All kinds of conservation customs in Shandong reflect people's good wishes to have children and have their children grow up healthily, with a strong belief color and different degrees of male superiority and female inferiority. With the changes of history, the development of the times, the progress of science and the renewal of ideas, many traditional fertility customs have largely disappeared or mutated. At the same time, new customs are emerging, and people still attach importance to the birth and growth of new life.
This article will be published in several phases, so please pay attention to the collection for the convenience of coherent reading and appreciation.
1. Praying for pregnancy and seeking children
The importance of fertility to society, families, families and individuals makes it a common desire for people to have children. Traditional Shandong people believe that "having children early will benefit early". There is a saying in Shandong that "the daughter-in-law was a child in those days, but she didn't wait for three years". Therefore, families who have not given birth for three years often adopt some established methods to pray for pregnancy. Generally speaking, the custom of praying for children is far more than that of praying for women.
(1) Pray for pregnancy and children before marriage
In traditional society, the content of praying for children is often included at the beginning of mate selection. The man will find a fortune teller to figure out what the woman's fate is. If the fate of the two is not harmonious, it is not conducive to the reproduction of future generations, and the marriage will end in failure. In Gaofang Village, Juye County, Heze City, before the 198s, in the engagement ceremony, the man would give the woman some children's clothes in order to have children as soon as possible.
The psychology of praying for pregnancy and having children is reflected by preparing wedding supplies. Brides who travel all over Shandong often put a certain amount of red dates, chestnuts, lotus seeds, longan, dyed red peanuts and other things in their dowry, which means that early (jujube) has a son (chestnut), even (lotus seeds) has a son (peanut), and it is necessary to have both children and flowers. In Fajiayuan Village, Huangdao District, Qingdao, dates and chestnuts are sewn in the quilt. When putting these things, the old people will sing some songs, such as "a handful of chestnuts and two handfuls of dates, and the girl and boy run home". Jujube and chestnut stand for "early fruiting". In Huantai, Zibo, men usually put a little cotton seed in the four corners of the quilt, which means "every generation has a son". The woman's family also asked women with both children to help sew "quilts", and put some red dates, peanuts, money, chestnuts and other things in the four corners to mean "early birth." In Changyi area of Weifang, dates, chestnuts, peanuts and other things are also sewn into the quilt. In the Wulian area of Rizhao, the bride's family nailed strings of dates, chestnuts and peanuts dyed red to the four corners of the dowry bedding. In Yishui, Linyi, men sewed a certain number of quilts a few months before marriage, and also decorated chestnuts and red shelled peanuts at four corners.
In Jinan area, the bride's family put dates, chestnuts, peanuts, a pair of sesame stalks and a pair of bean stalks in the box accompanied by her daughter when she got married. The dates, chestnuts and peanuts mean early fruiting, and boys and girls are in full bloom. Sesame stalks and bean stalks mean "put a pair of sesame (bean) stalks on it and have a baby so that you can be an official." The embroidered quilt and embroidered pillow in the dowry, in addition to embroidered Yuanyang playing in the water, but also embroidered lotus leaves, symbolizing many children in successive years; Embroidering pomegranates means having many children and grandchildren.
in Linyi area, chopsticks are indispensable in wedding supplies. Chopsticks are homophonic for "Kuaizi", which also means to have children early.
The custom of paving houses before marriage reflects the psychology of praying for pregnancy and children. In Yimeng mountain area, the person who makes the bed must be an uncle or uncle with parents, wives and children. When making the bed, sorghum stalks should be laid on the bed first, and then bean stalks, yellow grass or wheat stalks should be laid on the bed. In Tai 'an area, it is mostly aunts and sisters-in-law who make beds. In Qiancaiyuan Village, Xiaobotou Town, Wudi County, Binzhou City, in addition to laying sorghum stalks and bean stalks, green onions and Artemisia should be put on the bed. It is believed that laying sorghum stalks will make the children grow tall. "Laying pods makes a scholar"; Laying green onions makes children smart; Spread Artemisia, have a good baby and so on. In Liuyuan Village, Matou Town, Dongming County, when making the bed, a bean stalk and a fire stick should be pressed under the bed. It is believed that the head of the fire stick faces south, and a boy will be born after marriage. In Tai 'an area, dates, peanuts and chestnuts are often placed at the four corners of the bed when making the bed.
