Chinese folk customs: why can not cut hair in the new month

Why can not cut hair in the first month, the folk have the following two explanations: one is the first month of shaving - "thinking of the old", the second is the first month of shaving - "thinking of uncle".

The first explanation, the old folklore taboos are very much, "the first month is not allowed to shave the head," that is, as an example. The first month of the summer calendar, let the boy hair grow wild, but can not be violated in the slightest, otherwise the uncle is not favorable. "Shave your head in the first month and die uncle." How scary a responsibility, uncle's safety all depends on the nephew's head thing. Until the second day of the second month of the summer calendar, the boy had the freedom to shave his head.

The second explanation, rumor has it that a long time ago, there was a poor barber who loved his uncle very much. However, in the first month, the barber was worried about not having money to buy a decent gift for his uncle. When the day of the wedding arrived, the barber had a bright idea and came to his uncle's house with a shaving pick to carefully shave his uncle's head and face. When the uncle appeared in front of the banquet, friends and relatives all praise the barber's skill, said the uncle looks young and spirit of a lot.

The uncle was very happy, said this is the best New Year's gift to him, but also agreed to the first month of each year to give him a haircut, to see if the craft has new growth. Years later, the uncle died. Every first month, the barber to the shaving pick tears, he can no longer to uncle filial piety and sadness ......

The story was originally told on the first month of shaving think uncle, I do not know when to blackmail, 'think' into a 'dead', a word difference, the harmonic "dead uncle" so that many people do not dare to cut hair in the first month!