1 Culture Han customs and habits!
The Han nationality is the largest ancient nation in the world. Due to its long history and developed culture, the customs and customs of the Han people are colorful and extremely rich.
Adhering to agriculture and doing things first
The Han people are an ancient agricultural nation. Since ancient times, the agricultural population has accounted for more than 80 to 90% of the total population. The custom of adhering to agriculture has a long history. From ancient times, the Han people have regarded agriculture as their main industry. As early as the Warring States Period, Han Fei put forward the idea of ??"taking agriculture as the basis". He said: "The reason why the warehouse is real is that it is the duty of farmers." "Han Feizi·Gui Shi Chapter". Under the influence of the thought of promoting agriculture, the Han society formed the "Men plow and eat, and women weave and clothe" "Shang Jun Shu·Painting Policy Chapter". "Men farm and women weave" can be said to be a typical picture of the customs and customs of Han society. It was only in modern times, especially after liberation, that there were major changes.
The twenty-four solar terms are a unique and important part of the Han Chinese lunar calendar. Its formation and creation are closely related to the agricultural production customs of the ancient working people of the Han Chinese people. As the climate changes throughout the year, the content of farming and farm work also changes. The meanings of the names of the twenty-four solar terms themselves clearly reflect this. To this day, Han farmers are still used to carrying out farming and arranging farm work according to the solar terms.
Related to the custom of Shangnong is the worship of the land god by the Han people. "White Tiger Tongyi" says: "The earth carries all things, which explains why the earth has gods." The form of worship of the earth god is "social sacrifice". The earth god is called the social god or the owner of the community, and the place where the earth god is worshiped is called the social god. society. "Book of Rites: Jiao Te Sheng" says: "Zhuang means sacrificing earth, and it controls Yin Qi...Zhuang, so it is the way of the gods and earth." Later, social sacrifices were held at all levels of Han society. Folk belief in the Earth God is very widespread, and Earth temples could be seen almost everywhere before liberation.
Respecting ancestors and respecting elders
Respecting ancestors and respecting elders is an ancient tradition of the Han people. Ancestor respect is the worship of ancestors. In the Shang Dynasty, people believed in a single god in which God and ancestors were one, while in the Zhou Dynasty they believed in dual gods in which God and ancestors were separated, and worshiping ancestor gods was a more important tradition. Ancestor worship of the Han people mainly focuses on offering sacrifices to distant ancestors with meritorious service and recent ancestors with close blood relationships.
The custom of worshiping ancestors has continued until modern times. Folk ancestor worship activities are still very solemn, including sacrifices, hall sacrifices, festival sacrifices, annual sacrifices, house sacrifices, ancestral sacrifices, etc. During festivals and festivals, some people also pay homage to the remains and faces of their ancestors to show that they do not forget their ancestors and Enjoy the celebration with your ancestors or seek blessings from them. The places where the Han people worship their ancestors are called ancestral temples or ancestral temples, and ancestral temples and ancestral temples can be found all over the country.
Related to the custom of respecting ancestors, under the long-term influence of the feudal patriarchal system, the Han people like to live in groups and compile genealogies regularly. Due to the fact that they live together in groups, the Han people have had three or even five generations living together under the same roof since ancient times, and some have lived together for hundreds of years. This kind of clan that lives together for generations and has a lot of wealth is commonly known as "Yiju" or "Yimen". In the Ming Dynasty, the ninth generation of the Zheng family in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province lived together. The Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty once ordered the construction of Zhengyi Gate as a sign of honor. Although families tend to be smaller nowadays, families with three generations living under one roof are more common.
The custom of respecting the elderly, which extends from respecting ancestors, is deeply rooted among the Han people. "The Book of Songs·Daya·Jizui" says: "Filial piety is not lacking, it will always be given to you." This means that the filial piety of a filial son and respecting the elderly is endless, and it is bound to often influence the entire family and even the entire nation. The Han folk custom of respecting the elderly has been carried forward to this day and is a fine tradition worth carrying forward.
