The folk taboos in the lives of the Miao people in southwestern Hunan are briefly described below.
1. Taboos in life
1. It is taboo to step on food that has fallen on the ground, such as rice, rice, etc. It is believed that stepping on the food with your feet is a sign of not caring about the food. It will offend the God of Thunder and cause you to be struck by thunder. As the saying goes, "the sky is struck by thunder." Do not step on the rice dumpling leaves left behind when eating rice dumplings, otherwise you will get rashes.
2. When the bride is eating the ceremonial meal, the stool she is sitting on is taboo to move. Otherwise, it will be considered that the bride is having second thoughts and does not want to grow old with her husband.
3. It is taboo to take salt from others. For example, if you go to a store to buy salt, the salesperson will put the salt on the counter, and then the person buying the salt can go and get the salt. If you take salt from someone else's hand, it is called "taking the salt", and you think you will be scolding and quarreling in the future.
4. The dishes for a married woman or a wedding banquet must be in an even number, that is, four plates and four bowls, eight plates and eight bowls, or twelve bowls. Odd numbers are avoided. Otherwise, the newlyweds will get divorced and their good times will not last long.
5. If you are sick during the festival, you need to sip medicine. Avoid talking about "sipping medicine" and should say "drinking tea." Especially at the end of the twelfth lunar month and the beginning of the first lunar month, it is especially taboo.
6. If the relationship is not between husband and wife or brother and sister, it is generally forbidden for men and women to go together; otherwise, it is called "men and women are not close to each other". If others gossip, they will sometimes be insulted and beaten.
7. When eating at a banquet celebrating a happy event, avoid drinking one mouthful of rice and one mouthful of wine. Wait until the other guests at the table have finished drinking the wine before everyone eats together. Otherwise it is called "offending" or "rude".
8. When eating, the food must be served well and placed on the table for half a minute or one minute before eating; otherwise, it is called "disloyalty to the ancestors".
9. Dog meat and turtle should not be put on the stove. Because dog meat and turtle are disgusting things, eating them on the stove will offend the Kitchen God.
10. When eating rice, avoid knocking the rice bowl with chopsticks. It is said that knocking on one's job will knock off one's clothing and salary, and one will suffer poverty. It is taboo to change bowls midway, otherwise the woman will have to remarry and the man will have to remarry.
11. Avoid snake meat in the kitchen. If snake meat is taken to the kitchen for cooking and "tang coal" falls into the snake meat, it will be poisoned if eaten.
12. When sipping rice, avoid facing other people’s backs; otherwise, it will be considered impolite to others. There is also a saying that that person will develop "back flowers" (i.e. carbuncles).
13. When out and about, avoid drinking with a toast. You must first drop a few drops of wine on the floor to commemorate the ancestors of both parties.
14. When visiting other people’s homes for dinner, avoid eating the host’s rice cakes. Because Guo Ba is the "rice mother", it is also called "rice root". If a guest eats the rice cooker, it is disrespectful to the host. The host is the most dissatisfied and is afraid that his family will be impoverished.
15. When weighing meat (buying meat) in rural areas, the most taboo is "three catties and six taels". Because three catties and six taels is the catty of meat used in "beating Persia". If it weighs three catties and six taels, it means that the family will suffer disaster, or get sick, or lose money, or there will be no harvest in agriculture and animal husbandry.
16. Unmarried women should avoid showing their teeth and laughing in crowded places. Commonly known as "smiling without showing teeth".
17. Avoid carrying empty buckets of water or feces into the house. Before entering the house, you must put down the buckets of water and manure you carried and carry them into the house; otherwise, it will be disadvantageous.
18. Children who have not yet reached the age of childhood should avoid eating soft-skinned eggs taken from the stomachs of killed chickens and ducks; otherwise, they will be ignorant (dialect: mentally retarded) when they grow up.
19. Don’t go to other people’s homes wearing a white turban in rural areas; otherwise, that family will think the white turban is unlucky and will hate you.
20. A family should not eat a pear separately (i.e., divide the pear); otherwise, there will be separation in the future (dividing the pear is a metaphor for separation).
21. Avoid stepping on writing paper (paper with written words) that has fallen to the ground. It is said that if you step on it, you will go blind.
22. Men should not go under women’s clothes that are exposed to the sun; if they do, they will be behind the times.
23. If you go to someone else’s house and the owner’s dog is very ferocious and bites you, you can only prevent it or ask the owner to take care of the dog and not hit it; otherwise, if you call the dog a bully, the owner will be angry. .
