The Dragon Festival heralded summertime and a change to Lightweight clothing. Children played with colorful silk zongzi and cloth tigers. Some children put on tiger-like clothes and shoes, as a kind of protection; it is said the tiger can eat the five poisonous creatures: scorpion, viper, centipede, house lizard and toad.During the holiday in July, which is reserved for mourning the dead, children would hold lotus lanterns, run, jump and sing along the rivers. During Mid Autumn Festival in August, people prayed that their children would make it safe through the winter and grow up healthy and strong. This festival was also a time when children would be told the story of the rabbit that lives on out makeup the moon and so children would be given clay rabbits to play with, as they ate sweet moon cakes. No matter how difficult their life was, the old Beijingers would not let their children suffer but would try to lighten up their children's lives with these seasonal toys, which had been passed down from generation to generation.