Surname and given name
In the beginning, there were differences between the surnames and surnames of the Han people. The original surname was the family name of the matrilineal clan commune. The word "surname" is composed of the words "女" and "生". Many ancient surnames have "female" next to them, such as Jiang, Yao, Ji, etc. A surname is a branch of a surname. Due to the proliferation of descendants, a clan is divided into several branches and scattered throughout the country. Each branch has a special mark as a symbol, which is the clan. Later, there was not much difference between surname and surname.
The origin of surnames generally has the following situations:
① Surnames based on official positions, such as Sima, Shangguan, Hou, Shuai, Wei, etc.;
② Use the occupation and skill as the surname, such as "Tao" for the pottery maker, "Cang" for the warehouse manager, and "Jia" for the business person;
③ Use the ancestor's name and title as the surname, Such as Meng Sun, Shu Sun, Wang Sun, Gong Sun, etc.;
④ Taking the surnames of feudal countries and territories, such as Qi, Lu, Wu, Chu, etc.;
⑤ Using primitive worship objects The surname is based on the characteristics of the place where you live, such as horse, cow, sheep, dragon, etc.;
⑥The surname is based on the characteristics of the place where you live, such as Dongguo, Ximen, Yang, Liu, Li, etc.;
⑦The surname is based on the characteristics of the place you live in. The number is the surname, such as Wu, Lu, Wan, etc.
In addition, there are some compound surnames such as Changsun, Helan, and Huyan, which are transliterated from the phonetic translations of ethnic minorities.
The "Hundred Family Surnames" compiled by the Song Dynasty contains 408 single surnames and 76 compound surnames. The "Dictionary of Chinese Names" published in modern times has included 4129 single and compound surnames. There are only about 200 common surnames, and the most common single surnames are only 100, with Li, Wang, Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Zhao, Huang, Zhou, Wu, Xu, Sun, Hu, Zhu, Gao, Lin, and Wu People with the surnames , Guo and Ma account for more than half of the country's population.
The names of ancient Chinese people are more complicated than those of modern people. They generally include four items: surname, given name, zi, and phone number. The name is given by the father after the baby is born. The word is given to a man when he is crowned at the age of twenty, and when a woman holds her haircut at the age of fifteen. It is a formal title for a person. The number is chosen by people with a certain reputation and culture to express their thoughts and interests. For example, Tao Qian was known as Mr. Wuliu; Ouyang Xiu was known as Zuiweng, and in his later years he was also known as Liuyi Jushi; Lu You was known as Fangweng.
Modern people are not as particular about naming as ancient people. Except for a few people who have a name and a nickname, ordinary people generally have only one name,
and most of them are one or two characters. The name reflects the cultural characteristics and psychological characteristics of the Han nationality. For example, some use the words "wealth, honor, wealth, and wealth" to hope to get rich; some use the words "kang, health, looseness, and longevity" to hope for health and longevity; some use the words "dong, outstanding, handsome, and talented". "" and other words, hope to develop and achieve success. When men are named after animals, they usually use "peng, dragon, tiger, leopard", which symbolizes bravery, power, and auspiciousness. When naming plants, they use the words "pine, locust tree, tung, and cypress", which symbolize majesty, uprightness, and vitality; women respond accordingly. Use the words "phoenix, warbler, luan, swallow" and "orchid, chrysanthemum, plum, apricot" and other words to hope for beauty, gentleness and virtuousness.
Addressing customs
In China, the traditional concept of seniority of the Han people has existed for a long time. With oneself as the center, there are four generations of elders and four generations of juniors, forming the "great ancestor, great ancestor" These are the nine levels of blood relationship of the "nine clans": ancestor, father, person, son, grandson, great-grandson and great-great-grandson. If collateral blood relationships and marriage relationships are linked, a huge kinship system will be formed
. Only a part of it is selected here to show its hierarchical relationship.