24. If there is a patient at home, a small red flag is posted at the door. It is forbidden for others to go to his home, so as not to bring injured ghosts into the house, which will be detrimental to the patient.
25. If the grain harvested every year is not renewed (that is, before the new festival is eaten), avoid using new rice soup or rice pulp to wash or starch clothes (it must be eaten first before it can be used for other purposes).
26. On the day of a wedding or a new wedding, it is forbidden for guests or helpers to quarrel or fight in the host's house; otherwise, the host will be angry.
27. When parents are still alive, no matter how old their children or grandchildren are, they should not invite guests to celebrate their birthdays; otherwise, it is called unfilial piety.
28. Avoid calling others names or giving others nicknames; otherwise it is extremely impolite.
29. Women should avoid combing their hair at night. There is a saying that goes like "combing your hair all night and worrying for a hundred days".
30. When you get up in the morning, it is taboo to talk about ghosts, snakes, tigers and other unlucky words; otherwise, it is believed that something unlucky will happen that day.
31. Girls should not eat test flowers (the first fruits of fruit trees); otherwise, it is said that if they eat test flowers, they will not be able to have children when they grow up.
32. Girls should avoid eating Xiahe eggs and double-yolked eggs; otherwise, dystocia will occur when they grow up.
33. Children under seven years old should avoid eating widowed eggs (eggs that cannot hatch chicks); otherwise, they will become widowed (that is, infertile) when they grow up.
34. Children under seven years old should not eat chicken feet; otherwise, when they grow up, reading and writing will be like scratching chicken feet to pieces.
35. Children under seven years old should not eat chicken belly (called Ji Qingzi in local dialect); otherwise, they will develop chipped skin (cleft lip) when they grow up.
36. Children under the age of seven should not drink chicken or duck blood; otherwise, when reading and writing in the future, the ink will have to soak into the paper.
37. If you are under seven years old, you should not eat bahe (wild lily) before losing your baby teeth; otherwise, the teeth that will grow when you grow up will be dead teeth.
38. Children should not catch unfeathered bird chicks; otherwise, their hands will tremble when they grow up and write.
39. Avoid using hens to worship gods. Legend has it that hens are used to worship gods. If the gods want to blame, there will be disaster stars.
40. Regardless of weddings or weddings, if the time has passed, avoid making up for the gifts; otherwise, both parties will be disadvantaged.
41. When simmering traditional Chinese medicine, avoid filling the pot with water. It is said that filling it with water is unlucky.
42. Avoid shaving children’s heads on the seventh day of the lunar calendar; otherwise, sores and blisters will occur on the head.
43. Do not kill Yangque (cuckoo) in rural areas. Legend has it that the cuckoo is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sent it to the world to announce spring. If one is killed, the Jade Emperor becomes angry and the cuckoo will not come to this place again for at least three years.
44. In rural residences, cattle pens are not allowed in front of the house and warehouses are not allowed behind the house. There are sayings like "Be afraid of the cowshed in front of the house and fear of the warehouse behind the house", and "the cowshed in front of the door is unlucky, and the warehouse behind the house is unlucky".
45. If the clothes are torn or the buttons have fallen off, do not wear them and sew them or fasten the buttons. There is a saying that "if you dress evenly, you will be disliked by others".
46. Avoid stepping on cow dung with bare feet; otherwise, your feet will develop acne or chapped feet.
47. Avoid seeing snakes mating with each other; otherwise, people who see snakes mating with each other will get seriously ill or die. It is said that people who see snakes mating with each other should quickly take off their pants and shout "Snakes are mating with each other, I will take off my pants". Only by doing this will you be protected from sickness and death.
48. For rural vertical wooden houses, you can only shout "rise" or "send". Avoid shouting "fall", "broken", "inclined" or "grind" and other unlucky words. language; otherwise the owner will be angry.
49. Carpenters should avoid people stepping on wooden horses, and stone masons should not allow people to step on rock bars (thousand catty bars); otherwise, they will tarnish the ancestors and the craftsmen will lose their time.
50. When a beggar comes to ask for rice, avoid pouring all the rice in the container to him. Always leave a little; otherwise, you will throw out your wealth and be poor.
51. When walking home at night with a pole and a fire, avoid bringing the fire into the house; otherwise, bringing the fire into the house will bring in broken souls and wild ghosts, and the home will be in trouble. It will not go smoothly (unfavorable in doing things).
52. When returning home from outside at night, avoid entering the house directly. Usually you have to go to the Tutu Temple and the toilet. Legend has it that if you do this, you will throw away the injured souls and wild ghosts, and they will not dare to follow you into the house.
