The most interesting folklore

Chapter 22 The Most Interesting Worship Belief (2)
14. Is there a special toilet god in China?

According to Chinese folklore, where people live, there are special gods in charge everywhere. There are land gods on the ground, door gods at the gate, bed gods on the bed, lamp gods for lighting lamps, rice gods in rice jars, and rice gods in water jars. There is a god of water, and a god of kitchen in the kitchen... But did you know that even in our daily convenient toilet, there is a special god, that is, the god of the toilet, and this is a goddess named Zigu.The belief in Zigu God has existed in the Six Dynasties, prevailed in the Tang and Song dynasties, and persisted until the Qing Dynasty. "Xian Yi Lu" said: "Zi Gu, a native of Laiyang, surnamed He Mingmei, styled Liqing. Shouyang Li Jingna is a concubine. His wife was jealous and killed him in the toilet on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The Emperor of Heaven took pity on him and ordered him to The god of the toilet. People in the world made it into shape, and worshiped it in the toilet room at night to account for all things. It is commonly called Sangu."

Later, people in the world made paper or wooden figures according to He Mei's appearance, and put them in the latrines. On the night of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, on the one hand, they would offer sacrifices;It is said that Zigu has a lot of spiritual energy, and if she accounts for everything to the god of toilets, she can know fortune and misfortune.

16. What festival is originally to commemorate the toilet god?
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month we are living now is the Shangyuan Festival, which was later called the Lantern Festival.While watching the Lantern Festival and watching lanterns to celebrate this festival, many people don't know the day when the folks commemorate the toilet god.

It turned out that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a young and beautiful woman He Mei whose husband was killed by the governor of Shouyang and took her as a concubine. However, the governor's original wife was jealous and put her in the latrine on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month. murder.After Wu Zetian knew about it, she sympathized with her experience, and ordered her to be named "Toilet God".Therefore, on the night of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, people will make paper or wooden figures according to her appearance and put them in the latrine to worship her.This is the original Hungry Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

16. How many people are there in the Three Eunuchs?

There is a myth of "Heavenly Officials Blessing" among the people in our country.Legend has it that once upon a time, there was a man named Chen Zichan who was so gentle, elegant and handsome that he fell in love with the three princesses of the Dragon King at first sight and they got married.Later, on January 1, July 15 and October 7 respectively, three brothers Tianguan, Diguan and Shuiguan were born.These three brothers have great supernatural powers and boundless mana, and they were praised by the grand master of the dynasty.Later, the feudal rulers also conferred the title of "Emperor Ziwei", in charge of "blessing"; the title of "Emperor Qingling", in charge of "pardon"; Solution."This is the "Sanyuan Emperor" of Shangyuan, Zhongyuan and Xiayuan in "Sanguan Temple" all over the country.Not only were the titles and emperor titles conferred, but even the priesthood and divine power were clearly arranged by the human emperor. It is no wonder that the "Three Officials Temple" became so prosperous later, because people believed that the actions of the three official emperors must be as expected.The "Heavenly Official's Blessing" in the opening scene of the folk opera troupe in the past came from here.

17. How much do you know about auspicious names?
The folks pay special attention to saying auspicious words on certain occasions and ceremonies, and their utilitarian features are very obvious.Such as giving things and things a specific auspicious name.

On seasonal festivals, the New Year's money given to children is called "New Year's Eve" to symbolize "pressure" to ward off evil spirits; glutinous rice balls are called "Double Happiness Tuaner", and the New Year's Eve dinner is called "Reunion Dinner".Outings during the Lantern Festival are called "walking all kinds of diseases" and "eliminating all kinds of diseases"; fried cakes on February [-] are called "smoke insects"; "Longevity Line".Through these begging to ward off evil spirits and eliminate disasters, reunion, happiness and prosperity.

In the wedding ceremony, the wedding post is called "Longfeng post", the paired chopsticks, toilet, and pastry are called "children's chopsticks", "children's barrel", "children's pastry", and the noodles that the newcomers drink are called "kuanxin noodles". The red candle in the bridal chamber is called "longevity lamp", and sitting on the kang is called "sitting on wealth".In this way, beg for the harmony of husband and wife, full of children and grandchildren, and a happy life.

On birthday occasions, it is important to use the word "shou" before things, such as birthday noodles, birthday wine, birthday banquets, birthday cakes, and birthday peaches.

