Folk customs and taboos
Folk customs and taboos are not without taboos in life. There are many folk customs in our country, among which some folk taboos are easy for us to ignore. Today we Let’s list some folk customs and taboos and let’s talk about them. Folk customs and taboos 1
(1) Marriage taboos
Double happiness does not coincide. Don’t congratulate each other on happy events within the same month.
Those whose zodiac signs conflict with the bride and groom’s zodiac signs should not be present.
Avoid attending funerals when welcoming relatives (it is very unlucky).
Avoid weddings on a single day of the month, especially July.
(2) Taboos for pregnant women
Pregnant women should avoid watching the stove being built and not worshiping the stove god (otherwise they will give birth to a baby with cleft lip).
Avoid vigorously opening drawers, moving things around, killing chickens, ducks and chopping meat in the pregnant woman's room (otherwise it will disturb the fetus and lead to dystocia or birth defects).
Pregnant women should avoid participating in weddings and weddings (because they are unclean) and avoid watching puppet shows (otherwise they will give birth to soft babies).
Pregnant women should avoid eating rabbit meat and ginger (otherwise the baby will have harelips and deformed fingers).
(3) Maternal taboos
Avoid giving birth in your natal family (otherwise it will take away the natal family’s good fortune and cause the natal family to decline).
Outsiders are not allowed to enter the delivery room for one month (avoid blood, light, foul smell, and uncleanness).
Avoid washing with cold water during the month (otherwise you will suffer from intramonthly rheumatic pain).
(4) Infant taboos
It is taboo for others to know when the baby "falls" (to prevent others from buckling it).
Don’t say “fat” or “heavy” when praising a baby (otherwise it will reduce your happiness and longevity).
Babies are not allowed to enter palaces and temples (because their souls are incomplete and they are afraid of seeing ghosts and gods).
Avoid saying the word "monkey" in front of babies (otherwise they may easily suffer from "monkey damage" and stunted development).
Avoid carrying babies to attend funerals (unlucky).
(5) Children's taboos
Children should not eat chicken feet (otherwise their hands will shake when writing).
Avoid eating fish eggs (otherwise you won’t be able to count numbers when you grow up).
(6) Funeral taboos
Cats should not be allowed to approach the corpse when the spirit is stopped (otherwise the corpse will tremble or stand up and chase people).
Prevent the human figure from entering the coffin (otherwise the soul of the deceased will be ingested). Those whose zodiac sign is incompatible with the deceased should not be buried.
It is taboo to say the word "death" when mourning, and use "old" or "gone" instead.
When in mourning, do not visit guests or enter other people’s homes. Do not enter other people’s homes when mourning (due to uncleanness).
(7) Taboos for treating and asking questions
If the medicine residue is not left in the house, it must be dumped on the road (to send the sick out).
Ask questions before noon (because the yin energy becomes stronger in the afternoon, which will hinder the patient).
(8) Taboos on entertaining and entertaining guests
Do not sweep the floor when there are guests at home, and do not drive away livestock when entertaining guests (otherwise it may be misunderstood as chasing away guests).
Avoid serving an odd number of dishes, and avoid serving four or six plates (the number of plates for the bearers and the death row prisoners respectively).
No noodles at wedding banquets, no sweet soup or alcohol at funeral banquets.
(9) Building taboos
Do not build houses in front of the palace or behind the ancestral home (otherwise it will be detrimental to your home).
Avoid facing the top of other people’s roofs, and avoid facing the entrance of an alley.
(10) Other taboos in life
Avoid losing teeth in dreams (meaning loss of life),
Avoid picking up gold and silver in dreams (meaning loss of wealth).
Avoid going to a funeral (it will be unfavorable).
Avoid stepping on medicinal residue while walking (bad luck).
Avoid passing under the pole for drying pants (especially women’s pants) (bad luck).
Avoid bird droppings in the air or on trees (bad luck).
When doing longevity, avoid calling it "Nine", and when it comes to "Nine", it must be called "Ten" (otherwise the anode will decline). Folk customs and taboos 2
1. Staying up late on New Year's Eve
Chinese people have the custom of staying up late on New Year's Eve, which means that the family reunites on New Year's Eve and stays up late to welcome the arrival of the Lunar New Year. Staying up late has two meanings. The older person staying up late means "saying goodbye to the old year", which means cherishing the time. Young people stay up late to prolong the life of their parents. Since the Han Dynasty, the transition time between the new and the old year has generally been at midnight. On the night of New Year's Eve, people of all ages, men and women, will brightly light the lights and gather together to watch the New Year's Eve. Therefore, staying up late is one of the customs of the Spring Festival.
2. Set off firecrackers
In ancient times, it was believed that "Nian" is a monster that wakes up on New Year's Eve every year, devours people and animals, and harms the people. But I accidentally discovered that "Nian" was afraid of the sound of fire burning dry wood, so he made firecrackers and lit them during the New Year to scare "Nian". Slowly setting off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year has become a custom. No matter whether the family is poor or rich, they will prepare some firecrackers.
3. Drink cold water
In ancient times, the living environment was poor. During the Chinese New Year, they would dig ice to get water. There was no so-called cold water, so they could only drink water. Drinking after heating has evolved to the point where the custom of not drinking cold water remains.
