Jingzhe (Waking of Insects) of the solar terms is the time when the weather is getting warm and worms and insects breeding. Each household of the Hakka would sprinkle lime powder at every nook and corner of the house to ward off ants and destructive insects. And boiling taros and stir-frying soybeans represent boiling rats and stir-frying insects respectively.

At the Dragon Boat Festival when bugs and insects are prevailing, the Hakka people would drink realgar wine, and each household would spray realgar wine at the corners of house, hang flagleaf, kudzu vine, and Artemisia leaves to ward off evil spirits. Usually people would also use various herbal medicines to boil water to take a bath, also aiming at healthcare and keeping away evil forces.

At mid-summer when the weather is scorching, the Hakka people would eat “xianrendong” (jelly like snack made from Mesona Chinensis Benth) to clear away summer heat.

The Hakka people would have a thorough cleaning of the house whenever there is a festival, in particular on the 23rd of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, when each household would clean every nook and corner in and around the house to greet the coming Spring Festival.