53. Avoid burning cut nails; otherwise, the newly grown nails will be soft and as gray (onychomycosis).
54. Avoid burning straw used for beds. Bed grass is burned only after death. Burning the bed straw of a living person is equivalent to burning the body of the bed owner, which is unlucky.
55. People who see dead bodies should avoid looking at babies under one month old. If you see a baby, the baby will turn yellow if it does not feed. Commonly known as "seeing the disease", it is necessary to "resolve the disease" to avoid the disease.
56. Children should not eat half-cooked glutinous rice cakes, otherwise they will develop blisters.
2. Production taboos
(1) During the sowing period, it is taboo to sow seeds if there are dead bodies on them; if you see dead bodies, you are not allowed to see the seeds that day, and they must be seen overnight. Otherwise, it will affect the germination and growth of the seeds (low germination rate and poor growth).
(2) People who see dead bodies should avoid seeing silkworms. Otherwise, the silkworms will not eat the mulberries and will turn yellow. Commonly known as "seeing the disease", it needs to be "resolved".
(3) It is taboo to plow the endless seedlings without pulling them out. According to legend, if you turn the plow without pulling out the seedlings, you are not caring for the crops, and you will offend the god of thunder, and you may even be struck by lightning.
(4) When transplanting rice seedlings, avoid two people holding each other hand in hand. Otherwise, "seedling damage" will occur, and the wrists and backs of hands will become swollen and painful.
(5) In the countryside, on every "Five Day" after the beginning of spring and on the 20th day of the first lunar month, it is forbidden to move soil, carry water, sweep the floor, or use needlework. Folks call it "Ji Wu" and "Ji Wind and Rain". It is said that if you do not avoid Wu or wind and rain, you will offend the "Earth God" and the "Earth God" will lose his temper. If one household fails to keep taboos, its fields will collapse; if one household fails to keep taboos, it will suffer from natural disasters and floods.
(6) Avoid digging and disturbing the earth during the Jingzhe Festival; otherwise, snakes will be dug up.
(7) Avoid sitting on the leaves of "Wu Li Zi" (Wu Bai) to rest. It is said that if you sit on a pillow, you will suffer from stomachache or diarrhea.
(8) It is forbidden to wear raincoat into the main house in rural areas; otherwise, caterpillars from the mountains will crawl into the house and the bacon will be infested with worms.
(9) When going up the mountain to cut firewood, avoid cutting paulownia trees. It is said that if Paulownia is used as firewood, future generations will be deaf. Do not burn palm trees; otherwise, future generations will have hairy people. Do not burn palm trees as firewood; otherwise, future generations will drool.
(10) Avoid cutting bamboo on rainy days; otherwise, the bamboo will rot and become extinct.
(11) Don’t buy five-clawed pigs when raising pigs. It is said that the five-clawed pigs were transformed from humans, and the masses are unwilling to feed them, butchers are afraid to kill them, and consumers are unwilling to buy them. If they are fattened and killed, the meat will be yellowish, which is not only unpalatable, but will also make you sick if you eat it.
(12) It is unlucky for domestic cattle and horses to bray at night. It is commonly known as "the cow needs to leave the stall when it barks, and the horse needs to leave the saddle when it barks". Legend has it that the braying of cows and horses at night is a harbinger of misfortune.
(13) Sows should not give birth to two cubs, and bitches should not give birth to one cub. As the saying goes, "Two pigs and one dog will either die or leave." In this case, newly born piglets and dog puppies should be thrown to death to avoid disaster.
(14) Domestic hens should not crow like roosters. As the saying goes: "A hen that crows like a rooster is bound to be in trouble." If this happens, the hen must be immediately placed on the threshold, its head cut off with a knife, and stuck on a stick at the intersection. , in order to resolve.
(15) It is taboo among the people for scalpers to enter other people’s houses. Legend has it that if scalpers enter the house, they will tarnish the dragon god and everything will go wrong. If this happens, and the relationship with the neighbors is good, then cut off a section of the ox's tail and drop the blood on the threshold. If the relationship with the neighbors is not good, then the owner of the cattle will have to buy a piece of red cloth, incense paper, a knife head, and a ring. Set off firecrackers to thank the Dragon God (but it will bring good luck if the buffalo enters the house).
