JohnThe third day of September is the birthday of the God of plague. The God of plague, also known as the messenger of the five plagues, is the God of plague in ancient China, namely: Zhang Yuanbo of the spring plague, Liu Yuanda of the summer plague, Zhao Gongming of the autumn plague, Zhong Shigui of the winter plague, and in charge of the history and literature of the Chinese plague. The king of the five plagues is the evil god who can spread the plague in legend. The ancients not only regarded historical heroes such as Bai Qi and Fu Jian as the God of plague, but also had the custom of hanging "wormwood" at the door, so that the God of plague would not come in.
In ancient China, the plague was an acute and severe infectious disease, which spread very fast, but the medical conditions and level in ancient China were limited. Therefore, if the plague prevailed, it would cause great disasters. "Su Wen · on acupuncture method" said: "the five diseases are easy to infect, regardless of their size, and their symptoms are similar." because the death rate of this disease is very high, the ancient people with poor medical knowledge generally have a fear psychology, so they naturally pray for the protection of ghosts and gods.
If there is a plague, we should "send the plague God", which has become a traditional custom in ancient China. People often put even people representing the God of plague on boats or horses (boats or horses are often supposed to be the means of transportation for the God of plague), transport them to the river or seaside near their residence, burn them or let them drift away downstream. This ceremony is "sending the God of plague". In the long history, this ritual has gradually become a pure folk activity, and its symbolic significance is far greater than its substantive content.