In Zichuan, Zibo, one of the groom's brothers makes the bed. The so-called "uncle makes the bed, and there are a lot of children". The bed should be covered with sorghum stubble, sesame stalk, bean stalk, etc. The song says, "Put sorghum stubble, give birth to a belt handle", "Put sesame stalk, and great officials will be born in generations" and "Put bean stalk, and great scholars will be born in generations". At that time, the bride and groom will have to fill pillows (two) together, and the elders will teach them to say such auspicious words as "one for gold, two for silver, and three for a large group of children".
In Chenjing Village, Donggucheng Town, guanxian, the night before the wedding, the in-laws and sisters-in-law would sweep the new bed with a new broom, and while sweeping their mouths, they would read a ballad: "Sweep the east, sweep the west, and the swept children would run all over the floor; There are a lot of children who are squatting in the east and squatting in the west. "
In hushan town, Rizhao, a close relative, a junior boy, rolls over the bed, and there is a ballad of "left rolling, right rolling, there will be a baby boy in the coming year". In Linyi area, there is also the habit of letting little boys roll the bed. After rolling the bed, chestnuts, dates and peanuts should be sprinkled on it, which is called "spreading the bed" or "spreading the account". This custom is popular all over Shandong.
around Yucheng, Dezhou, it is emphasized that the new bed should be put in the place of the father-in-law (if there is no father-in-law, it will be replaced by the uncle-in-law) for one night. There is a saying that "the father-in-law will crush the new house and the children will help a lot". In the suburb of Guangrao County, Dongying City, it is called "pressing the bed" to find the elder brother of the same generation to sleep in the bed for one night. As the saying goes, "Big brother presses the bed, and his children go in a row." In Liuyuan Village, Matou Town, Dongming County, it is the groom's younger brother or nephew who presses the bed, that is, let him sleep for a few nights first. If they pee on the new bed, then the first child after marriage will have a boy. In Texas, the night before the wedding, a man with grandparents and parents should be chosen to accompany the groom to sleep in a new bed to "press the bed" in order to have a baby early. Woke up the next morning, the boy who pressed the bed asked for jujube soup. When the jujube soup is served, you should use chopsticks instead of spoons. The pictures are "Zaozi" (jujube is homophonic for "Zaozi") and "Kuaizi" (chopsticks is homophonic for "Kuaizi").
In addition, in the layout of the bridal chamber, the desire to have children, especially boys, is also revealed. For example, wedding couplets such as "Red plums bear more fruits, green bamboos bear grandchildren" are posted in the wedding house; The windows should be pasted with red paper and pasted with window grilles such as "Liu Kai Bai Zi", and the interior walls of the house are also pasted with calligraphy and painting such as "Hundred Zi Tu" and "Jiqing Yu Yu".
(2) Pray for pregnancy and children in the wedding ceremony
Among the wedding ceremony customs, a considerable part is the custom of praying for pregnancy and children. In Jinan area, people who marry brides should choose "all-blessed people", that is, women with both parents, children and happy families, in order to transfer their blessings and fertility from the hands of all-blessed people to the new couple. Before the couple go out to get on the sedan chair, they use candles to "shine on the sedan chair". On the one hand, it is intended to drive away evil spirits, on the other hand, it is also intended to bring the fire to the husband's family for inoculation. In Yantai area, when the groom goes to the bride's house to celebrate the wedding, someone will bring two bowls of soup and two bowls of jiaozi that are not fully cooked. There are dates, longan and lotus seeds in the soup, which means "give birth to your son early" When eating jiaozi, someone will ask the bride if she is alive, and the bride will answer "yes". In Wenshi Village, Shewobo Town, Qixia City, a woman brought dates, peanuts, taro and other items from her family to her mother-in-law's house, and gave them to everyone after making trouble. In southern Shandong and southwestern Shandong, a married woman should be accompanied by an old hen. In addition to good luck and good luck, she also hopes that this hen will lay eggs on the same day. In Hongtun Village, Jintun Town, Jiaxiang County, a copper stove should be placed in the sedan chair where the bride is sitting, and a little charcoal fire should be filled in it, indicating that the bride brought the kindling to her husband's house to spread the seeds. In Linzi District, Zibo City, the wedding guests should secretly bring back a pair of chopsticks from the woman's house, which means "Kuaizi". There is a similar custom in Weifang area. When the man goes to the woman's house to greet his wife, the groom also takes chopsticks with him when he leaves.