(16) When you see a cow being killed, avoid putting your hands in front of your chest. You must put your hands behind your back. Legend has it that an ox has done meritorious service by plowing fields for people. After it is killed, its ghost goes to the underworld. The King of Hell will ask it, "You have worked hard for people and you have done meritorious service. Why is there no one to save you?" Niu Hui replied that there were many people watching, but no one came to save him. The king of hell sent an imp to investigate and find out if the person who killed the cow was guilty. If you look at the person who killed the cow and cut his hands behind his back, the cow will reply to the King of Hell. Although there are many people watching, but with his hands tied behind his back and unable to save him, the person who looks at the killer of the cow is not guilty.
(17) Do not put a cow's butt on a person's neck; otherwise, that person will suffer from cow's bum sores.
3. Marriage taboos
(1) When the bride enters the house, the whole family of the groom must avoid it. It is taboo to meet the bride. They must wait for the bride to see the "light" and drink a glass of wine. Only then can we meet. Otherwise, there will be disharmony between the bride and the groom’s family in the future.
(2) It is taboo for men and women with the same surname to fall in love and get married. People think that marriage between a man and a woman with the same surname is a "return to the incense burner bowl" and will be severely punished by clan rules.
(3) When a man and a woman are engaged, it is taboo to encounter casualties. It is taboo to break bowls and cups at a banquet. It is believed that the occurrence of the above things is a sign of the breakdown of the relationship between husband and wife in the future.
(4) A married daughter should not sleep with her husband in her natal home; otherwise, the house will be damaged and her pulse will be ruined.
(5) When celebrating a married woman, only firecrackers can be set off, and no cannons can be used; otherwise, it will be an insult to the woman and the family will be angry (cannons are only used at funerals in rural areas).
(6) When hosting a wedding banquet, avoid chicken heads; otherwise, it will be an insult to the woman, and she will be angry when sending relatives and guests away.
(7) On the night when the bride and groom return to their natal home for the first time, a person with a boy should be arranged to sleep on the bed of the bride and groom in the new house. It is forbidden to leave the room empty; otherwise, it is unlucky.
(8) When the bride comes to the groom’s house after getting married, she should ask her husband to go back to the place of worship to burn incense paper. The wind will not blow it away, and the remaining residue must be covered with gravel; otherwise, the marriage will not be strong in the future. .
(9) It is taboo for the bride to meet the dead person when she is getting married or on her way home. If you encounter one, you must take a detour, otherwise it will be unlucky.
(10) When a daughter gets married, her brother should carry her out of the house. It is forbidden for the daughter to walk from door to door; otherwise, her family’s wealth and wealth will be swept away, and her family will become poor.
(11) When a daughter gets married, she should not be accompanied by her parents. It is said that parents sending their daughters away will send them into the abyss of disaster.
(12) When getting married, it is forbidden for "four-eyed people" (pregnant women) to touch the bride and groom's belongings; otherwise, there will be disharmony between husband and wife.
(13) When gathering a bride to marry a daughter, avoid using a childless, remarried or single person to be the official guest, to marry the mother-in-law, and to carry the sedan chair; otherwise it is unlucky.
(14) At the wedding banquet, avoid serving pig blood as a dish or sipping sweet wine as a supper; otherwise, it will be a mockery of the woman's undecent style, and the guests will be angry.
(15) When marrying a girl, avoid taking things used by her with you; otherwise, you will take away your natal family’s clothing and salary, which will make your natal family poor.
(16) Unmarried young men and women should avoid eating pig forks; otherwise, when looking for a partner, someone will give them a spoon.
(17) Avoid lending your house to others for marriage. As the saying goes, "It is better to borrow a house to stop the funeral than to borrow a house as a couple." It is said that if you lend a house to someone else to get married, you have to bear the time.
(18) Newlyweds should avoid burning incense; otherwise, the couple will not be able to grow old together.
4. Etiquette taboos
(1) When going out to be guests, it is forbidden for father and son to arrange for the same table to have dinner; otherwise, it will be rude to the guests. During weddings and weddings, it is forbidden for the host to arrange for male and female guests to dine at the same table; otherwise, it is called breaking the rules and is unseemly.
(2) When everyone goes out together, they must respect the elders and guests and walk in front, and avoid younger people rushing first; otherwise, it is called impolite.
(3) When visitors kill chickens or ducks, they must advise the guests and elders to eat them head and tail; otherwise, it is rude to the elders and guests.
(4) When inviting guests to have a meal, the upper and lower seats must be given to the guests and elders, and others should not compete for seats; otherwise, it is called rude.
(5) At the banquet, the spout of the wine sifting pot should only be pointed at yourself and not at other people; otherwise everyone will be angry.
(6) Dog meat is not allowed to be served on the banquet in rural areas, because dogs are disgusting. If dogs are served on the banquet, the gods will be offended. As the saying goes, "beat the dog and break up the party", that is, if dog meat is served, everyone will break up.
