souce: nipic.com

There are several stories about the origin of willow branch and wicker customs. One legend is based on the belief by some Chinese people that the Clear and Bright Term is one of three periods during the year in which ghosts come closest to the world of living men. Buddhists believe that willow branches will drive away unwelcome ghosts and evil spirits; thus, willow branches are also known as “ghost terror wood.”

Folk proverbs also play a role. One proverb states that if a young lady does not wear a willow branch during the Clear and Bright period, she will soon turn old. Another says: "If one does not wear a willow, he will become a yellow dog after he dies and is reincarnated."

The legend of Jie Zitui offers another reason why Chinese people celebrate the Clear and Bright period with willow branches. During the years 770 BC to 476 BC, known as the Spring and Autumn in China, legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord’s life by serving feeding him a piece of his own leg. The lord became a ruler many years later and invited his followers to join him, but Jie chose a hermit’s life with his mother in the mountains. On the day of the next Qingming Festival, the lord set the mountain on fire to force Jie out. Jie and his mother were found dead beneath a burned willow tree. The next year, during the Qingming Festival, the tree was alive and in bloom, so the lord named it the Qingming willow and asked people to plant and wear wicker in commemoration.

Another, more ancient, legend is that of planting willow branches to commemorate Shen Nong Shi, a king and China’s father of agriculture. Today, some people will insert willow branches under the eaves of their homes to forecast the weather. According to the old stories, green wicker predicts a rainy day, and dry wicker predicts a sunny day.

Edited and translated by Wen Yi