What are the uses and meanings of ancient gourds?

Gourd is one of the most primitive mascots of the Chinese nation, and people often hang it at the door to ward off evil spirits and attract wealth. From centenarians to children, they love everything they see. Even in TV dramas, gourds should be endowed with multi-functions and mythical effects. One of the reasons is that it has an ancient origin. The branches of the gourd "vine" are homophonic, and there are many gourd seeds in every mature gourd. The Han people associate it with "generations of descendants, lush and auspicious"; Hulu homonyms "protecting Lu" and "blessing Lu", combined with their various shapes and beautiful shapes, give people a happy and peaceful aesthetic feeling without artificial carving. The ancients thought it could ward off evil spirits, pray for happiness and make future generations prosperous. The waist gourd is composed of two spheres, which symbolizes harmony and happiness, and implies mutual respect and care between husband and wife. If the relationship between husband and wife is thin, one can be placed at the bedside to strengthen the mutual affection between husband and wife and increase feelings. Gourd is also used to treat diseases, and it only needs to be hung at the end of the patient's bed or placed on the side where the patient sleeps. You can suck out the sick gas from the patient and make him get better quickly. If you are a healthy person, you can absorb the bad luck brought by people and improve your fortune. Hanging the gourd outside the door can protect the people in the house. Therefore, for thousands of years, gourd, as a mascot and ornamental, has been loved and treasured by people.

Gourd not only occupies an important position in the material life of ancient people, but also has close relations with literature, art, religion, folk customs, myths and legends, and even politics. The ideological system formed around gourd is undoubtedly an important part of China traditional culture. The splendid culture of China for thousands of years is extensive and profound, and the gourd culture has accumulated for thousands of years. With its unique historical origin, profound cultural connotation and broad mass base, it still occupies an important position in modern culture.

In a word, gourd has become a good product for viewing, collecting and practical use, and it is a representative symbol of Chinese auspicious culture. Gourd is one of the oldest crops in the world. Archaeology in China discovered the gourd and seeds 7,000 years ago at Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, which is the earliest gourd discovery in the world. There are many records of gourd in ancient China, and there are also many names for it. "Hey", "Hey", "Hu", "Gan", "Hulu" and "Pru" all refer to gourd. "Pot" and "Lu" were originally two vessels for holding wine and rice. Because the shape and use of gourd are similar to them, people combine "pot" and "Lu" as the name of this plant. And "gourd" is a vulgar writing, which does not conform to the original intention. However, people used to write "gourd", which continues until now. Zhong Jingwen, a researcher of gourd culture, chairman of China Folklore Society and professor of Beijing Normal University, believes that gourd culture is a meaningful part of China folk culture. Many ethnic groups in China have the myth that the gourd originated from their ancestors. According to documents, there was a belief in ancient China that the gourd was a symbol of many children and many blessings. Later, with the rise of Taoism, gourd was incorporated into its religious system, adding a very rich cultural connotation. The introduction and spread of Buddhism also added new flowers and leaves to the gourd. Now in folk stories, gourd has become a kind of "spiritual thing". For example, the widely circulated "Treasure Gourd" story tells that the owner of the story has a treasure gourd and can have whatever he wants. This shows that the poor people yearned for a better life in the past, and the means to satisfy their desires was to get gourds. Therefore, gourd is a kind of fruit with rich connotation in China culture. It is a kind of humanistic fruit, not just a kind of natural fruit!