There are many people in 56 ethnic groups, so the customs are also diverse. Many people always hear their elders say that they couldn't do this or that when they were young. They always feel very strange and don't understand why they did it. The following are some folk taboos I have compiled for your reference, hoping to help friends in need.
Several folk taboos 1 1, celebrating the New Year's Eve.
People in China have the custom of celebrating the Lunar New Year, which means that on New Year's Eve, families get together and stay up late to welcome the Lunar New Year. There are two meanings of observing the age. Older people regard old age as "quitting the old age", which means cherishing time. Young people keep their age in order to prolong the life of their parents. Since the Han Dynasty, the time for the alternation of the old and new years is generally at midnight. On New Year's Eve, men, women and children will be brightly lit and get together to watch the New Year. Therefore, observing the age is one of the customs of the Spring Festival.
Step 2 set off firecrackers
In ancient times, Nian was regarded as a monster, waking up on New Year's Eve every year, devouring people and animals and endangering mankind. However, I happened to find that Nian was afraid of the sound of burning dry wood, so I made firecrackers and lit them during the Chinese New Year to scare Nian away. It has become a custom to set off firecrackers slowly in the New Year. No matter whether the family is rich or poor, some firecrackers will be prepared.
Step 3 drink cold water
The living environment in ancient times was harsh. During the Spring Festival, people cut ice to get water, and there is no such thing as cold water. So they have to heat the water to drink, and now they have the custom of not drinking cold water.
4. You can't finish eating fish.
You can't eat all the fish on New Year's Eve, but you have to leave half of it, which means that you still have more than one year, placing the expectations of the general public for next year's life.
5. Don't say unlucky things.
During the Chinese New Year, you can't say bad words such as death, illness, pain and poverty. The new year is a new atmosphere. Your words may have a bad influence on others, and worst of all, it will affect others' mood. So you'd better say something blessed.
6, can't take medicine
Saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year means that taking medicine at this time will make you ill in the new year. So I will stop taking drugs on New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month.
7. Don't splash water on New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month.
Water symbolizes wealth, and splashing water is equivalent to letting go of wealth, so you will basically wait until the second day of the second day to splash dirty water.
8. Don't collect debts from others.
There is a folk saying that debt collection in the New Year will bring bad luck to both sides next year, so they will generally collect debts before the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. If the debt collection is unsuccessful, the debt will be collected later, and the debt will not be collected during the Chinese New Year.
9. Married girls can't go back to their parents' home on the first day of the month.
Folk believe that a married daughter can't go back to her parents' home on New Year's Day. If she does, she will eat the family poor, so she can only go back to her parents' house after the second day of junior high school. There is a folk proverb: "On the second day of the first month, all students are pupils, Xiao Dan." It means that on the second day of the lunar new year, the streets are full of men carrying gifts and preparing to take their wives back to their parents' homes.
Several folk taboos 2 1. There is no umbrella in the house.
Most people in China have experienced it. When I was a child, I didn't understand, so I played an umbrella indoors. They are often severely warned by the old people: "This will not bring high growth." Many friends still think so. In fact, this is a way of scaring children. The real reason is that it is feudal superstition to attract ghosts with umbrellas.
It is understood that this taboo custom originated in the ancient Ming and Qing Dynasties. Many anecdotes and romance novels describe that ghosts are afraid of the sun and have to hide under umbrellas to move. For example, there is a similar plot in Bao Qingtian. Of course, this is a folk tradition evolved from feudal superstition, which is not credible. However, from the perspective of geomantic omen, putting an open umbrella or using umbrella-shaped decorations in the house for a long time will affect the balance of yin and yang in the house and seriously affect the mood of the owner, so it is not recommended.
2. Don't shake your legs at will
I was more active when I was a child. When I sit on the edge of the bed or in a chair, I often shake my legs unconsciously, because this habit has been criticized by my parents. There is a folk saying: "Men shake the poor, women shake the base, people shake the poor, and trees shake to death". In other words, shaking your legs will shake off your blessings and wealth, and eventually you will lose everything. The consequences are quite shocking. Personally, I think there is no scientific basis for this taboo custom. Although it is not so serious, it still makes sense. In ancient China, people paid great attention to social etiquette and asked them to be polite and behave calmly and implicitly. Shaking your legs is insolent, frivolous and conceited, which is very disgusting. If a man can't even do basic manners well, he won't be blessed or rich. If a woman shakes her legs, it shows that she is ill-bred and unruly, which is even more unacceptable.
Don't sing while walking at night.
I believe that everyone has had such an experience. When you are afraid of walking at night, you can't help singing and pluck up your courage. But among the people, it is also a traditional taboo custom. One saying is that singing at night will attract ghosts to harass, which is obviously a feudal superstition. There is also a saying that walking at night without making a sound is for personal safety. In ancient China, the population was not as dense as it is now, wild animals were infested in the wild, the public security situation was not good, and bandits were everywhere. If it is not necessary, the ancients generally do not walk at night, let alone sing loudly to bring unnecessary disasters. Therefore, this taboo custom is actually a summary of the experiences and lessons in the lives of ancient ancestors.
Don't throw things out of the window.
This taboo custom has almost disappeared in modern times, but it was a very important taboo in ancient times. In ancient times, in prison, if the prisoners' families wanted to send daily necessities, they could only submit them through the prison windows and fences. Therefore, the act of handing something through the window is just like handing something to a prisoner, which indicates that the recipient will go to jail, which is very unlucky.
5. Don't plant locust trees and mulberry trees at home.
You should have heard of the idiom "pointing fingers at mulberry and cursing trees". Sophora japonica and mulberry are common trees in China. Why is it called folk taboo custom? According to folklore, there are four kinds of trees in China, namely, mulberry, locust, poplar and willow. Sang is homophonic with "mourning", so it is unlucky and easy to understand. Sophora japonica, poplar and willow are commonly used trees in ancient tombs and are not suitable for planting at home.
Several folk taboos 3 1, don't point at the moon, or you will cut your ears. Some people have tried, and their ears really hurt, and some people have broken ears.
2. jiaozi can't be counted on the solstice in winter, otherwise jiaozi will be printed on your face. Someone tried it, and the next day, little white spots would grow on his face.
If there is a newborn baby at home, people at home, especially men, should not go home late. If you come home late, you'd better stay at the door for a while and have a cigarette or something. It is said that evil things will be brought back to scare children.
If you don't pick up money on the road, you will let the god of wealth slip away.
5. Girls in love should not knit scarves for their boyfriends. Usually they will break up soon after they are sent out.
6. Hotels are actually disgusted and often encounter strange things. Never stay in the last room at the beginning and end of the corridor when staying in a hotel. The light in the bathroom must be on when you sleep at night. Sleeping in a figure of eight on the bed, or sleeping sideways, or all kinds of ugly postures, just can't lie on your side, leaving a lot of space on the bed.
7. Don't compare the size of hands between relatives.
8. No matter which party has tattooed the other party's name or love tattoo, it will definitely break up.
9. If you pass by the graves of your ancestors, you will get sick if you don't pay homage.
10, you can't talk about people during the day and ghosts at night.