The most interesting folklore

Chapter 15 The most interesting festive culture (3)
Afterwards, this incident spread ten to ten, and everyone knew it. From then on, people called the person who held the red line for young men and women as "mildew". Later, people thought the word "mildew" was indecent, so they called "Mould man" was renamed "matchmaker".

26. Is there any taboo activity for remarriage?
The Zhuang people in central Guangxi have so-called "widows under the umbrella", "widows with mandarin ducks" and "widows with broken bridges" for women who become widows under different circumstances.

"Widow under the umbrella" refers to a woman whose man died on the honeymoon. When remarrying, she must avoid dressing up and go out quietly through the back door.In order to drive away the spirit of Yuan Husband to ward off evil spirits, on the way, they arranged for someone to shoot her in the direction she was walking, and shouted loudly: "Don't let him follow, kill him, kill him!" Then, like Just like escorting a prisoner, escort her to the bride's house.

"Mandarin ducks and widows" refers to women who have lost their men after having children. When they remarry, they must first come to a small thatched shed in the deep mountains and wild forests in the middle of the night to avoid their former husbands for 49 days. Life.

"Broken bridge widow" refers to a woman whose man died not from illness but from other accidental injuries. When remarrying, she must first go to the wild for three nights and hug a big tree many times every night, which means that she is allowed to "keep the tree". No longer "restraining people", so as to avoid the evil spirit of "kefu" in her own body.

Widows of the Hezhen nationality are not discriminated against when they remarry, but they also have a similar custom of warding off evil spirits, that is, if they encounter a big tree on the way to the husband's house, they must stop and hug the tree for a while, saying that only in this way can they avoid disasters and live a good life. Will "disturb" her husband again.

28. Why is it called a continuation of a man’s marriage after his wife’s death?

"Continuing strings" means remarrying and remarrying for a man, and of course it mostly refers to remarrying after the death of his ex-wife.To understand this word, we must first start with the adjectives of marriage in ancient times.Marriage and marriage between men and women in ancient times is often compared to "the goodness of Qin and Se" (Qin and Se are both ancient plucked string instruments, Qin should be a musical instrument such as the lute and yueqin of today's B, and Se has 50 strings in ancient times, and later 25 strings stringed zither-like instrument).

This saying comes from the saying "Qin Se You Zhi" in "The Book of Songs", which uses playing the piano as a metaphor for mutual friendship and mutual love for marriage.Therefore, the wife's death is said to be "broken string" (the string is broken), and her remarriage is called "continued string".

28. What happened to the Qu Po Po Pass in Yangzhou Marriage Customs
After twenty years, the daughter-in-law became a mother-in-law, and a mother-in-law beats a daughter-in-law.In order to protect the rights of the mother-in-law, the mother-in-law used to take advantage of the custom and make things difficult when the daughter-in-law entered the house as a bride.

Originally, being a bride was hard enough.Three days before the wedding day, people fast from fireworks, and only use candied dates and other dried fruits to satisfy their hunger. This is called "hungry marriage".After getting on the sedan chair, no matter how far the road is or how cold the weather is, sitting in it can’t be relieved, let alone shaken, it’s like a log, and you have to cry continuously, and you can’t open your eyes. Look at the poor wife's house.The sedan chair boat arrives at the Zhuang River at the man's house, and the sedan chair is carried ashore only after the dowry has been moved.When you get outside the door of the main house, the sedan chair door opens, and the bride takes out the money and sprinkles it at the door. The parents-in-law who are standing there will smile happily when they see it. This is a daughter-in-law who can earn money.If the bride doesn't learn this rule, or forgets to sprinkle the money, she will "eat the dates and leave the seeds", and the parents-in-law will secretly scold the daughter-in-law for begging for her life.

The father-in-law gave way, but the mother-in-law blocked her, and deliberately wiped off the blue clothes on her body. Blue, even if it is blocked, is also difficult. This is a hint: it is not easy to be a daughter-in-law. You have to be careful when you do difficult things in the future.However, there is also a sensible mother-in-law. She doesn't wear blue clothes, she is covered in blue, and the green ones are also loved.