First level: grandfather, grandmother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother (second generation)
Second level: father, mother, uncle, aunt, uncle, aunt, uncle, aunt, Uncle, aunt, uncle, aunt, father-in-law, mother-in-law (elder generation)
The third level: (self) brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, cousin, cousin-in-law, cousin , cousin-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law (same generation)
Fourth level: son, daughter, nephew, nephew, nephew-in-law, nephew-in-law (younger generation)
Fifth level: grandson, granddaughter, grandson, grandniece, grandnephew, grandnephew, granddaughter-in-law, granddaughter-in-law (second generation later)
Relative titles are divided by generation and are not restricted by age. How many years older is the younger brother, and how older are the older brother's children than the younger brother's children. After a few generations, the descendants of the main door may be several decades older than the descendants of the lower door. This does not affect the generational relationship, and often There will be a bearded grandson or a grandpa in his arms. Therefore, the Han people often say that "the door is passed to the junior".
Relative titles are also used in society between neighbors or strangers to express cordiality and respect. For example: People of the same age in the neighborhood often refer to each other as brother, brother, sister, and sister. Young people call their parents' peers as uncle (uncle), uncle, aunt (aunt), aunt, aunt, aunt, etc., and they call their grandparents' peers as grandpa and grandma. , grandma, master, etc. Generally speaking, paying attention to the level and grasping the angle are very important in the use of titles. Different age levels have different titles, especially the titles on the envelope.
If a son writes a letter to his father or mother, he should address him as "parents" or "mom and dad" in the letter, but the title on the envelope is a matter of perspective. It is appropriate to call him Mr.
In life, in order to show respect for people, there are also special phenomena of not paying attention to levels. For example: There is a respected elder in a certain family, and the younger people in the family call him grandpa, grandma, master, grandma, etc. Neighbors, regardless of gender, old and young, may all call him grandpa, grandma, master, grandma, but the title of the former Often named. Such as Grandma Liu in "Dream of Red Mansions" and Fourth Master Liu in "Camel Xiangzi". Sometimes the word "he (she)" is added before the title, such as: his uncle, her second aunt, his grandma, her second brother Li, etc. Similar titles are still widely used today.
Cultural Psychology
The cultural psychology of the Han nation was gradually formed after thousands of years of accumulation. Although the input of various modern cultural trends in the past century has greatly impacted this traditional cultural psychology, its influence is still deeply rooted. This forms the unique pragmatic characteristics of Chinese in the process of people's verbal communication.
First of all, the feudal society based on the agricultural natural economy has ruled China for thousands of years. This feudal patriarchal society has created two characteristics in the national psychology: First, it attaches great importance to blood relations. , the second is the emphasis on class differences. Therefore, a prominent feature in speech communication is the emphasis on the use of kinship titles and the strict distinction between seniority and junior generation.
In the West, we can see that younger generations call their elders by their first names. This is not allowed in Chinese communication. Elders among relatives must use titles when talking. This is true. Be polite and well-bred. Moreover, kinship titles are also used as a kind of honorific, and are widely used for non-relative interlocutors, such as uncle, uncle, grandma, and aunt, which are considered to show respect for the other party and indicate the intimacy of the relationship.
The patriarchal concept of attaching importance to elders and children is applied to social interpersonal relationships and becomes a hierarchical concept. Feudal society for thousands of years has always advocated the order of elders and younger ones, and the order of superiority and inferiority. Therefore, people have always had the habit of addressing people with official positions according to their positions. In ancient times, this was considered an honorific title. In order to raise the status of the other party in communication, one often lowers oneself, so there are a number of modest titles that are opposite to honorific titles, such as your surname - my surname, family - humble house, virtuous brother - foolish brother, masterpiece - humble work , high opinion - foolish opinion, shallow opinion.
Secondly, it emphasizes the harmony of interpersonal relationships, the social nature of people, and the constraints of society and groups on individuals. It does not highlight individuals and personalities, but emphasizes groups. This is also connected to the patriarchal relationship in feudal society. It is in sharp contrast to the West's self-centeredness, emphasis on independent personality and individuality, and the promotion of personal achievements and honors. Because of this, in order to emphasize the intimacy of interpersonal relationships, Chinese people often use kinship titles to address non-relative interlocutors. After meeting, Chinese people often use the other person's private life as the content of greetings. For example, asking "Have you eaten?" Really worrying that you will starve is just an expression of concern and affection.