During the birth ceremony, the mother's family will send "unpacking dumplings" and "quick meat"; when giving birth, all doors, windows and covers will be opened to beg for a smooth delivery; Years old, to beg the baby to live a hundred years.

In commercial activities, store names and product names are auspicious, called Shunfeng, Haoyunlai, Hongyun, Dafa, Donglaishun, Jinlilai, and Double Happiness.The opening date is said to be "Golden Day", the carp is called "God of Wealth", the radish is called "Caitou", the red envelope is called "Li Shi", and the fried clams and dumplings are called "Yuan Bao".

18. How to sing the auspicious song

In addition to auspicious naming for flattery, common auspicious words among the people are singing auspicious songs and greetings.For example, when offering sacrifices to stoves, there is a song for worshiping stoves: "Stove King, Stove King, you go to heaven; talk more about good things and less about bad things, and bring all the grains and miscellaneous grains." On the second day of February, there is a poem for spring cattle: "One hit the weather is smooth, the second hit the soil and fertilize the land to make noise. Three strikes and three suns lead to prosperity, four strikes lead to peace in all seasons, five strikes have a bumper harvest, six strikes and six harvests bring spring." Nursery rhyme against scorpions: "Wai Wai, the root of the wall, when scorpions come out, they only sting the boy but not the girl."

Another example is the joy songs sung at marriage and birth ceremonies.

When the newlyweds enter the bridal chamber, they have to sing the tent song: "One sprinkles gold, the second sprinkles silver, and the third sprinkles the daughter-in-law to enter the door; entering the gate is auspicious, entering the second gate and everything goes well." "A handful of chestnuts and dates, big collar Run with the little ones." Make the bed for the newcomer Song: "Sweep the window lattice, and you will have double eyelids; sweep the kang, and embrace a champion man; sweep the window sill, and make a fortune as soon as possible." "Brother makes the bed, sister-in-law is buried , the sons are in pairs, and the girls are in pairs; one year, two years, two years, and three years before the festival, a big car is crowded and crowded." When breastfeeding a baby, you have to sing a milk song: "Eat meat and grow fat If you eat cakes, you will grow taller; if you eat wine, you will be prosperous; if you eat sugar and fish, your life will be sweet and rich in the future." When celebrating birthdays, celebrating the new year, and celebrating the opening of the business, they often say eulogies, such as "Shoubi Nanshan ", "Fortune is like the East China Sea", "Lucky and long life", "Fortune in the New Year", "All wishes come true", "Daily progress in money", "Prosperous wealth", "Prosperous business".

Auspicious words, like taboo words and euphemisms, are manifestations of language worship in interpersonal communication.It represents the folk cultural psychology of seeking good fortune and profit, embodies the upward spiritual style of national civilization, and expresses the harmonious and friendly atmosphere between people.

19. Why did people worship nine and its multiples in ancient times?

In Chinese customs, "nine" and its multiples are highly respected, and they are quite mysterious numbers.In ancient times, the emperors were called "Nine Five Kings", the Forbidden City was called "Nine Palaces", and most of the palace artifacts were named after "Nine", such as Nine Dragon Cups and Nine Dragon Columns.The words that use nine to represent vastness and variety include: Jiutian, Jiuzhou Island, Jiujing, Jiuzhong, Jiuliu, Jiuxiao, etc.

Why did people in ancient times admire nine and its multiples?It is said that in ancient times, odd numbers were yang and even numbers were yin, and odd numbers symbolized heaven and even numbers symbolized earth.Nine is the extreme number in Yang numbers, no matter how big the number is, its mantissa cannot be bigger than nine.Therefore, nine is regarded as a symbol of heaven: heaven is divided into nine layers-nine days; Deep -- under the Nine Springs...

The reason why nine is admired by people, in addition to the above reasons, "nine" is a homonym for "long", which symbolizes eternity and infinity and becomes an auspicious number.In traditional Chinese culture, "ten" is the number of fullness, and when things reach their limits, they will be reversed, when they are full, they will overflow, and when they are full, they will decline.And "nine" means "a further step forward", always showing an upward trend, so "nine" is the supreme number, which is favored by emperors. Palace buildings often use "9" or multiples of "9".The main building on the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City has nine couplets in width and depth, with a total of ninety-nine and eighty-one rooms.On the emperor's birthday, the entertainment is nine "nine", that is, 81 kinds of programs, "Nine Nine Celebrations", and the words of congratulations are also taken from the nine "like" sentences used in "Poetry·Xiaoya·Tianbao", which is called "Tianbao Jiu". Such as".

