Why are most mourning clothes mainly white?

The use of white mourning clothes in China (plain clothes, plain clothes, plain clothes, plain crowns, etc. ) began in the Zhou dynasty. Five-service system came into being in the Zhou Dynasty, and it is divided into five grades according to mourning, work and cycle length: withering, Cui Zi, Dacheng, Xiaocheng and numbness. In the funeral, white mourning clothes are required, and black clothes and hats are forbidden. As the saying goes, "The Lamb's Autumn Pavilion won't be closed" (The Analects of Confucius and the hard-working townships). "Lamb skin" is black sheepskin with outward fur. The color of mourning clothes is mainly white, which has become customized. This system continued until the Qing Dynasty. Widows in Qing dynasty wore black dresses, but they still had to wear white mourning clothes at funerals.

The mourning of China people is "white", which is based on traditional culture and psychological consciousness, mainly in three aspects:

First, the original taboo

The symbol and implication of color reflect the cultural psychology of the nation. The color symbols of China culture are based on China's early political, cultural and educational conditions, and have a certain tendency of politicization and mystification. Because our ancestors were weak and unable to resist the attack of wild animals, their psychology was still exposed in broad daylight. Faced with the danger of becoming a victim of wild animals, there is an instinctive fear of white. As a result, white has become a color taboo in China culture.

"The Story of Dongping Cang" says: "I was very moved when I saw the old clothes of Empress Yin, so I was ordered to keep five clothes each." "Five-time clothes" is to set clothes in five colors, and the son of heaven wears clothes in different colors at different times of the year. Its colors are: Chun Lv, Xiazhu, Xiahuang, Qiubai and Winter Black.

The white color in the "five-time suit" corresponds to autumn. Autumn is the season when nature kills people. The white mourning is not only a kind of retro and ancestral mourning, but also a kind of mourning for the dead.

During the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, the emperor ordered officials to wear "five-time clothes" to "welcome the five suburbs". "Five-time clothes" were popular among the people in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In western culture, the symbolic meaning of color is not so mysterious. The symbolic meaning of white mainly comes from white itself, such as snow and white flowers. White only represents elegance and purity, while black is a taboo color in western culture, symbolizing death and disaster.

Second, worship ancestors.

The custom of "white mourning" in China reflects people's "reverence" for their ancestors. The Book of Rites in Historical Records says: "Heaven and earth are the foundation of life; Ancestors are the foundation of class; Jun and Shi are the foundation of governing the country. There is no evil life in the world? No ancestors are evil? Without the bad governance of the monarch? If these three people die, there will be no peace. Therefore, the ceremony, going to heaven, going to heaven, respecting the ancestors, and promoting the monarch are three gifts. " "Daidaiben" also said: "Li has three books: the foundation of heaven and earth, the foundation of life; Ancestors are the foundation of class; Jun and Shi are the foundation of governing the country. There is no heaven and earth, no ancestors, no monarch and teacher, three partial deaths, and no people to live in. Therefore, treat heaven and earth with three courtesy, and spoil your teacher in advance. "

"Respect for ancestors" is one of the "Three Books of Rites". China people's earliest clothing raw material was hemp, while China Central Plains did not produce cotton cloth in ancient times. In addition to animal fur and feathers obtained from nature, the original clothes were kudzu vine, hemp, silk and silk.