As for questions like asking you how much your salary is, how old you are, whether you have a partner, or how many children you have, in the eyes of the Chinese, it is also a sign of close interpersonal relationships and bonding feelings, which is the so-called Eastern style. It has a human touch, but in the eyes of Westerners, it seems to be suspected of interfering with other people's "privacy rights."
The Han nationality’s conservative tradition on sex and gender issues has also resulted in differences in terms used between men and women in verbal communication. Generally speaking, men's language is more straightforward and casual, while women's language is more reserved and solemn. Swearing with sexual-related words is far more common among men than among women. Because although the traditional concept also believes that men using these words is uncivilized, it seems to be generally understood, while women using these words are very inappropriate, and it seems that they should naturally be criticized by public opinion.
Marriage
Han wedding customs have a long history and are rich in national color. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a complete set of etiquette has been formed, namely "accepting gifts", "asking for names", "accepting gifts", "accommodating levies", "asking for dates", "personally welcoming", etc., which are called " Six Rites."
"Nacai" means that the man's family invites a matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman's family, later generations call it "shuo matchmaking"; "asking for names" means that both parties change their age, which in modern times is called "exchanging dragons and phoenixes", and then divination "Marriage"; "Naji" means "engagement"; "Nazheng" means the betrothal gift given by the man's family to the woman's family, commonly known as "betrothal gift"; "Qing period" means choosing an auspicious date for the wedding to seek the woman's opinion; "Ying Ying" That is to marry the bride.
From ancient times to the present, although wedding customs have been complicated and simplified due to changes in the times or differences between rich and poor, the basic ritual procedures are similar. Even in modern times, with the rise of free love, the ritual process has become more simplified, but the customs of matchmaker (introducer) communication, blind date, engagement and marriage are still retained to a certain extent.
Among the "six rites", "welcome" is the most colorful. The main customs include making a house, crying for marriage, scattering grains and beans, "raising fire", "splashing water", masking one's face, wearing red clothes, The bride does not walk on the floor, rides in a sedan chair, "saddles", pays homage to the hall, spreads the tent, hands over cups, and makes house noises, etc. For more than two thousand years, these customs of "welcoming in person" have endured. Although there have been innovations and evolutions in modern times with the progress of society, the basic aspects have not changed much.
In terms of marriage, although monogamy was common among the ancient Han people, the phenomenon of concubinage was relatively common. In modern times, it is commonly known as "asking for a younger wife" or "marrying a concubine". Widows are generally not allowed to remarry, especially in feudal society. In the later period of society, with the rise of Neo-Confucianism, the rules were very strict, and some people basically had to wear plain clothes and remain widowed for the rest of their lives.
In terms of marriage forms, in the old days, in addition to matchmaking, there were also marriages by purchase and sale, marriage between cousins, marriage by exchange of relatives, marriage by transfer of house, marriage by adoption (commonly known as "brother-in-law"), marriage by ancestral wife, and marriage by child adoption. , finger pulp marriage, filial marriage and ghost marriage, etc.
When a woman is pregnant, the Han people commonly call it "youxi".
On the second day after a child is born, there are three "three dynasties". After a child is born, most children close their eyes tightly and do not open them until the third morning (i.e. three days) or three days later. According to old custom, when a child opens his eyes, he should look at his father first, then his mother, and then other relatives and friends to show his eternal filial piety to his parents. Relatives and friends who come to visit at this time often give congratulatory gifts such as eggs, brown sugar, and children's clothing. Among them, the eggs are dyed red and are called "red eggs". Because they are congratulatory, they are also called "happy eggs".
The full moon is called "Miyue". It is an old custom to give children a haircut, commonly known as "head shaving", and hold a banquet to celebrate. In some places, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month is designated as the "head-shaving" day for newborns. The modern Han people regard children's full moon as a normal event, but in some rural areas, they still pay more attention to it and often treat them to full moon drinks.