In Zhanhua area, when the bride gets off the sedan chair, her feet are not allowed to touch the ground, and everyone must spread them on the ground in sacks (or sacks, mats, futons and the like). A couple walked on the sacks in front of each other, and everyone had to pass the sacks one by one. The people who spread the bags shouted, "Pass on, pass on." This custom means to carry on the family line. In Weifang area, the bride and groom should also lay some sacks on their way to the bridal chamber with red and green scarves in their hands.
In Jining, Binzhou, Zibo, Tai 'an and other places, when the bride enters the door, she must press a pair of chopsticks under the red brick on the door, which means "quick child". On the way to the courtyard, the bride was sprinkled with chestnuts, red dates, peanuts, etc., which meant "early setting".
In Rizhao, Qixia and other places, before the bride enters the bridal chamber, the housekeeper, bearers or carpenters nail a curtain on the door and sing a happy song while hanging it: "Go up to the Eight Immortals, go down to the Eight Immortals, please hang the curtain. Hanging a curtain on the top gives birth to a noble son, and hanging a curtain on the bottom gives birth to a champion. Hang your hands together, one champion and one flower. " When the bride enters the bridal chamber and crosses the dripping eaves in front of the house, she should step over, otherwise, she will "step on the dripping eaves and stay for twelve years", and it will be twelve years before she can have a baby. In Fajiayuan Village, Huangdao District, Qingdao, when newcomers enter the bridal chamber, the old people will sing a song: "Three handfuls of gold, two handfuls of silver, and there is a cornucopia at home. Sitting on the pier, holding your grandchildren ... "
In addition, the custom of" filling pillows "which is more common in Shandong also has the meaning of praying for pregnancy and having children. For example, in the suburb of Guangrao County, Dongying City, after entertaining guests, they "fill pillows", that is, they put straw on the head of empty pillowcases, and say congratulations, "Fill this head, fill that head, and support the children to be champions". In Changle, Weifang, the bride filled two pillows with new wheat straw and tied them together for the groom to carry. The bride patted and said, "Oh, good, don't cry, don't cry." Then grandpa and grandma hug each other and roll around in the new bed, which is called "rolling grandchildren"
in wenshi village, shewobo town, Qixia city, it is necessary to invite the elderly with children and grandchildren to feed the new couple noodles, which also implies that the new couple will have children and grandchildren in the future. In Wulian area of Rizhao, the groom is usually allowed to eat poached eggs and the bride eats jiaozi, which means having a boy. In Linyi area, in some places, new couples want to drink lotus seed soup, which means "to give birth to your son". In Jiazhuang Township, Cangshan County, the bride wants to eat a boiled egg in the new house. The deeper the first bite, the better. "One bite is white, and the little nephew will be held next year; Bite to the yellow, a champion lang a year. " In places like Huantai, Qingzhou and rencheng district, Jining, brides want to eat noodles that are not fully cooked, and jiaozi (called "descendants jiaozi" in Qingzhou area). When asked whether they are born or not, they answer "born" to win favor and place their hopes on having children early. In Weihai area, after drinking a toast, the bride and groom should eat a bowl of oyster and a bowl of old fish, which means "stand up" and "grow old together".
In hushan town, Rizhao, on the wedding night, my sister-in-law will carry a urinal for her sister-in-law, saying, "I will carry a urinal for my sister-in-law and have a nephew next year". In Qingzhou and Yishui, brother in law carried the urinal and said as he walked, "The couple will always be good and have a big boy in the coming year." In Linyi area, Sister-in-law sends a new basin to her sister-in-law, which is called "Aunt sends a basin and holds her nephew early". In addition, the bride's mother-in-law put a piece of tree chopping block under the bed of the new house, which means "grandma sends chopping block and has grandchildren early". In Yimeng mountain area, the bride's mother-in-law will tie two scallions together and put them under the pillow, and she must put a thorn to indicate that she will give birth to a pair of chubby babies in the future and be obedient.