The folks also regard "nine" as the highest state.People who live to over 100 years old always say 99; the highest point of the sky is "Jiuxiao", "Jiuzhongtian" and so on.

20. Why must the "Supreme" be the "Ninth Five-Year Plan"?
Generally speaking, in ancient China, numbers were divided into yang and yin, with odd numbers being yang and even numbers being yin.Among the Yang numbers, nine is the highest, and five is in the middle. Therefore, "nine" and "five" symbolize the authority of the emperor, and they are called "nine five lords".

Some people also believe that the origin of the term "Ninth Five-Year Plan" is closely related to the "Book of Changes". The first hexagram of the 64 hexagrams in "Book of Changes" is the Qian hexagram, which symbolizes the sky, so it becomes the hexagram representing the emperor.Qian Gua is composed of six yang lines, which are extremely yang and extremely prosperous.The six yang lines are counted from bottom to top: the ninth day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, and the ninth day. In Gan Gua, it is "Shang Jiu").Why is it that the "Shangjiu" which is higher than the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" is not used, but the emperor only occupies the "Maru Five"?This is because the position of "Shangjiu" is "Kanglong", if you go too far, the result can only be "Kanglong has regrets", which often means overthrow, overthrow, death, failure, defeat, and retreat.Therefore, the ancient Chinese emperors stayed in the position of the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" honestly.

From another point of view, the ninth five is also the best branch of the Qian hexagram. The dry hexagram is the first hexagram of the 64 hexagrams, so the ninth five is also the first line of the 64 lines of the 384 hexagrams, and it is not enough to represent the appearance of the emperor. No wonder.

This kind of concept gradually spread throughout the society, so people naturally linked the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" directly with the emperor, and used "Marugo no Zun" or "Ninth Five-Year Supreme" to refer to the emperor.

21. Worshiping the Dragon and Praying for Rain

The custom of praying for rain has long been formed among the people of our country.It is said that in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people first thought of the dragon in order to send rain from the sky, because the dragon has always been the god who can sow rain in people's hearts.People also respectfully call Shenlong the Dragon Lord.During this period, people molded dragons out of clay, painted them with colors, placed them on altars, placed various sacrifices, and burned incense to worship them.

In the Han Dynasty, this ritual of sacrificing the dragon and praying for rain added many activities such as prayer, witchcraft, and Yin-Yang and Five Elements.The rain-seekers danced around the dragon until it rained heavily.Later, dragon dances became popular in many areas, which may have evolved from the ritual of praying for rain.

According to records, the custom of praying for rain was formed as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.In the activities of praying for rain at that time, no matter from the form or the content, a pattern has been formed.The whole process of praying for rain is divided into three stages, the first is "dancing"; the second is "violence"; the last is "burning".

The so-called "dance" is dancing with hands and feet, impromptu jumping, expressing respect to the Dragon Lord, seeking the Dragon Lord's sympathy, and relieving the suffering of the drought.

If one move fails, try another.No matter how hot the weather is, I am not afraid of it. I take off all clothes and expose myself to the sun, so as to get the heart of the Dragon King.If he catches up with Lord Dragon's hard-hearted heart, he will use the last move, which is "burning".Pile up dry wood and burn yourself for sympathy.

22. Is Empress Taishan the God of Women?

Taishan Empress is also called Bixia Yuanjun, and her full name is Bixia Yuanjun, the Holy Mother of Heaven. "Yuanjun" is the respectful title of Taoism for female immortals.Bixia Yuanjun is most admired in the north, especially in North China, because her "hometown" is in Mount Tai, Shandong.There are the following sayings about the origin of Bixia Yuanjun:
It is said that Bixia Yuanjun was originally a fairy under the Yellow Emperor.It is said that when the Yellow Emperor built Daiyue Temple, he sent seven fairies with cloud crowns and feather clothes to welcome the real people of West Kunlun.One of the fairies practiced assiduously with the real person, and finally attained the Tao and became Bixia Yuanjun.

"Jade Girl Scroll" says that there was a great virtuous man named Shi Shoudao during Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. His wife Jin gave birth to a child prodigy. Under the guidance of Cao Xianchang, he practiced in Huanghua Cave on Rentai Mountain, Taocheng soared, and became Bixia Yuanjun.

