作香囊也符合可持續發展目標 4 的目標：透過不同文化的持續自我教育，促進優質教育與終身學習。

Sources: China Times, YAHOO News

List of Vocabulary - Learn New Words：

1. Fragrant sachet (n.) 香包

2. Mugwort (n.) 艾草

3. Calamus (n.) 菖蒲

4. Peppermint (n.) 薄荷

5. Eupatorium (n.) 佩蘭

6. Dampness (n.) 濕氣

Answer to win gift:

Q： Have you ever participated in Dragon Boat Festival activities or experienced any aspects of Dragon Boat Festival culture? If not, can you share with us any similar traditions especially about the custom of using fragrant sachets?

Please share your insights with at least 50 words. Please do not copy words from the paragraphs.

答題贏大禮:

問： 您有沒有參加過端午節的活動或體驗過端午節文化的任何方面？如果沒有，您能和我們分享一下類似的傳統習俗，特別是關於使用香囊的習俗嗎？

請用至少 50 個字來分享您的見解。請不要複製段落中的文字。

Please submit your answer to the google form：

https://reurl.cc/lQn5bq

Please submit your answer by the end of June.

The top three students who provide appropriate answers will receive a gift.

The result will be announced next month on the college website of Wenzao. 

The gifts for the non-Wenzaorians will be sent to your college and will be notified by email.

請於六月底前提交答案。

提供適當答案的前三名學生將獲贈禮品一份。

結果將於下月在文藻學院網站上公佈。

非文藻學生的禮品將會寄到您的學院，並會以電子郵件通知。