懸艾葉菖蒲
民諺說：“清明插柳，端午插艾”。在端午節，人們把插艾和菖蒲作為重要內容之一。家家都灑掃庭除，以菖蒲、艾條插于門眉，懸于堂中。并用菖蒲、艾葉、榴花、蒜頭、龍船花，制成人形或虎形，稱為艾人、艾虎；制成花環、佩飾，美麗芬芳，婦人爭相佩戴，用以驅瘴。
艾，又名家艾、艾蒿。它的莖、葉都含有揮發性芳香油。它所產生的奇特芳香，可驅蚊蠅、蟲蟻，凈化空氣。中醫學上以艾入藥，有理氣血、暖子宮、祛寒濕的功能。將艾葉加工成“艾絨”，是灸法治病的重要藥材。
菖蒲是多年生水生草本植物，它狹長的葉片也含有揮發性芳香油，是提神通竅、健骨消滯、殺蟲滅菌的藥物。
可見，古人插艾和菖蒲是有一定防病作用的。端午節也是自古相傳的“衛生節”，人們在這一天灑掃庭院，掛艾枝，懸菖蒲，灑雄黃水，飲雄黃酒，激濁除腐，殺菌防病。這些活動也反映了中華民族的優良傳統。端午節上山采藥，則是我國各國個民族共同的習俗。
掛艾葉菖蒲：以艾葉懸于堂中，剪艾力虎形或剪彩為小虎，貼以艾葉，婦人爭相戴之，以僻邪驅瘴。用菖蒲作劍，插于門榻， 有驅魔法鬼之神效。 在端陽節，家家都以菖蒲、 艾葉、 榴花、 蒜頭、龍船花，制成人形稱為艾人。 食菖蒲可以成仙，可以長生， 漢武帝欲求長主之術，曾吃菖蒲兩年。
To the Chinese the fifth lunar moon is more than just the Dragon Boat Festival. Since antiquity(古代), they have believed that this month is a pestilential and danger-fraught(瘟疫的及充滿危險的) period. Children born in this month are said to be difficult to raise(撫養), and people tend to concentrate their efforts during this time attempting to protect their families from ills and misfortune. The day of the Dragon Boat Festival is customarily the time when cleaning and sanitation(衛生) are stressed(著重, 強調). Most families hang calamus(菖蒲) and artemisia(艾草) above their doors, both as a decoration and as a preventive against pestilence.
