On may 5^th of the Chinese lunar calendar everyone celebrates the dragon boat festival. Of all the traditional actives celebrated with this holiday perhaps nothing contributes more to the festive atmosphere then the custom of making and wearing frequent pouches. In the day before medicine was highly developed people ground herbs such as realgar, moxa, and calamus, where were thought to prevent infection. They put them into cloth bags and wore them in the summer time to protect against of insects. This is the origin of fragrant pouches.  

Originally the herbs were placed in plane cloth bags but as the custom developed these bags expressive of needlework and gradually became more ornate and colorful. This product of many house of handiwork the gift of a fragrant pouch contains a message of deep affection. And the lovely frequents cannot be replaced by a greeting card. 

Frequent pouches are also called sashays or aromatic how did these terms develop. May was traditionally called the month of venom in folk tradition in the lunar calendar mark the summer solstice thus it was called the mid heaven festal around it aroused May customs intended to dispel many customs intended to dispel evil influences. 

In the Jing-chowannuals it is recorded that each year on dragon boat festival day moxa was bound with strips of cloth and fashioned into little tigers. Tigers were symbolic dispels of venomous influences in another annual of folk customs it records that five colored strings were tied around children's arms to ensure long life. There were call long life thread gradually these two customs grew together multicolored strings was used to tie bags of ground moxa, rougher and sandalwood. The bags were hung from children's necks to protect against poisonous insects and evil spirits and ensure longevity and prosperity. 

     NEXT