(7) If there is a patient at home, after asking a wizard to exorcise evil spirits, no strangers should be allowed to enter the patient's home within 3 to 7 days; otherwise, the patient will "relapse" (i.e., the condition will relapse).
5. Holiday taboos
(1) On the first day of the first lunar month, avoid using a torch to blow fire; otherwise, it will blow away a year's wealth.
(2) On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month and the first day of the lunar month, it is forbidden for daughters to use scissors; otherwise, if they marry into their husband's family, they will often quarrel and get scolded.
(3) Do not take out garbage on the first day of the first lunar month; otherwise, you will lose a year's wealth.
(4) Avoid cutting off fire on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month. It is said that if the fire is cut off, it is a bad omen.
(5) Avoid taking a bath in the soup when eating New Year’s dinner or silly (community) meal. According to legend, take a bath. During spring plowing and production, heavy rains often occur, causing flooding, collapsing fields, and bringing disasters to people.
(6) On the first day of the first lunar month, avoid carrying water, pouring water outside, sweeping the floor, and saying any unlucky words. Legend has it that carrying and pouring water in the first month will bring unlucky harvests; sweeping the floor will sweep away wealth and happiness in the home; speaking unlucky words will bring bad luck throughout the year.
(7) From the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, debt collection is prohibited. Legend has it that this period is auspicious and everyone should enjoy it. As the saying goes, "a beggar has thirty nights." Creditors can only collect debts before the thirtieth night. If they go to collect debts on the New Year, God will punish the debt collectors.
(8) Avoid saying unlucky words on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. There is a saying in rural areas that "the tail of the twelfth lunar month is taboo and the head of the first lunar month is taboo".
6. Fertility taboos
(1) If there is a pregnant woman at home, it is forbidden to break ground or move heavy objects around the house; otherwise, it will shock the fetal spirit and cause miscarriage.
(2) If there is a pregnant woman at home and someone calls at night, do not agree immediately. If you hear an acquaintance shouting, you can only let the man go quietly and say hello after finding out. Legend has it that the ghost in childbirth (also called the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth) has turned into a human and is looking for a substitute. If you agree, the pregnant woman will be in bad luck.
(3) A married woman should not go back to her natal family to give birth to a child; otherwise, her natal family will have bad luck.
(4) Women who have given birth to a child during confinement should avoid being sad and crying. It is said that women who vomit during confinement will suffer from red eyes and head pain when they get older.
(5) It is taboo for women to walk through the central hall before giving birth to a child, and it is even more taboo to enter other people's homes. Once a woman who has been in confinement for less than forty days enters someone else's room, she is considered an empty body and her family is in trouble. People will ask her family to invite a priest to sacrifice to the dragon god; or she will lead a buffalo and tie a red cloth around its horns. Clean the hall.
(6) The mother has given birth to a child under one month old. It is forbidden for anyone to wear straw sandals and enter the maternity room; otherwise, the milk will be trampled dry and the child will be starved of milk.
(7) Pregnant women should not touch or hold other people’s children; otherwise they will wrap up other people’s children and the children will get sick.
(8) Pregnant women should not touch the groom’s or bride’s betrothal gifts or clothes with their hands; otherwise, they will become pregnant.
(9) Women should avoid moving during this period after becoming pregnant. Legend has it that moving will offend the womb god and will result in punishment.
(10) Pregnant women are not allowed to visit other people’s homes when they are giving birth to piglets or hatching chickens. If pregnant women look at it, there will be problems in the future, or piglets will not be born, or there will be too many chickens to hatch.
(11) Where pregnant women are drying their clothes, it is forbidden for children to walk underneath, and it is even more forbidden for pregnant women to step over their children's heads or clothes; otherwise, the children will get sick while carrying them.
(12) Pregnant women should not give birth to their children in other people’s homes. Pregnant women should not go out when giving birth is approaching. Legend has it that if a child is born in a foreigner's home, that family will suffer a bloody disaster.
(13) Avoid breaking ground, firing cannons, or setting off firecrackers around pregnant women; otherwise, the fetus in the belly will be frightened. Commonly known as "fetal shock".
(14) Pregnant women should avoid causing trouble and getting angry. It is said that if a pregnant woman is angry, the child she gives birth to will be irritable, cry and make a fuss, and may easily suffer from hernia disease.
(15) Pregnant women should not cross the cables of gondolas and the ropes used to lead cattle; otherwise, it will prolong the delivery time (i.e. dystocia).
