The congressman charged that President Van Buren wore silk clothing, and even put French perfume on his body to make him smell sweet as a flower.
VOA: special.2009.01.22
The decorative flourishes in the Chinese-themed rooms--silk pillows, framed lotus flower prints, armoires made of mappa burl wood or sycamore--make them a touch more interesting than the Western rooms, but nothing feels particularly revelatory.
Participants also ward off evil during the festival by bathing in flower-scented water, wearing five-colour silk, hanging plants such as moxa and calamus over their doors, and pasting paper cut-outs in their windows.
Every April, female silkworm farmers adorn themselves with colourful flowers made of silk or paper and make harvest offerings as part of the Silkworm Flower festival.