Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional festivals - Folk traditional phoenix patterns

Folk traditional phoenix patterns

Why did dragon and phoenix patterns become the symbol of Chinese culture?

Decorative patterns refer to decorative patterns on objects, and the Han people are used to taking dragons and phoenixes as patterns and taking them as respect. The dragon pattern symbolizes imperial power, and the phoenix pattern symbolizes nobility, which are the embodiment of happiness and auspiciousness in people's minds. The early ancestors regarded the dragon and phoenix as auspicious things that could turn disasters into blessings and call the wind and rain. Since the ancient totem culture, dragon and phoenix patterns have been endowed with the significance of religious worship.

Dragon and phoenix patterns appeared on painted pottery bottles unearthed from Yangshao cultural site in Shaanxi Province. In the traditional auspicious patterns of our country, the dragon and phoenix are auspicious, symbolizing the good wishes of good weather, national prosperity and people's security.

Dragon pattern embodies the beauty of strength, masculinity and symbolizes men. Phoenix pattern embodies the aesthetic feeling of beauty, has feminine taste and symbolizes women.

Dragon and phoenix patterns interweave and set each other off, forming the highest mascot for clothing and utensils decoration. Therefore, there is a saying that "dragons and phoenixes are auspicious", which also entrusts people with their worship of sacredness and their hope and yearning for a happy life.

People in China have worshipped dragons for more than 5,000 years. Since feudal times, dragons have been associated with imperial power, and emperors called themselves "real dragons".

The origin of dragon is often considered as the "big name" of crocodile and lizard, which is the result of totem merger. Some people say that dragons evolved from snakes and are a collection of clouds, water, lightning and rainbows. According to scholars' research, Dayu is related to the snake totem clan. After he laid the foundation of the Xia Dynasty, later generations sublimated the snake into a dragon, which embodied multiculturalism and was recognized by totem worship of all ethnic groups, thus making the dragon an important symbol of the Chinese nation.

The legend of Phoenix in China originated from birds, which is recorded in Shan Hai Jing. Phoenix also has a name called Luan. Phoenix, phoenix is male and phoenix is female, but the combination of dragon and phoenix makes the whole phoenix "female". In ancient times, the totems of many tribes were birds. For example, his subordinates are Feng Bird's and Dan Bird's. Dragon is the head of scale worm, and phoenix is the king of birds, both of which are auspicious animals and birds. Therefore, when the dragon is upgraded to the symbol of the emperor, the phoenix will become the symbol of the emperor, and the combination of dragon and phoenix is regarded as the noblest auspicious meaning.