What is the custom of recognizing godparents in our country?

The recognition of godparents in the north is called recognition of godparents, Jiangnan called recognition of foster parents, commonly known as worship over the room master, over the room mother. Parents believe that a child who recognizes his or her godparents will be able to borrow the blessings of others to protect him or her as he or she grows up. Godparents in general in the close friends and relatives to find, but most people like to recognize the children of people or poor people as a righteous parent, the reason is: the children of people's children like a group of small animals, easy to grow up; poor people's children are not delicate, it is easy to raise. Recognize the godfather can be more than one person, such as Anhui Shouxian recognize the godfather as many as eight people, to recognize the full eight people, eight godfather *** with cast a collar to the child hanging, it means that the child by the eight families of the blessing of the *** with the protection of the blessing.

Ordinary ceremony to recognize the godparents, as long as the child to the godparents kowtow three, change the name of godparents, godmother on the line. The rich family to choose an auspicious day, hosted a banquet, a lot of excitement. Recognize the two sides of the godparents to send each other gifts, the child's filial piety gifts often have godfather's hat, godmother's shoes, clothing, as well as ten bowls of vegetables and cakes and peach candle noodles and so on. Godparents for the child's gifts, in addition to bibs, hats and so on, there must be rice bowls, chopsticks and long life locks. Rich people more silver bowls and chopsticks, you can also go to the temple to buy wooden bowls, but never available fragile porcelain bowls, in case of being broken, that can be unlucky. Recognize the godfamily after the two families often come and go, *** with concern for the child's growth, the child therefore get more warmth, parents also enhance the emotional. This custom, although started by superstition, but has a strong human flavor, so it is very acceptable to the people.

There are also some special customs. For example, in Guizhou, it was once popular to worship those who crossed the road as godparents. The child's parents choose the auspicious day, in the roadside display of fruit, burning paper money, see the first passer-by, that is, please ask him to do the child's godfather or godmother, this person can not be refused. Some places in Jiangxi, such as children sick, to the street to find a beggar woman as a godmother, the child kneeling to worship the day, his parents on the sidelines read: worship godmother worship godmother, the future and the godmother of a kind. The beggar woman replied with the words "cheap head, cheap brain". Afterwards, the beggar woman used to feed the child with the food she had begged. Why did they recognize the beggar woman as their godmother? Originally, it was believed that the lower the life of the easier to survive, begging for a living people living in the wind and dew, but still able to survive, recognized the godmother, the child can be as godmother as the tenacity of life, will not be trapped by the disease.

Because of the level of scientific development and people's understanding of the limitations of the level of the past, people always think that the earth's life and death are determined by the gods and ghosts, therefore, the folk there are recognizing ghosts and gods as godparents. In addition, there are also worship of natural objects as the customs of godparents. Such as Xiangxi Tujia people in the child within the age of one week to send worship to the tree, rock, well, or send worship to the pig, dog, chicken, etc., and at the same time, named this, or called the rock bail, water sister, or called the pig bail, the dog, it is said that can be eliminated calamity, easy to raise a person. In fact, this custom is the legacy and transformation of nature worship in the primitive faith. Human ancestors in a long period of history on the objective world lack of understanding, and therefore extremely respectful of nature. They believed that animals and plants are spiritual, especially those in human production, life has a greater value, the relationship between the natural objects of the earth's misfortunes is even more critical. Thus, the most common animals and plants in life have become the children's protector.

The various types of recognition of godparents, are for the child to eliminate disasters and diseases, pray for blessings, reflecting the parents of the child's ardent expectations. Because of this, the custom of recognizing the godparents is widely popular in the urban and rural areas in the north and south of China.