The role of tigers in folk customs

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The role of tigers in folk customs

The Qing Dynasty literati Shu Wei "Qian Miao Zhuzhi Ci · Red Miao" poem: "Weave the class silk without donating people, transfer the bronze drum to match the mountain god, the two love lines are silent, and the vacant room tonight is to avoid Yin." (Note: Hong Miaowei In Tongren Mansion, all the clothes are made of Bansi, and the female celebrities use this as their work. Beat the bronze drum for inspiration, and the name is tuned drum. ) Yin is a tiger, who dares to violate the custom of avoiding Yin, if a couple sleeps in the same room on May Yin, the tiger will hurt them. It is the custom of avoiding Yin among the people in some places.

The White Tiger God is the patron saint of ancient Chinese Taoism and Ganyanism. It was originally the name of the ancient star official. Among the twenty-eight constellations, it is called the seven constellations in the western language because it is in the shape of a tiger. It is also one of the four gods. "Book of Rites·Qu Lishang" has the saying "former Suzaku, back Xuanwu, left green dragon, right white tiger". Most of the Tujia people believe in the god of white tigers. When the Tujia people in Hubei make sacrifices to the white tiger, the altar master will use the pig-killing people to chop off his head and bleed it, drip it on paper money, and hang it for burning. When the children of the Tujia nationality in Hunan get the foot wind disease, they often think that it is caused by the white tiger and the wizard must be asked to drive away the "white tiger." When driving away, place a chair outdoors, tie a bamboo with branches and leaves, and tie a white rooster on top. The wizard will cast the spell indoors. If the rooster croaks, the white tiger will be driven away.

Shaanxi has a child-raising custom of feeding tigers. When the child is full moon, the uncle's family will send a tiger made of yellow cloth. When entering the gate, he will break a section of the tiger's tail and throw it outside. The tiger sending cloth is to wish the child grow up to be as powerful as a tiger; to break the tiger tail is to hope that the child will be free from disasters as he grows up. The child-rearing custom of sending tiger pillows is popular all over Shanxi. Whenever the child celebrates his birthday , the uncle will give his nephew a tiger pillow or a pair of tiger pillows, which can be used as pillows or toys, as well as a blessing. ( Chinese Zodiac http:///shengxiao/ )

The marriage custom of "hanging tiger buns" is popular in Huaxian County, Shaanxi. Before the welcome, the man’s uncle’s family will steam a pair of tiger buns, which are tied with a red string for a good harvest. When the bride arrives, he will hang the tiger buns on her neck and take them off after entering the door. The bride and groom will share the food. Same date. It is worth mentioning that this bun is also divided into male and female. The male tiger bun has the word "king" on the head, which means that the man wants to be the king; the tigress bun has a pair of birds in the forehead, which means that his wife will fly with her husband. . There is also a small tiger in front of each tiger's neck, expressing the wish that the newcomer will have an early son.