7. Sexual intercourse taboos
(1) Sexual intercourse is prohibited before and after traveling far away. A person who walks a hundred miles after having sex will get sick, and a person who walks a hundred miles after having sex will die.
(2) Sexual intercourse is prohibited within 100 days after delivery. If sexual intercourse is performed by force, the woman will fall ill; if sexual intercourse is performed within ten days after delivery, the woman will die.
(3) Women should avoid having sex when they are menstruating, otherwise they will develop hematasthesia (commonly known as yin disease), which affects both men and women.
(4) Avoid having sex after being drunk or after eating; otherwise, the five internal organs will be repeated, which will damage the essence and Qi.
(5) Do not have sex on an empty stomach; otherwise, your vitality will be greatly damaged.
(6) Avoid sexual intercourse after illness; otherwise the condition will relapse. And it becomes more difficult to treat.
(7) Women should not have sexual intercourse after pregnancy. Firstly, it is a practice of respecting the fetus, and there is no risk of attachment of the fetus, and children may suffer from fetal poisoning, danger, ambulation, fetal tooth malnutrition and other diseases; secondly, it is due to When you give birth to a son, the man must be strict in the square palace, and the woman must be chaste, quiet, and demure. Naturally, she will not commit adultery when she grows up.
(8) Avoid waving a fan or drinking cold tea immediately after having sex; otherwise you will get sick.
(9) Avoid sexual intercourse after being overworked, overheated, overly worried, or overly frightened. Otherwise, the mild cases will become chronic diseases, and the severe cases will die.
(10) It is forbidden to have sexual intercourse on days of strong thunder, strong wind, strong cold, strong heat, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, in front of gods, behind coffins, on days of worshiping gods, or on days of sacrifice.
(11) After a parent dies of illness and has not yet been buried, the couple should not have sex; otherwise it will be unfilial.
(12) Couples should avoid having sex when they go out to other people’s homes; otherwise, it will ruin other people’s homes.
(13) Young men and women who are not officially married should avoid having sex; otherwise the woman’s family will be angry and cause trouble.
8. Funeral Taboos
(1) Within three months after the death of a parent, the son should not shave his head; otherwise it would be unfilial.
(2) After the barber (barber) dies, it is forbidden to be buried in the ancestral grave; otherwise it will affect the feng shui.
(3) People who died unofficially, such as those who died in rivers, hanged themselves, died in childbirth, or were shot, are not allowed to enter the ancestral tombs; people who have no heirs (childless) are also not allowed to be buried in the ancestral tombs after their death. .
(4) After the death of a child under the age of twelve (the age of twelve), children should not be buried in ancestral graves.
(5) On the 30th night of the year (New Year's Eve) when your parents died of illness, when relatives, friends or married women came to pay homage to the spirit, you could only burn incense and mourn in silence, and avoid crying loudly.
(6) When a person dies and is buried, avoid committing heavy mourning. It is said that if there is a heavy mourning, someone will die in the family.
(7) After a person dies, he must be buried in the morning and in the afternoon; otherwise it will be disadvantageous.
(8) If a person dies outside due to illness or other accidents, avoid carrying the body of the deceased into your home. You must build a shed and park it outside; otherwise it will be disadvantageous.
(9) When a person dies of illness and goes to report that relatives and friends have come to attend the funeral, one can only say that such and such an old man has ascended to heaven or has passed away, but avoid saying that so and so is dead.
(10) If a married daughter dies of illness, she can only be buried in the man's ancestral tomb, and not in the woman's ancestral tomb; otherwise, the woman's family will be angry.
(11) Old parents should not hang mosquito nets before they die. Any mosquito nets must be removed. Legend has it that if an old man dies under a mosquito net, his ghost will suffer in the dragnet and be unable to be reincarnated.
(12) After the death of old parents, dogs and cats are not allowed to enter the mourning hall. Legend has it that if a dog or cat enters the mourning hall, the dead will crawl out, and the descendants will be guilty. Avoid pinching or touching the nose of the deceased, otherwise lice will crawl in the nose.
(13) After a person dies and enters the coffin, avoid closing the coffin lid firmly. Always tilt the coffin lid, leaving a small gap. Legend has it that it was to prevent false deaths and delay things.
(14) After the death of parents, filial daughters who are pregnant should not take the clothes, shoes, handkerchiefs and other items worn by the deceased during his lifetime; they should not drop tears on the deceased when mourning.
(15) During the Spring Festival in the first three years after the death of an elder, it is forbidden to post red couplets at home, to sweep away the sun, and to avoid outsiders coming to the house to engage in recreational activities.