It is also said that Bixia Yuanjun is the daughter of Emperor Dongyue.Among the above theories, the one that Bixia Yuanjun is the daughter of Emperor Dongyue is the most popular.It is said that their father and daughter lived on Mount Tai, so Bixia Yuanjun was also called "Empress of Mount Tai". The word "Tai" in "Book of Changes · Tai Gua" means "heaven and earth communicate and everything connects", and it means that the old man will give birth to a woman.It is also said that she "Dai is in the standard, her color is green, and the east is the master of life, and all things are born of Kunyuan." That is to say, this goddess breeds all things and masters life, so the folks regard her as "the empress who gives birth to children" .

23. Baosheng Emperor, God of Doctors

There are Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Sun Simiao, etc. in the north, and there is also a famous doctor in the south, Wu Zu, the emperor of Baosheng.

Emperor Baosheng is also called "Da Dao Gong" and "Wu Zhenjun". His surname is Wu Mingzu, and he was born in Baijiao, Longhai County, Fujian Province in the Song Dynasty.He was born in a humble family, and since he was a child, he has excellent qualifications, has read a lot of books, and is good at collecting herbs, alchemy, and acupuncture.He practiced medicine everywhere, cured diseases like a god, and he was the best at treating women's breast sores. He was a breast disease expert.At that time, the famous doctor Huang, Cheng Zhenzhen, Yin Xianju, etc. were all his disciples.He has peaches and plums all over the world, and there are medical books handed down from generation to generation.

It is said that Renzong's mother suffered from breast disease, and the imperial physician in the palace was helpless, so he was invited to treat him, and the disease was cured.Renzong was overjoyed and asked him to stay in the palace as an imperial doctor. He said to the emperor: "I am determined to cultivate the truth, to help the world with compassion, and prosperity and wealth are not what I want."He returned to the folk and saved many people with his acupuncture skills.After his death, the villagers built a ancestral hall, Qiulong Nunnery, in Baijiao Village to commemorate him.Later, when Emperor Gaozong heard that this folk doctor had cured his ancestor's disease, he ordered people to rebuild a splendid palace Wu Temple on the original site of Qiulong Temple, that is, Baijiao Ciji Palace.

In the Ming Dynasty, Wu Zu's reincarnated disciple cured Empress Yongle's breast disease. Emperor Yongle specially ordered someone to carve a stone lion - "National Lioness", which was transported to Fujian Ciji Palace as a gift to the god who has become a god. Baosheng Emperor.This peculiar Chinese lioness is still in the temple, and the right palm of the stone lion is holding the seal of Wu Zu.

24. Is the City God the patron saint of the city?
Many cities in my country, no matter how big or small, have a Town God's Temple.In the past, the Temple of the City God was full of incense, and it was the busiest place in the city.The City God is enshrined in the City God Temple, and the City God is the guardian god of a city.

The origin of the God of City God is not prominent. According to legend, it evolved from the "Shuiyong God" among the Eight Gods of La Sacrifice in "Zhou Li".Shuiyong is the ditch, and the god of Shuiyong is also the god of the ditch.In ancient times, a moat was dug around the city to protect it. The moat with water was called "chi", and the moat without water was called "huang".The ancients believed that all things related to people are governed by gods.Since there is a god in the moat, a city must have a god in charge, so the god of wateryong developed into the god of the city god.

The city god is sacred to one side, and the folks are very superstitious about it.If someone is sick, folks believe that living in the Town God's Temple can cure the disease.When ordinary people encounter grievances and injustices, they can write a good complaint and send it to the city god to be burned, thinking that the city god will not sit idly by and will definitely redress their grievances.In addition, if there is a plague or a long drought without rain in the local area, people will carry the statue of the city god out to patrol to suppress ghosts and protect the local peace.Also, if someone dies in a foreign land, when the coffin is transported back to the original place, he must go to the Town God's Temple to get a "road ticket", so that the soul can return home, otherwise he will become a ghost in a foreign land.