The first birthday is the most solemn day for a child since birth. According to ancient custom, a child's future is tested on the day when he or she turns one year old. The method is for men to put bows, arrows, paper and pens, and for women to put knives, rulers, needles, baskets, as well as various foods and clothes on the table, and let the children get them by themselves. The one who takes them will be a good omen for the future. Modern Han people generally attach great importance to children's birthdays. Whether in cities or rural areas, they usually take photos of their children, make new clothes, and eat egg noodles to express their congratulations. Some families with better economic conditions even hold birthday parties to entertain relatives and friends. There is also the custom of making one-year-old rice dumplings in rural areas of Jiangnan. This kind of rice dumplings are wrapped longer than ordinary rice dumplings, which means that the children will grow up quickly.
When an ancient Han man reached the age of 20, he would choose an auspicious day, invite guests, and his father would preside over the crowning ceremony in the ancestral temple. "Book of Rites: Guanyi" records: "In ancient times, people wore crowns as ceremonial rituals, sun and guests, so they respected the crown." When a woman is 15 years old, she performs hairpin ceremony. The commentary on "hairpin" in "Book of Rites: Shihunli" says: "The hairpin is a gift for a woman, just like the crowning of a man." The holding of the crowning ceremony and the hairpin ceremony indicates that a person has reached adulthood and is ready to get married. These etiquettes are no longer practiced in modern times, but birthdays are often celebrated grandly when one reaches 20 years old. People with better financial conditions hold birthday wines and banquets for relatives and friends; ordinary people also prepare some food and wine, eat eggs and noodles, and celebrate the whole family. Congratulations.
Funeral
The old funeral tradition of the Han people emphasizes heavy burials and rich burials, and is mixed with many superstitious customs. Burial in coffins has been popular among the Han people since ancient times. The funeral is grand and carried out in three stages: exhumation, funeral and burial.
Encourage means dressing the corpse and placing it in the coffin. When a person dies, the soul of the deceased must be summoned and bathed before being buried. There are two steps of burial: small coffin and large coffin. A small coffin is used to wrap the corpse in a quilt, usually cloth, rich people use silk, and some royal families use jade clothes. The body is put into the coffin. The coffin is called "Shou coffin". The male coffin is engraved with the word "Shou", the female coffin is engraved with the word "福", and some are engraved with the combination of the three characters "Fu, Lu and Shou". Rice is also placed in the mouth of the deceased during the burial. Wealthy families include bis, beads, etc., royal families include jade, and in modern times, rice is placed in the mouth of the deceased. They are all called "rice containing". Some items are often buried along with the burial. Most people have clothes, quilts and daily necessities. Rich families and royal families have many and valuable burial items.
Funeral means placing the coffin in the funeral palace after the burial. The length of the funeral period varies, ranging from 3 days to 30 days, mainly determined by the mourner. In ancient times, the coffin was usually kept in the coffin for 3 months, and sometimes it took up to 7 months. According to the traditional custom of the Han people, when a parent dies, the children must go to the funeral, otherwise it is considered unfilial. Relatives and friends will mourn and pay homage to the deceased in the future, which is called "mourning" or "condolences."
All mourners must wear mourning clothes. In ancient times, the mourning clothes of the Han people were divided into five types: zhansheng, qixian, dagong, xiaogong and weaving linen, which were called "five clothes". Wear linen and wear filial piety." In modern times, white cloth is often used as mourning clothes. In modern cities, it is common to wear white flowers on the chest and black gauze on the arms.
Burial means burying the remains of the deceased, that is, placing the coffin into the ground. According to old customs, before burial, one often has to look at Feng Shui and choose a cemetery, which is called "choosing an auspicious place." Funeral is also called funeral. During funerals, the ancient Han people usually held the mourning ribbon in front of the "filial son", and those who carried the coffin sang elegy. Elegies evolved into sad music in recent times and modern times. Relatives and friends wrote elegy words or elegiac couplets at the funeral. In modern times, it evolved into sending wreaths with elegiac couplets written on them.
In ancient times, there was the custom of burying human sacrifices (mainly close relatives, close ministers and close attendants, and there were still remains of human sacrifices in the Qing Dynasty). Later, pottery figurines were gradually replaced, and in modern times, human figures tied with paper were used for burial.
