Which direction does the upper beam head face?

Why build houses in the countryside, with carpenters in the east and masons in the west? In our rural areas in Jiaodong, there is indeed such pressure on building beams. Carpenters are in the east, and the east is big. In the countryside, Liangliang is a very grand day and a grand banquet will be held. About an hour before the beam was set off, fireworks were set off sporadically to tell people who like to join in the fun that the beam-setting ceremony is about to begin. At this time, many children will run to wait for the people on the roof to throw cupcakes and zongzi, and more are sweets. The scene is no less lively than marrying a wife in the countryside. It is mainly rural carpenters and masons who throw candy and glutinous rice balls at the roof. The carpenter must be in the east. The custom in the countryside is that the east is big. Why do carpenters live in the East?

First, according to the order in which the ancestor Lu Ban entered his master's school, the carpenter is the elder brother of the bricklayer and should be in the East (there is a folk saying that the East is great).

Masons, carpenters and masons were originally a granddaddy-Lu Ban. According to legend, Lu Ban's grandfather passed on the bricklayer's craft to the first disciple Zhang Da, the carpenter's craft to the second disciple Chen Qi, and the bricklayer's craft to the third disciple Li Chun (the man who built Zhao Zhouqiao). Grandpa made a rule for his disciples: brothers and disciples should help each other so that everyone can have a bowl of rice to eat, especially not by their own talents. Since there is this rule, it can't be crossed naturally. To build a house in the countryside, natural carpenters will be in the east and tile trade unions will be in the west.

Second, the carpenter's name on the rivers and lakes is "A and B". The "A" and "B" in the heavenly stems belong to the "wood" of the five elements (fire, water and earth in Jin Mu) and represent the East in orientation, so the carpenter should be in the East when boarding the beam.

Heavenly stems and earthly branches is too complicated. We only know that "A" is Gong Mu and "B" is the mother wood, representing the East. This Jianghu phrase has long been out of use, but now I'm afraid only old carpenters know it. In the old days, craftsmen lived by craft, and they also ran around. When you meet your peers or classmates on the road, you all have your own code words. The "A and B students" mentioned above are a kind of. Another code word is "take care of the third line". For example, when someone asks you, you say "take care of the black line", which means I am a carpenter. The other party replied "manage the red line", then he is a stonemason. If you say "control the white line", you are undoubtedly a bricklayer.

Rural people have always regarded the east as the biggest, but in fact, the orientation of Feng Shui also pays attention to the east as the biggest. The sun rises in the east, which means the rise of the sun, and fairy tales are also symbols of the status of the East. When carpenters stand in the east, it means that carpenters are more respected. In the countryside, carpenters used to make furniture without nails. The carpenter is respected because of his superb craftsmanship. Even now, it's amazing. When building a house, the average homeowner will ask a carpenter to study the direction of the house in advance. The general carpenter has also replaced the role of the designer. The location, specific orientation and the size of doors and windows of the house are decided by the carpenter in advance according to the foundation. In addition, the wooden sticks of the upper beam are generally made in advance and can be used directly when the beam is put on. This shows the importance of rural carpenters.

What we notice here is that carpenters are in the east and masons are in the west. Because wood, mud, stone, painting, oil, lacquer, bamboo and bamboo all rank first, and Lu Ban's master is the granddaddy, so he is the boss in these trades, and the East is the best, which means big. My uncle often says, "among these industries, carpenters are the biggest", and he is very proud. On the "Liang Shang" day, the host family will hold a banquet to entertain friends and neighbors from all over the world. Relatives and friends will use red cloth to "hang red" beams, and red signs such as "Good luck on the beam" and "good luck" will also be affixed to the beams. After all the ceremonies are ready, there will be two masters, a carpenter and a bricklayer, one east and one west singing "Song on the Beam" and presiding over the beam.