(16) If the ancestral grave is not solid, you can only step on it with your feet and avoid hitting it with a hoe; otherwise, the buffalo will gouge the grave with its horns.
(17) When digging a well (grave) after death, if you encounter rocks, avoid blasting the rocks with cannons. You can only dig with hoes and axes; otherwise, the dragon veins will be blown up.
(18) When sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors during the Qingming Festival, avoid using bacon as offerings. Legend has it that if you use bacon as an offering to worship your ancestors, your descendants will have sunspots.
(19) Avoid planting pear trees next to ancestral graves; otherwise, your grandson will be blind.
9. Other taboos
(1) Do not crow before the rooster crows at night. If the rooster crows early, it indicates that there will be other problems in the house. As the saying goes: "The first watch is for thieves, the second watch is for fire, and the third watch is for robbers." This rooster must be killed to eliminate disasters.
(2) Avoid whistling at home at night; otherwise, ghosts and ghosts will be introduced into the home, causing disaster to the family.
(3) Children should not point their fingers at the moon; otherwise, Father Moon will have his ears cut off, and he will suffer from ear diseases in the future.
(4) When someone walks to the most dangerous place or near a well, avoid calling his name; otherwise, cave gods and ghosts will draw away his soul.
(5) Avoid speaking unlucky words in the New Year. For example, if someone's surname is Shi and someone's surname is Wu, they cannot call them Boss Shi (the same pronunciation for Shi and death) or Boss Wu (the same pronunciation for Wu and Wu). They should call them Boss He (homophone for He and Live) or Boss Fu; otherwise they will Be angry.
(6) When someone else is building a pigsty, if you come to his house for something, and the owner brings you cigarettes, pours you tea, or asks you to eat, you must drink it and avoid talking about it; otherwise, the owner will think In the future, the pig will get plague and will be angry with you.
(7) When a carpenter is making a pigsty for others, he should be in it. After finishing the work, he should rest in it for a while before coming out; otherwise, the owner will think that the pig will not be contained in the future.
(8) After the sun comes out, avoid driving nails toward the sun; otherwise, you will blindly follow your eyes.
(9) Avoid picking up fish on the slopes and chickens in the water. Legend has it that when fish come to the mountains and chickens go into the water, it is an ominous sign. If you pick it up, you will either get sick or lose money.
(10) If the wood in farmers’ pig pens or sheep pens is rotten, do not use it as firewood. If you burn the wood of sheep pens and pig pens, future generations will suffer from sheep epilepsy and pig fever.
(11) Carpenters can only dig out the wood residue from the pig and cattle pens with their hands; otherwise, the pigs and cattle they raise will be penned overnight until dawn.
(12) Women should avoid sitting on Grinding Rock. Legend has it that if you sit down, you will be born a monster without a butt.
(13) Women who have remarried should avoid attending wedding events or touching dowries; otherwise, it will be unlucky for the newlyweds.
(14) It is forbidden to use tung oil to light lamps on shrines. The legend comes from "Mu Lian saved his mother from hell". The tung tree blocked the way, so it was sealed and could never go to the shrine.
(15) Don’t be the first to meet women, nuns, wizards, etc. when you go out in the morning; otherwise it will be unlucky, especially for businessmen.
(16) When going up the mountain to collect medicine for patients, avoid meeting people with hoes, rakes and dustpans; otherwise, there will be no savior for the patients.
(17) If you go out to seek wealth, avoid traveling on the fifth, fourteenth and twenty-third of each month. It is said that these days are the anniversary of the death of the moon, which is unlucky.
(18) Avoid pointing at the fruits with your fingers, otherwise the fruits will not mature. At the same time, it is also forbidden for children to point at the moon, Bodhisattva and the elderly. Pointing at the elderly is disrespectful to the elderly; pointing at the moon, the moon will cut off the ears; pointing at the Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva will cause trouble.
10. Twelve taboo uses of chopsticks
Chinese people have been using chopsticks for meals since ancient times, and they were also called "箸" in ancient times. The use of chopsticks in daily life is very particular. Generally, when we use chopsticks, the correct way to use them is to hold the chopsticks with your right hand, pinch the upper end of the chopsticks with your thumb and index finger, and hold the chopsticks with the other three fingers naturally bent, and the two ends of the chopsticks must be aligned. During use, the chopsticks must be placed neatly on the right side of the rice bowl before eating, and they must be placed neatly vertically in the center of the rice bowl after eating. But the following twelve ways of using chopsticks are absolutely taboo.
