Traditional customs mark Dragon Boat Festival

Villagers in Xitang, East China's Zhejiang province, tuck in to the "Five Yellow", June 20, 2012. [Photo by Hu Lingxiang/asianewsphoto]

6. Eating Five Yellow

People have the custom of eating the "Five Yellow" to ward off the "Five Poisons" particularly in East China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The "Five Yellow" refers to yellow croaker, cucumber, rice field eel, salted duck egg and realgar wine, made from an arsenic sulfide mineral.

As the weather grows increasing hotter with more rainfall, insects come out in nature and people can easily get sick. The Dragon Boat Festival is a day for people to ward off illness and insects. The "Five Poisons" are snake, centipede, spider, gecko and toad.