With the fragrance of mugwort filling the air ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, modern mugwort bouquets are gaining popularity among young Chinese consumers, offering a fresh expression of an old custom long associated with protection, blessings and good fortune.
In many parts of China, people traditionally hang plants such as mugwort and calamus over their doors during the festival.
In recent years, mugwort has been paired with other festive plants, bells and greeting cards to create Dragon Boat Festival bouquets carrying wishes for good fortune.
In Xiamen City, east China’s Fujian Province, florists said modern-style mugwort bouquets are especially popular among young people in their 20s and 30s, while some companies are also buying them as gifts for clients or employees.
During the festival, people also take part in activities such as dragon boat races and eat zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday commemorating patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.).
Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival falls on June 19 this year.
Modern mugwort bouquets put fresh spin on Dragon Boat Festival custom
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 689, including 139 deaths, according to the latest situation report released on Friday by the country's health authorities.
A total of 17 new confirmed cases, including five deaths, were reported on Thursday, all in the eastern province of Ituri, the report said. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected 29 health zones across three eastern provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
A total of 168 suspected cases, including 64 deaths, had been reported as of Thursday.
The report also highlighted several operational challenges, including reluctance to undergo post-mortem swabbing, insufficient capacity in Ebola treatment centers, shortages of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting across the three provinces, and a funding gap of 21.5 million U.S. dollars.
Two Ebola-related deaths have been reported in a camp for internally displaced people in Ituri, according to a report released on Thursday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The current outbreak, officially declared on May 15 by the DRC's health ministry, is the country's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976.
Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 689, death toll reaches 139
