What does the lucky cat stand for when it raises its left and right hands?

Lucky cats raise their left and right hands to represent good luck and fortune respectively.

Lucky cats originated in China more than 65,438+0,000 years ago, and others originated in Japan. They are common cat-shaped idols in Japanese traditional culture and are regarded as auspicious mascots. Their history can be traced back to the Edo era more than 400 years ago.

Since the Edo period, the custom of keeping cats has become popular in Japan. In the Japanese consciousness, cats are regarded as cute, intelligent, virtuous and a little cunning, full of mystery and spiritual strength. In addition, cats can protect food from mice, so the legend based on cats gradually spread.

At the same time, with the popularity of raising cats, the legends about cats have further developed various far-fetched statements. The mythical cat was endowed with incredible abilities, and gradually evolved into the embodiment of the miser and the God of Wealth, so the image of the lucky cat was outlined and became a token of good fortune and peace among the Japanese people.

Functional origin

Regarding the origin of the cat's lucky function, the Tang Dynasty wrote in Youyang Za that "the image of a lucky cat comes alive when the cat washes its face and ears; What is certain is that this custom existed among the people in China at least 1000 years ago in the Tang Dynasty.

In 20 14, the statue of "Lucky Cat" was found in the grottoes of the Southern and Northern Dynasties in Qishan, Shaanxi, more than 600 years ago, which further promoted the origin of Lucky Cat.

This cat-shaped stone carving is similar to the shape of a "lucky cat"-this cat not only has uneven eyes, a fat body and a long upturned tail, but also presents a squatting posture, with one front paw lying on the ground and the other paw seemingly waving to people. "This shows that cats already existed in daily life at that time."