(1) Three long and two short
This means that before or during the meal, the chopsticks are placed on the table with uneven lengths. This approach is very unlucky, and we usually call it "three longs and two shorts". It means "death". Because the Chinese used to believe that people should be put into coffins after death. Before the coffin lid was put on, the coffin consisted of two short wooden boards at the front and back, and three long wooden boards at the sides and bottom. The five wooden boards put together made the coffin exactly three long and two short, so it was extremely unfair. An auspicious thing.
(2) Immortals guide the way
This approach is also extremely unacceptable. This way of holding chopsticks is to hold the chopsticks with your thumb, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, while extending your index finger. This is called "swearing on the street" in other people's eyes. Because when eating, he stretches out his index finger and always points at others.
Therefore, pointing fingers when using chopsticks is tantamount to blaming others. It is the same as swearing and is not allowed. Another situation that also has this meaning is talking to others while eating and pointing at them with chopsticks.
(3) Sipping and leaving a sound
This method is also not acceptable. The method is to hold one end of the chopsticks in your mouth, suck it back and forth with your mouth, and make a sound from time to time. Hissing sound. This behavior is considered despicable. Because sucking chopsticks with your mouth while eating is a rude behavior in itself, and coupled with the sound, it is even more annoying. Therefore, this kind of practice will generally be considered as a lack of tutoring, and it is also not allowed.
(4) Banging the lamp and the cup
This behavior is regarded as a beggar asking for food. The method is to use chopsticks to knock the plate and bowl while eating. Because in the past, only beggars hit the begging bowl with chopsticks, and the sound they made coupled with the pleas from their mouths attracted the attention of passers-by and gave them alms. This practice is considered extremely despicable and is looked down upon by others.
(5) Patrolling the city with chopsticks
This method is to hold the chopsticks in your hand as if there is no one else around, and use the chopsticks to search back and forth among the dishes on the table. You don’t know where to start. Where is the best place to put down your chopsticks? This kind of behavior is a typical manifestation of lack of self-cultivation, is arrogant and extremely disgusting.
(6) Obsessed with digging into graves
This refers to holding chopsticks in the hands and digging around in the dishes in order to find prey, just like grave robbers and digging into graves. . This approach is similar to "obsessed patrolling the city", both of which are uneducated and annoying.
(7) Tears left behind
In fact, this is when you use chopsticks to pick up vegetables on your plate, your hands are not steady, and the vegetable soup spills onto other dishes or onto the table. superior. This practice is considered a serious disrespect and is also undesirable.
(8) Turning things upside down
This means using chopsticks upside down when eating. This kind of practice is very looked down upon by people. It is said that people are hungry and do not choose food, so that they turn their chopsticks over without caring about their face. This is absolutely not allowed.
(9) Dinghai Shenzhen
It is not allowed to use a chopstick to insert the dishes on the plate when eating. This is considered humiliating to those dining at the same table. Doing this while eating is equivalent to extending your middle finger to people in public in Europe, which is also unacceptable.
(10) Offering incense in public
It is often out of good intentions that when helping others to serve rice, in order to save trouble, a pair of chopsticks are inserted into the rice and handed to them. It would be considered disrespectful, because the Miao tradition is to do this only when offering incense to others. If you insert a pair of chopsticks into the rice, it is regarded as offering incense to the dead. Therefore, it is never acceptable to stick chopsticks in the bowl.
(11) Crossing the Cross
This is often not noticed by people. When eating, the chopsticks are casually crossed on the table. This is wrong. It is considered by the Miao people to put a fork on the dinner table, and it is a complete denial of other people at the same table. Just like a student who made a mistake in his homework and was marked with a cross in his notebook by the teacher, it cannot be accepted by others. In addition, this approach is also disrespectful to oneself, because in the past, people only used forks when facing lawsuits and drawing confessions. This is undoubtedly denying oneself, which is also unacceptable.
(12) Falling to the ground with shock
The so-called "falling to the ground with shock" means accidentally dropping the chopsticks on the ground, which is a sign of serious disrespect. Because the Miao people believe that their ancestors all sleep underground and should not be disturbed. If the chopsticks fall to the ground, it is equivalent to alarming the ancestors underground. This is a great act of unfilial piety, so this behavior is not allowed. But there is a way to break this. Once the chopsticks fall to the ground, you should quickly use the chopsticks to make a cross on the ground according to the direction you are sitting. Its direction is east-west first and then north-south. It means that I am not a thing and should not disturb my ancestors. Then I picked up the chopsticks and said at the same time that I deserved to die.