On the wedding night in the bridal chamber, after the mother-in-law has closed, the bride is led to the new house by Grandma Fu (also called bridesmaid or mother-in-law).

29. Is splashing water and kissing with guns the wedding customs of the Yi people?
The Yi people believe that clear water can drive away evil spirits, send away demons and bring happiness.Therefore, the Yi people must splash water when they get married.In order to be able to withstand this test, when welcoming the bride, the male family chooses an unmarried young man who must be physically strong, but also smart and capable. .Often when recommending candidates, they repeatedly review and select the best candidates, and some do not hesitate to travel long distances to select talents.

The wedding ceremony of the Yi people is done by grabbing.On the first night of "snatching marriage", the girls started a fierce water fight with the boys.The girls violently attacked the young man by splashing, pouring, pouring and shooting, which made it difficult for the young man who came to snatch the marriage.So the smart guy found a place to store water before dark, and poured out part of it quietly, so as to reduce the attack of water.

After a night of water splashing, when morning comes, the snatching begins.At this time, the girls are hugging the bride, and the boys are going to fight for it. The girls are defending tightly, and the boys must be quick-witted, take advantage of the loophole that appears in an instant, snatch the bride and run away.

After running for a mile or two on the mountain road, I changed to walking.The Yi people believe that the splashing and snatching in the wedding will drive away evil spirits and ensure a safe and free life in the future.

30. What's the matter with the newborn baby?
Washing three is the first baptism in life, and this custom is mainly popular in northern my country.For example, the "Xisan" in the Beijing area has been greatly influenced by the Manchus since the Qing Dynasty.On the third day after the child was born, the midwife or the prestigious old lady (called grandma) with both children was brought to the home by car, and hot water made from locust tree branches and mugwort leaves was placed in the large copper basin before bathing. water.While the water is steaming, relatives and friends who come to congratulate will put the copper coins, eggs, peanuts, etc. they brought into the water, and say some auspicious words while putting them in, commonly known as "Tianpan".After the basin was added, the grandma washed the baby's body and said, "Wash the hair and become a prince; wash the waist and become taller than one generation; wash the eggs and become the magistrate; wash the ditch and become the magistrate. "After washing, use ginger slices and moxa moxibustion to moxibuste the forehead and various important joints of the body. It is said that this will keep the child from getting sick and make the body strong.

The birth ceremony of the new life is held, which symbolizes the beginning of life.

31. What are the customs of babies celebrating the full moon?

A month after a baby is born, it is called a "full moon".On this day, the average family will give the baby a "full moon", or "do the full moon" to congratulate the baby on the safety of the mother and child, which is called "the joy of the full moon".On the day of the full moon, relatives and friends will go to send congratulatory gifts, and the host's family will host a banquet to entertain the guests.

On the day of the full moon, most families will have "full moon wine", also called "full moon wine".On this day, relatives and friends come to congratulate with gifts, especially the grandma of the child. They must prepare all kinds of food and the child's clothes, shoes and hats in advance, and arrive early to visit the grandson and daughter.In some places in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, well-off families not only make full moon wine to entertain relatives and friends, but also decorate with lanterns and festivities, and invite artists to sing Tanci to add to the fun.Some families in Shaanxi also invite shadow puppet troupes to play and sing during the full moon, which is very lively.

There is also a custom of "sending porridge and rice" after the baby is born in Shandong. "Send porridge and rice" is also known as "send Zhumi", which means that after the birth of a baby (commonly known as "Tianxi"), the maternal family and other neighbors and relatives of the mother come to congratulate with gifts such as eggs and brown sugar.Generally, the home of birth will pick a piece of red cloth on the gate. "Picking red" is the symbol of "Tian Xi". Some homes of birth will hang a lantern on both sides of the gate. ".