25. What kind of city gods are there among the people in various places?

The City God of Hangzhou is Zhou Xin, an upright official in the Ming Dynasty.Zhou Xin was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, he served as the inspector of Zhejiang. He was a clean and honest official.After he took office in Hangzhou, he was honest and fair, and first eliminated a group of officials and servants in the yamen who were doing evil and oppressing the people.Then he went on tour in a low-clothes, personally inquired about the cases of prisoners in prisons, and corrected a large number of unjust, false and wrong cases, making corrupt officials frightened by the news, and the people called him "Master Qingtian".Later, he was framed and imprisoned for offending the powerful. He dared to argue loudly in front of Emperor Chengzu of Ming Dynasty, and before he died, he shouted: "Born as a straight minister, die as a straight ghost!"

After Zhou Xin's death, the people of Hangzhou were indignant. In order to appease the public indignation, Ming Chengzu pretended to say that he had dreamed that Zhou Xin ascended to heaven after his death and became the city god of Hangzhou.From then on, Hangzhou people built a "Town God's Temple" for him on Wushan Mountain, and Wushan Mountain was called "Chenghuang Mountain" for this reason.

There is also a Town God’s Temple in Shanghai. There are three city gods in one temple, one is Huo Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty, the other is Qin Yubo, a native of Daming Prefecture in Hebei, and the other is Chen Huacheng, a patriotic general in the late Qing Dynasty.Qin Yubo moved to Shanghai at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and had affection for the people of Shanghai.After his death, he was established as the City God because of his "appearance" and saved the people of Shanghai.Chen Huacheng was originally the admiral of the Fujian Navy. In the early morning of June 1842, 6, British gunboats attacked Wusongkou. Chen Huacheng went to the West Fort to command the battle and sank eight enemy ships.Later, Niu Jianxian, the governor of Liangjiang, and the defender of the East Paotai escaped, causing Chen Huacheng to fight alone. In the end, Chen Huacheng and his subordinates all died heroically.To commemorate this patriotic general, Shanghai people invited his statue into the Town God's Temple, named a bridge in Wusong "Huacheng Bridge", and erected his statue in Wusong Seaside Park for future generations to remember.

In addition, Pang Yu of Zhejiang Kuaiji (now Shaoxing), Su Yan of Nanning and Guilin, Yang Jiaoshan of Beijing, Xiao He of Xiangyang, etc., are also famous officials of the past dynasties, and have some kind of relationship with the local area, so they are worshiped as For the city god.

26. What happened to "Returning the offer to the king"
The Yao people's primitive belief activities in offering sacrifices to King Pan are called "returning the king's wish", also known as "jumping the king", "being the king", "becoming the king", "ancestor's wish", "making a wish", "jumping incense", "An Temple" and so on.

As the ancestor of the Yao nationality, King Pan is expected to be blessed by King Pan by repaying the king, so as to ensure a good harvest of grains, a safe population and a prosperous livestock.After the Yao people make a wish to Pan Wang, if there is a good harvest year, they will choose an auspicious day to fulfill their wish. Generally, it is held on June 6 of the lunar calendar every year.In addition to commemorating ancestors and thanking the gods, it also means celebrating a good harvest.

There are roughly two types of ceremonies for returning the king's vows, namely the big vow (sacrifice) and the small vow (sacrifice).The big wish is usually repaid once in a generation, or once every three to five years, ten years or a good harvest year, depending on the economic situation of each village or family.It usually takes three days and four nights, and sometimes seven days and seven nights. It is initiated by the leader, everyone donates money, organizes the whole family or the whole village to participate, and holds it in the Panwang Temple built in the mountains.Everyone sang and danced, slaughtered animals and set up a banquet. Six to eight teachers were invited to preside over it.During the ceremony, two to three pairs of unmarried young men and women must be selected, dressed up to represent the princes and grandchildren of Pan, singing under the leadership of the wizard, some accompanied by Lusheng, and assisting the wizard to dance the gods.Small wishes are also known as family sacrifices. When the population is not prosperous or the family is in trouble, it is usually made at the beginning of the year and fulfilled on an auspicious day at the end of the year. The time is one day and one night.At that time, the gods of foreign races and surnames are first invited to come down to the altar to have a banquet, offer sacrifices to the five grains, soldiers and horses, and lead the grain back to the mountains, in order to pray for a good harvest.Then the gods of the ancestors are invited to offer long drums and Yao brocade, and long drum artists perform long drums. Singers and singers come out to "encircle the song hall".During this period, you only need to invite one master to do the ceremony for one night, and use rats, fish, chickens, and glutinous rice cakes as three animals to worship Pan Wang, without any big ostentation.

27. What are the taboos in worshiping King Pan?

(End of this chapter)