4. Fish cannot be eaten.
The fish for the New Year’s Eve dinner cannot be eaten at one time, but half of it should be left, which means there will be more than enough every year and expresses the people’s expectations for next year’s life.
5. Don’t say unlucky words
During the Chinese New Year, you can’t say bad words such as death, illness, pain, poverty, etc. In the new year and the new atmosphere, your thoughts on others Speeches can have a negative impact and, at worst, affect other people's moods. So it's better to say some blessing words.
6. Don’t take medicine
It’s the New Year to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. If you take medicine at this time, it means that your health will not be good in the new year. Therefore, the medicine will be discontinued on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month.
7. Don’t throw water outside on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month
Water symbolizes wealth, and throwing water outward is equivalent to letting the wealth go, so you will basically wait until the second day of the lunar month. Throw dirty water.
8. You cannot collect debts from others
There is a folk saying that if you collect debts during the Chinese New Year, both parties will be in bad luck next year, so debt collection is usually done before the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. If the debt collection is not successful, the debt will be collected again after the New Year. Debt collection cannot be carried out during the Chinese New Year.
9. A married girl cannot return to her natal family on the first day of the Lunar New Year
Folks believe that a married daughter cannot return to her natal family on the first day of the Lunar New Year. If she does, her natal family will be impoverished. So I can only go back to my parents' home after the second grade of junior high school. There is a folk proverb that goes like this: "On the second day of the first lunar month, all you see on the street are young men and young women." It means that on the second day of the first lunar month, the streets are full of men carrying gifts and preparing to go back to their parents' homes with their wives. Folk customs and taboos 3
1. It is not allowed to hold an umbrella in the house
Most Chinese people have experienced that when they were young and did not know how to play with umbrellas in the house, they were often attacked by the elderly. stern warning: "You will not grow taller if you do this." Many friends still think so. In fact, this is a statement to scare children. The real reason is that holding an umbrella to attract ghosts is a feudal superstitious concept.
It is understood that this taboo custom originated in the ancient Ming and Qing Dynasties. Many ghosts and romance novels describe that ghosts are afraid of the sun and must hide under umbrellas to move around. For example, there is a similar plot in "Bao Qingtian". Of course, this is a folk tradition evolved from feudal superstition and cannot be trusted. However, from a Feng Shui perspective, leaving open umbrellas or using umbrella-like decorations in the house for a long time will affect the balance of yin and yang in the house, and seriously affect the mood of the house owner, so it is not recommended.
2. Do not shake your legs at will
When I was a child, I was quite active. When I was sitting on the edge of the bed or on a chair, I would often shake my legs unconsciously. My parents often scolded me for this habit. There is a common saying among the people: "If a man is poor, a woman will be humble; if a man is poor, a tree will die". In other words, shaking your legs will scatter your blessings and wealth, and eventually your family will be ruined, and the consequences will be quite horrifying. Is there any scientific basis for this taboo custom? Personally, I feel that although it is not that serious, it still makes sense. Ancient Chinese people attached great importance to social etiquette, requiring politeness and calm and reserved behavior when interacting with others. Leg shaking is arrogant, frivolous, conceited and other disrespectful behaviors, which is very offensive. If a man cannot even do basic etiquette well, he will naturally not be blessed and wealthy. If a woman shakes her legs, it means that she is uncultured and immodest, which is even worse.
3. Don’t sing when walking at night
I believe everyone has had this experience. When walking at night and feeling scared, they will involuntarily sing to cheer up. But among the people, this is also a traditional taboo custom. One theory is that singing while walking at night will attract wandering ghosts to harass you, which is obviously a feudal superstition. There is also a saying that walking at night without making any noise is for personal safety. In ancient China, the population was not as dense as it is now, wild beasts were infested in the wilderness, the public security situation was not good, and there were many bandits in various places. The ancients generally would not walk at night unless necessary, let alone cause unnecessary disasters by singing loudly. Therefore, this taboo custom is actually a summary of the experiences and lessons learned in the lives of ancient ancestors.
4. Do not pass things through the window
This taboo custom has almost disappeared in modern times, but it was a very important taboo in ancient times. In ancient times, when prisoners were in prison, if their families wanted to send daily necessities, they could only do so through the prison windows and fences. Therefore, the act of handing something through the window is like giving something to a prisoner, which indicates that the person receiving the thing will be imprisoned, which is very unlucky.
5. Do not plant locust trees and mulberry trees at home
You should have heard the idiom "point to the mulberry trees and scold the locust trees". Both locust trees and mulberry trees are common trees in our country. Why are they called taboos among the people? According to folklore, there are four trees in China that attract ghosts, namely mulberry, locust, poplar and willow. Mulberry is a homophonic word for "mourning", so it is unlucky and easy to understand. Locust trees, poplar trees and willow trees are all commonly used trees in ancient cemeteries, so they are not suitable for planting at home.
Especially the Sophora japonica tree, which can be understood literally. "Sophora japonica" means "the tree that attracts ghosts". In the Neolithic Age 4,000 years ago, ancient ancestors began to plant locust trees near cemeteries, and some important sacrificial activities were held under large locust trees. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Gongzuo's "The Biography of the Prefect of Nanke" contained the story of "A Dream in Nanke". The protagonist dreamed under a locust tree and began a legendary experience. Therefore, people believe that the locust tree has the effect of hypnosis and creating hallucinations, so it is natural that it has become a taboo tree in the home.