Generally, neighbors will congratulate them with gifts such as eggs and brown sugar when they see "chicken".After the mother's family received the good news, some immediately "sent porridge and rice" to the host's family, and the host's family chose a day for a banquet.In the area of ​​Linqing, Shandong Province, after receiving the eggs for the good news, they sent people to send noodles, eggs, rice, sugar, etc., which was called "sending Tommy".On the 12th day after the child is born, the grandma and aunt will visit in person again, which is called "making a living".On this day, the mother's family should send eggs in the same number as the mother's age, plus two more, and some send 100 eggs, which means that the baby will live a long life.In the Liaocheng area of ​​Shandong Province, after receiving the good news, they "send porridge and rice", usually glutinous rice, brown sugar, eggs, and dried noodles.The host will thank you with red eggs. There is no restriction on the number of men's singles and women's doubles.On the 12th day of the baby's birth, it is called "eating noodles", and at the same time entertain relatives who "send porridge and rice".

32. What are the specialties of shaving the full moon head
In the full moon ceremony, the most important ritual is "shaving the head of the full moon", which is also called "falling fetal hair" in some places. This is the first time a newborn has its hair shaved. The newborn's fetal hair is affected by Therefore, since ancient times, cutting fetal hair has received special attention.

In Ningbo, Zhejiang, when a baby is born, an old lady with good fortune and longevity is invited to hold the baby.In the suburbs of Shanghai, the grandfather will carry.There are also many places where the baby's uncle is invited to preside over the etiquette of shaving the head on the full moon.In Shaoxing, Zhejiang, hair shaving is usually carried out in the main room. The uncle holds the baby in his arms and sits in the center. The barber invited first puts a handful of chewed tea leaves on the child’s head. It is said that in this way, thick hair like a tea tree will grow. And it is not easy to get sores.Shaving is not to shave all the hair, but to leave a square "smart hair" on the forehead, and a lock of "root hair" (called "hundred-year-old hair" in the north) at the back of the head, while all the eyebrows should be shaved. It is said that in this way, boys can grow thick eyebrows and girls can grow beautiful eyebrows.

The shaved fetal hair is generally not thrown away casually.In some places, fetal hair is wrapped in red paper and hung on the head of the bed. According to the old saying, this can suppress evil spirits for the baby.In some places, fetal hair is twisted into a ball, strung with red thread, and hung on the head of the bed to suppress evil spirits.Now there are still people who make fetal hair into fetal hair brushes as a souvenir.In a person's life, only the top of the fetal hair is in the shape of a needle, so the fetal hair brush is very precious.

33. In ancient times, why was the game of grasping the week also called "Tester"?

For thousands of years, a custom of "grabbing the week" has been widely popular in our country, that is, on the first birthday of a child, put various toys and daily necessities in front of him (her), and let him grab at will, in order to divination, Predict the child's future interests, temperament and future.Of course, most families now do not believe that scratching the week has such a magical function, but scratching the week as a childlike game still adds a lot of joy and fun to the family.

Because Zhuazhou is to test the future of children by asking children to grasp objects, it was also called "testing children" in ancient times.The custom of trying children is very old. According to historical records, it can be traced back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties 1500 years ago.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the custom of grasping Zhou became more popular.At that time, the rich and noble families held the week very grandly, not only laying a brocade mat in the middle hall, but also burning incense and holding candles, placing various objects on the mat, and putting the child among these things to sit, and then seeing what he would take first.On this day, there is also a banquet to entertain relatives and friends, and at the same time accept gifts from relatives and friends, and some even perform plays to add to the fun.