After the funeral, there are memorial ceremonies such as the seventh, seventh, hundredth, anniversary and so on, and the tablets are returned to the ancestral hall. This has changed from the etiquette for people during the funeral to the etiquette for "ghosts", Rituals of "ancestral spirits".
In addition, the Han people also have the custom of "return burial", which is to bury the remains of those who died in other places back to their place of origin.
During the funeral, relatives of the deceased should wear mourning clothes and keep vigil in the mourning hall. In the ancient Chinese etiquette system, filial piety clothes were divided into five grades according to the closeness of the blood relationship with the deceased. In modern Chinese, there is also the word "five clothes" to indicate the distance of the blood relationship. The mourning robe is made of white cloth, which is very different from the Western custom of wearing white robes as a formal dress. During the Qing Dynasty, an Englishman came to China for the first time and found it very strange that everyone in the funeral procession was wearing white clothes, but their expressions were painful and sad. In ancient times, people sang elegy during funerals. Tao Yuanming, the great poet of the Jin Dynasty, wrote three "elegy poems" for himself during his lifetime. The elegiac couplets and elegies of later generations evolved from the elegies of ancient times.
The scale of the funeral ceremony is closely related to the status of the deceased. In feudal society, there were strict regulations on funeral rituals for people with different statuses. Princes, nobles and wealthy families often use grand funeral ceremonies to show off their power. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is written that Qin Keqing died in the Ningguo Mansion. The coffin used was worth thousands of taels of silver. Two to three hundred monks and Taoists chanted sutras. The funeral procession was "mighty and mighty, as heavy as a mountain of silver." As the poor people cannot even meet the basic needs of food and clothing, naturally they cannot talk about "heavy burials and generous burials". Sometimes the body can only be wrapped in a mat and buried hastily.
After the death of an elder, the descendants have to stay at home for twenty-seven months, during which time they stop socializing and entertainment. Officials must also leave their jobs and go home to observe filial piety to express their condolences to their elders, which is called "keeping the system".
Clothing
From ancient times to the present, the characteristic of the right gusset (big lapel) of the Han nationality's blouse has always been retained. From the Shang Dynasty portraits unearthed from jade, stone and pottery sculptures in Anyang, Henan, you can see the appearance of a high-collared garment with a right gusset. Although Hu clothing was introduced later, and short clothes and shorts appeared, whether it was the "deep clothes" of the Western Han Dynasty, the "cross-collar robes" of the Tang and Song Dynasties, or the "long robes" of the Qing Dynasty, the tops were always characterized by the right gusset.
Modern men’s robes or modern women’s cheongsams all inherit the right hem of the top.
Each dynasty has its own respect for the color of clothing. Generally, Xia black, Shang Bai, Zhou Chi, Qin black, Han red, and Tang clothing are yellow in color and the flag is red. In the Ming Dynasty, they adopted the methods of Zhou and In the Han, Tang and Song Dynasties, red was the appropriate color.
The style of clothing developed to the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Men generally wore double-breasted shirts and trousers as inner wear, and a long-breasted gown as an outer garment. For more sophisticated ones, a mandarin jacket was added, which was called a "long-breasted mandarin jacket." The pants are all set with an eight-inch wide waist. Later, Chinese tunic suits became popular, but robes, jackets, jackets, short shirts, and trousers were still worn in rural areas. Even today, elderly people in remote mountainous areas still wear robes. In the late Qing Dynasty, women wore trumpet-shaped knee-length mid-length shirts and trousers. After the Republic of China, women wore "axe-mouth shirts" on top, which were divided into double-breasted, large-breasted, and pipa-breasted. They wore skirts below, including phoenix-tail skirts, pleated skirts, etc. Cheongsam became popular after the 1930s, but rural women mostly wore short shirts and trousers. Modern Han clothing is represented by the Chinese tunic suit for men and the cheongsam for women.
Thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes, with round mouth and low top, are light, breathable and comfortable. They are also one of the Han nationality's distinctive styles of clothing.
