Zhangjiajie's Third Day of the Third Month: Mugwort Cakes to Plug Snake Eyes
In Tujia and Miao villages, there is a custom called "On the third day of the third month, mugwort cakes plug snake eyes." What does this mean? On the third day of the third lunar month, every household makes and eats mugwort cakes, symbolizing the plugging of snake eyes with the cakes to keep venomous snakes from leaving their holes and harming people and livestock. In the warm spring month of March, temperatures rise and the earth warms...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
In the Tujia villages and Miao townships, there is another custom called "On the third day of the third month, mugwort cakes plug the snake's eyes."
What does "mugwort cakes plug the snake" mean? It means that on the third day of the third lunar month, every household makes mugwort cakes to eat, symbolizing the use of mugwort cakes to plug up the snake's eyes, preventing venomous snakes from leaving their holes and sparing people and livestock from harm.
In the warm spring month of March, as temperatures rise and the earth warms and the wind grows hot, all kinds of snakes that hibernated through the winter awaken and begin to stir. Legend has it that by pounding a herb called mugwort, soaking it, removing the juice, wringing it dry, then spreading it out and mixing it with glutinous rice flour to make cakes to offer to the gods, one can block the venomous snakes inside their holes so they cannot come out, sparing people and livestock from harm. This ancient custom has been passed down for more than two thousand years, yet it still prevails in the Xiangxi region today. Of course, with the spread of cultural and scientific knowledge, making mugwort cakes today is purely for enjoying a delicacy, and definitely not the superstitious "worshiping gods to ward off disaster" of the past.
The method of making and eating mugwort cakes is as follows: first go up the mountain to pick tender mugwort (commonly called "cake mugwort," green on top, with the underside of the leaves slightly white and downy), bring it back, pound it, soak it, remove its juice, wring it dry, then mix it with glutinous rice flour and shape it into round cakes, with cured meat, salted vegetables, and scallions stuffed in the middle (some are not stuffed with cured meat but with sesame powder and sugar instead). They can be eaten steamed and hot, or after cooling, roasted or steamed again. These mugwort cakes taste fragrant and sweet, delicious and palatable — truly a food with unique local characteristics.
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