In the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Zhou etiquette was also held in the palace.Now the Palace Museum in Beijing has a collection of a spit plate that was used by the prince to catch Zhou.This spitting plate is carved lacquerware, rectangular, with a slanted mouth, and is extremely exquisitely made.Although the princes, grandsons, and princesses are very particular about the utensils, their purpose is no different from that of the folks.Naming can be divided into milk name and scientific name, commonly known as small name, big name, and also small name and large name.Nicknames are more casual, and in some places, it is said that in order to feed the children, they deliberately give ugly nicknames, sometimes the lower the better, the common belief is that this will avoid attracting the attention of gods, evil spirits and ghosts, and it is easy to deceive the world, but in fact this is still true. The psychology of seeking good luck and avoiding evil is at work.In some places, the so-called "Beng Xing" (or "Chuang Xing") custom is popular, that is, the baby's father goes out to "Beng Xing" on the first morning after the baby is born, and the first person he meets, no matter male, female, old or young , Kneel down and kowtow, begging for a name.However, the culture of the people I meet is generally not high, so the names are very casual.

As for the naming of the baby's name (scientific name), it is very serious and prudent, and some folk believe that it will be related to the poor fortune of the child's life, so the name is usually given after careful consideration.To be more particular, please ask a fortune-telling and divination man who has a deep understanding of the five elements and numerology before giving the name after careful calculation.If there is something missing in the five elements, this defect must be considered when naming, and after careful consideration, try to remedy it through naming.For example, if the five elements are short of water, the child must be named with a word next to "water" or containing "water" or meaning "water".

34. What is the joy of Nongzhang, what is the joy of Nongbai
Nongzhang Zhixi means "having a boy", and Nongwa Zhixi means "giving birth to a girl".The allusion comes from "The Book of Songs Elegant?Sri Lanka.The original text is as follows: "It is the bed for sleeping, the clothes for clothes, and the Zhang for giving birth to a man. The place for sleeping, the bag for clothes, and the tiles for playing when giving birth to a woman." It means: when a boy is born, Let him sleep on the bed, wear nice clothes for him, and let him play with Yuzhang.When a girl is born, let her sleep on the ground, put on a small jacket, and let her play with spinning tools (tiles).Let a girl be born with spinning tools in the hope that she will be able to spin and weave cloth and do housework in the future.But first of all, from the comparison of "Zhang" and "Wa", the former is the best jade; the latter is the parts of the spinning wheel.Secondly, Zhang is made of jade, while tiles are made of pottery, and the textures of the two are also completely different.Again, zhang is a ritual vessel and tile is a tool, and the identities of the users are completely different.Therefore, boys "nongzhang" and girls "nongwa" strongly reflect the idea of ​​"men are superior to women" in ancient society.

From this point of view, even as early as the "Book of Songs" era, "preferring men over women" has become a trend in Chinese society.Later, women who always gave birth to girls were even dubbed "Wayao".

35. Is "Baijiayi" a beggar's clothing?
"Baijiayi" is a kind of baby clothes, which are sewn from rags from one hundred surrounding families, hence the name: Jiayi'Send: Baijiayi' is a traditional Chinese folk custom, This custom is very popular in China.

Because most beggars in the society wear Baijie quail (ch6n) clothes, it is believed that babies wearing "baijia clothes" can be raised as easily as humble beggars.Therefore, whenever a baby is born, the elders of the child should report the good news to the neighbors, and ask for rags from hundreds of close relatives and friends, especially those with the surnames "Liu" and "Cheng". Because "Liu" and "Cheng" are homonyms of "liu" and "cheng", they imply "retain" and "grow up".The size and color of the cloth are generally not too particular, but blue is the best.Because "blue" is a homonym for "block", it means "stop demons and ghosts".It is believed that as long as there is a blue cloth, demons and ghosts cannot take children away.

People sew pieces of cloth from hundreds of families together to make a piece of clothing.This kind of clothes cannot be opened on the chest, but should be made into a large cardigan with a partial opening, also called Taoist robe, which means that the child will have a long life in the future.This kind of clothes is often not finished, and the old people often leave a hole in the bottom skirt, commonly known as "the place where the soul is hidden".After the child is full moon, the child's mother will sew up the hole, which shows that the child's soul has stayed with the mother, and there is no need to worry about the child's safety anymore.