Hair style. In ancient times, Han men did not shave their hair, but tied it on top and crowned it. In the Qing Dynasty, they changed to shaving and braiding, and young people considered long braids to be beautiful. After the Republic of China, they cut their braids and kept their hair short, mostly in Western style and flat style. Top style or bald head. Han women have many hairstyles. In ancient times, they wore high buns. In modern times, girls have flowing hair, single braids, or double buns. Middle-aged women often wear long buns, and old people wear their hair in a bun. After the Republic of China, many women cut their hair short and left it ear-length.
Modern Han men's hair styles are no longer distinctive, while women still wear long braids as a hair style with ethnic characteristics.
Grooming, in ancient times, Han men grew beards and beards when they reached a certain age, and women had hair extensions at the age of 15, which is commonly known as "opening the face." In ancient times, women also had bad customs such as chest corseting and foot binding, and men had the custom of tattooing.
In terms of wearing, jade was popular among the Han people in ancient times. Both men and women wore bellybands to prevent diseases from entering through the navel. Nowadays, rural children still wear bellybands. According to the old custom, children should wear a "landing ring" when they are born, which means safe landing, and a "Tianguan lock", also known as a "longevity lock", when they are one to five years old.
Han Architecture
The national form of Han residential architecture is a wooden structure with brackets and overhanging eaves, commonly known as "big roof". This national form of housing architecture first sprouted from the grass-mud wood column grid structure at the Banpo site and the gantry-style mortise-and-tenon structure houses at the Hemudu site. After long-term exchanges and integration, a complete architectural structure system of "Qin bricks, Han tiles" and wooden structures was formed in the Western Han Dynasty, which is called "the merit of civil engineering" in history. This kind of bracket not only plays a mechanical role of support, but also has a decorative artistic effect, reflecting the strong national style of Han nationality's housing architecture. In the historical development, this national form of large roofs has been divided into palace forms with glazed tiles and carved beams and painted buildings, and simple and simple residential forms with blue bricks and black tiles.
The layout of Han Chinese buildings is generally flat and develops in depth. It is divided into upper and lower rooms, side rooms of the main house, and inner and outer courtyards. The highest building is no more than two stories, which often forms a strict symmetry on the left and right. The courtyard and the building The buildings are integrated into a closed and independent residential building complex.
Han architecture is unique, and its classical garden architecture has made major achievements.
Although many high-rise residential buildings appear in cities now, important buildings often adopt the traditional ethnic architectural form of the Han people. For example, the top ten buildings in Beijing retain a strong ethnic style. In rural areas, courtyard houses are still popular in the north, and five-room halls are also being built in the south. Although new building materials have emerged and are commonly used, the majority of them are still brick-wood or mud-wood structures of "Qin bricks and Han tiles".
Etiquette
Ancient China is known as the "Land of Etiquette". The ancient Han people paid great attention to etiquette and had unique etiquette and customs.
In mutual interactions, the ancient Han people had considerable etiquette for different objects, which were divided into Jishou, Dunshou, Kongshou, Zhenshou, Jibai, Jibai, Qibai, Praisebai and Libaijiu. species, called "nine worships". After development and evolution, the most common three types are arching, bowing and kneeling.
To perform an arch, the right hand is inside, the left hand is outside, and the hands are clasped together to show respect. In ancient times, it was customary for a man to bow to the left, and for a woman to bow to the right, which is called "receiving ten thousand blessings". The opposite is true for bad worship, that is, unfriendly greetings. To bow, in addition to cupping your hands, you also need to bend down and bow. There are two types of bows: high bows and long bows. The high bow means raising both hands high, and the long bow not only holds the hands high but also bows from top to bottom. Arching and bowing are often used together, which probably evolved from the "vibration" in the ancient "Nine Bows". This kind of etiquette has no distinction between superior and inferior, and is a common courtesy among people of the same generation. In ancient Han folk, when friends met, they often said "thank you" and bowed to each other to show respect.