In addition, the wedding ceremonies, such as opening the face and burning the bed, are also full of festive atmosphere of praying for children. In Wenshi Village, Shewobo Town, Qixia City, there is a custom of opening a face in the wedding ceremony. The local name is "wringing a face", which uses two strands of thread to modify the forehead temples. Sing a face-wringing song when you wring your face: "Red eggs, turn around, eat your favorite steamed bun this year, and eat your red eggs next year." This custom also exists in Hongshanyu Village, shanting, Zaozhuang, Shangcaizhuang Village, Chentuan Town, Donggang District, Rizhao City, and Gaofang Village, Juye County. In Fajiayuan Village, Huangdao District, Qingdao, there is a wedding instrument for burning the bed. On the wedding night, the old people will burn two more fires to make the kang warm and pray for their grandchildren early.
(3) Praying for pregnancy and having children after marriage
The custom of praying for children, which originated in marriage, has some elements of celebration and wishes, while praying for children after marriage, long-term marriage, infertility or childless girls, has a strong desire to seek heirs. In Shandong area, there are many ways to pray for pregnancy and children, among which tying dolls and pledging children are relatively common, and there are also forms such as giving up meals, begging for flowers, begging for happy eggs and offering gifts to Zhang Xian.
1. tying dolls
tying dolls, also known as "tying happiness", "tying children", "hugging children" and "knocking children", was very popular in Shandong before the founding of New China, and there are still many believers in some places. Generally, tying dolls goes to Bixia Yuanjun Temple, Doumu Palace, Wangmu Pond and other places, such as Baiyi Temple, Children's Hall, Zhangxian Temple, Grandma Temple and Land Temple. Usually, the deities are Guanyin, Grandma, Zhang Xian and the Goddess of Birth.
Bixia Yuanjun on Mount Tai is a goddess who is widely believed in giving birth. Every year, there are an endless stream of people who pray for their children and wish. Usually, the Taoist priest in the temple presides over the ceremony of praying for pregnancy and children. First, a clay doll was given to the Taoist priest on the sacred case. After praying, the Taoist priest tied a copper coin with a red line around the doll's neck. After that, take the doll and knock the bronze chime in front of God with copper coins to name the child. Pray for the child to take the doll home and hide it somewhere in the bedroom. It is said that it will soon be pregnant.
More people are tying dolls in local temples. In the past, in Dingtao area, on the third day of March or the 26th day of March in the lunar calendar, infertile women took a red rope tied with copper coins to the Songzi Grandma Temple or the local imitation mountain temple fair to pay homage to the Songzi Grandma, saying, "Comb your hair and wash your face at the temple, kneel on the ground as the center, burn incense and kowtow to the gods, and give it to my family." Then give the baby a nickname, tie the red rope in your hand to one of the many clay dolls on the grandmother's body, turn around and go back, saying while walking: "My family is better than here, and your grandmother who lives in the hall, Westinghouse is our room; When my son was born, my grandmother looked after my mother to feed her; My uncle will buy you toys and my parents will buy you clothes. " After entering the house, tie the red rope on the leg of the table, commonly known as "staying for a long time." In Heze area, after tying the doll, you have to dig a little dry soil from the clay doll. When you go home, you have to say, "Come with your mother, I will buy you a bowl of rice when you are hungry, and a bowl of porridge when you are thirsty. Don't go anywhere, go home with your mother." When you get home, you should swallow the clay doll soil and water. Most of the urban areas in Linqing are on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, while most of the rural areas go to temples to tie dolls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. On the same day, the child-praying person went to grandma's temple to beg, and then tied the clay doll's neck with a red line, saying, "Blessed boy comes with his mother, and the unlucky boy sits on the temple platform." I don't even go to my aunt's house, but come home with my mother. " After praying, wrap the clay doll in a red bag and take it home, and feed it three times a day. In the area of Texas, when people beg for children in Niangniang Temple, they must sacrifice their own toy boys to the coffin. After burning incense and praying, take advantage of people's unprepared, wrap them up and run, and you can get pregnant when you get home. But if people see it, the children sent by the goddess will be scared away, and people's wishes will not be realized. The porcelain doll you get should be locked in a hidden box until the child you give birth to gets married. In Jiaozhou area, dolls are usually tied on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the monks in the temple take them home the next day and put them in the hole on the wall of the bed, and they also need water for three meals a day.