In addition to wearing "hundreds of clothes", the folk custom of blessing babies' growth is to eat "hundreds of rice" for children.For those who dote on their children, on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the grandfather will hold his grandson under the age of one, dress up as a beggar, hold a broken bowl, and beg along the street.It is advisable to ask for 100 families.They put together the steamed buns, vegetables, and rice they got, and cooked them into porridge for the children to eat.It is said that in this way, children can be protected by hundreds of families and avoid disasters.

36. Why is a child born a hundred days old?
100 days after a baby is born is called "Hundred Days", which was called "Bai Si" in ancient times, also known as "Hundred Years" and "Bai Lu".In the old days, babies had a high mortality rate within 100 days of birth. If they survived the [-] days safely, they had the hope of growing up.At the same time, in the cultural concept of our country, "hundred" contains the symbolic meaning of perfection, so folks often celebrate on this day, called "crossing a hundred years old", "doing a hundred days" and so on.

The custom of being over a hundred years old has been popular at least in the Song Dynasty.For example, "Tokyo Menghualu" records: "There is a meeting for a hundred days after giving birth, which is called a hundred spit." "Menglianglu" also said: "When a child is born for a hundred days, that is, a hundred days, there is also a feast for celebration." Since then, the prosperity has not declined. .

In most areas of Shanxi, steamed "set-neck buns" are particular about steaming after a hundred days. In some places, they are also called "Niuqulian", "Chuanling", and "Miantun". Around the baby's neck, the small ones can be tied to a necklace, which means that the baby's life is long.The "mian hoon" in Jinzhong area must match the number of "8", 8 catties or 18 catties, etc.There are branches and leaves, rice storage, various zodiac animal images, nine pomegranates and a bergamot, which are very beautiful.

In the rural areas of Tangshan, Hebei, there is a custom of wearing a five-poison bag for children over a hundred years old. On the small bag that the baby wears next to the body, five kinds of poisonous insects such as scorpion, centipede, gecko, snake, and toad are embroidered with colored threads, and then embroidered with A small gourd with its mouth facing five kinds of poisonous insects.It is commonly believed that wearing such a bag can prevent poisonous insects from invading and protect children's safety and longevity.

37. Can the life of a child be locked by hanging a long-life lock?

Longevity lock, also known as Baijia lock and Baisui lock.But at the beginning, it was not a "lock", but a "cable", and the longevity lock was not a "longevity lock", but a "longevity rope", or called a long life thread, a life extension thread, etc.As early as the Han Dynasty, people began to tie five-color threads on the arms of children on the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that this can drive away evil spirits and prevent people from getting sick. This is actually a custom of the Dragon Boat Festival.By the Ming Dynasty, there was a practice of hanging the longevity rope around the neck of the baby when it was one year old.Later, the longevity rope was endowed with the function of locking life and preventing death, and people tied lock-shaped ornaments under the rope one after another, and finally evolved into a "longevity lock".

But the custom of hanging a long life rope is still there today.

When I was young, I hung up the lock, but when I grew up, I had to take it off, which is called unlocking.When unlocking, some places will also hold an unlocking ceremony.When unlocking the lock, they also sing the song of unlocking: "Jin Suo Ding, Yin Suo Ding, all of them can be opened when they grow up. When the lock is opened on an auspicious day, the ghosts of the king of hell will be happy. When disaster turns into good luck, it will be like a death. Longevity and wealth, gold and jade The house is full." Hanging a long-lived lock on the child is both beautiful and in line with the folk psychology of the people, so the custom of padlocking is still common today.

39. Why do boys wear floral dresses?
It is an interesting phenomenon in folk children's clothing that boys wear floral clothes and dress them up like salty girls.It is commonly believed that girls are cheap and easy to raise, while boys are family heirs, and life is difficult to raise.If you dress them up as girls and put on flowered clothes, you can prevent them from being snatched by evil spirits.It is also out of such considerations for boys to keep their heads, prick their ears and eyes, and wear earrings.It's just that the left ear is pierced and one earring is worn.

(End of this chapter)