Kneeling and worshiping is a solemn etiquette of the Han people, which mainly includes bowing, bowing, and emptying the head. Jishou is to kowtow to the ground and pause for a period of time. It is originally the most respectful etiquette among the "Nine Bows" and is often used by ministers to worship the emperor. To bow immediately, that is, to kowtow to the ground, is commonly used as a bow from a subordinate to a superior, or from a subordinate to a superior. To have an empty head is to put your hands on the ground and bow from your head to your hands. In addition, there is also the "Qibai" which only bends one knee, which was very popular in the Qing Dynasty.
After the Revolution of 1911, with the abolition of the feudal monarchy system, the kneeling ceremony was abolished, but it did not disappear. It was not completely abandoned until after liberation. However, the lower generations of the people sometimes use this ceremony to express their gratitude to their elders. Show respect. At the same time, the etiquette of bowing and bowing has been gradually replaced by the handshake, hand-raising, eye-catching, hello and nodding greetings, but it has not completely disappeared.
Praise red over yellow
In advocating colors, the Han people have the custom of favoring red over yellow.
Shang Hong is recorded as early as in "Book of Rites Tan Gong Shang": "Zhou people are still red." This kind of "Shang Chi" customs has many manifestations in the ancient Han people: in ancient China, it was called "Jiuzhou", also known as "Chixian Shenzhou"; "Red Bird" is regarded as an auspicious bird, and is also used as another name for the sun; a pure and kind filial son It is known as the "pure son", and the noble character of loyalty and sincerity is called "the pure heart"; copper, the main raw material of the glorious bronze culture of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, is known as the "red gold". Over time, the color of fire was originally considered "red", but it developed into a general reference to red.
Since the Han people regard red as a symbol of auspiciousness, happiness, and beauty, they often call women’s costumes “red makeup” and use “red makeup” to refer to beauties; or they refer to women’s beautiful appearance. "Beauty" also refers to a beautiful woman; the young woman's house may be called a "red boudoir"; and even men and women dressed up for traveling are also called "guys and dolls." Not only that, the Han people regard red as a symbol of revolution. Among the peasant uprisings in the past dynasties, some were called the "Red Eyebrow Army", some were called the "Red Scarf Army", and there were also the "Red Coat Army" and "Red Lantern Zhao" until In the modern new-democratic revolution, the armed workers and peasants led by the Communist Party of China were also called the "Red Army."
In Han folk customs such as birthday celebrations and weddings, red is used to embellish the environment and enhance the atmosphere. For example, when a child is born, red cloth is hung on the door, and birthday noodles are tied with red paper. , the bride should wear red clothes, and gifts should be affixed with red paper during festivals and festivals. Money given during festivals and festivals should be packaged in red paper, commonly known as "red paper bags." All these are commonly known as "red happy events".
While the Han people value red, they also value yellow. "White Tiger Tongyi·Hao Pian" says, "Yellow is the color of neutrality, natural and never easy to change." Yellow is the noblest among the five colors and represents the center. Therefore, the ancient emperors of the Han nationality respected yellow as the correct color, and the emperor wore Dragon robe is also called "yellow robe"; yellow clothes are also worn during sacrifices to show grandness and solemnity; not only Taoism respects and wears yellow, but Buddhism also believes that yellow is elegant, unconventional, and has a transcendental feeling, so its clothing Yellow is mostly used in buildings, buildings and other decorations, and most of the utensils are "gilt" (i.e. "coated with gold"). The most typical example of Han folk honoring Huang is the "Yellow Turban Uprising" in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, which even put forward the political slogan "Heaven is dead, Huang Tian should stand, and the world will be prosperous at the age of Jiazi".
In addition, the Han people also avoid the color white, believing that white represents sorrow, pain and death, so white is used in funerals to express solemn mourning. Funerals are also commonly known as "white weddings".
Haha, after reading the Qingba host’s post, I know why the “surname” has the character “女” as the radical.
The woman’s coming-of-age ceremony mentioned in the middle is the Hairpin Ceremony. I haven't done it yet, which means I am not an adult yet as a daughter of the Han family (joke)
It's a bit sad to think that many of the etiquettes have been far away from modern times
Colorful How to teach people about Chinese culture
Hanfu was not mentioned, the poster