What are the Chinese folk superstitions and taboos

In our country's long traditional culture, a considerable part of it is directly created and enjoyed by the general public, and this part of the culture we customarily call it folk culture, which is passed down among the people in the form of customs, habits, folk art and so on, and directly influences the people's production, life, psychology and concepts. With the development of modern humanities, many new disciplines, such as cultural anthropology, ethnology, and especially folklore, have paid great attention to this part of the culture of various ethnic groups, collecting, organizing, researching, and putting forward all kinds of doctrines and propositions about it. China's inquiry into folk culture officially began with the "May Fourth" New Culture Movement, and there was a certain degree of development before liberation, with a slight pause for some time after liberation, but after 1976, some of the disciplines related to this area were revitalized, and they cooperated with each other and developed quite rapidly. In terms of folklore investigation and research, there are now specialized academic groups and a small number of professionals, as well as a large number of part-time collectors and researchers. The areas explored are also very wide-ranging, covering not only folklore, but also marriage, mourning, the time of the year, life rituals and customs, material production, food and drink, clothing, folk beliefs, ethnic customs, and so on. Folk taboos, on the other hand, are a topic that has been emphasized in the recent period. Taboos are often called "Taboo" in cultural anthropology. Taboos are conventions and taboos about sacred or unclean things. Taboos were created and played an important role in primitive times, and Fraser's The Devil's Lawyer (subtitled "In Defense of Superstition") is a masterpiece devoted to the study of the function of superstition - including taboos - among primitive peoples. -function. With the development of society and people's ideology, the form and connotation of taboos have also developed and changed, until recent times it has been widely popular in folklore. Taboo is not a single folklore matter, it exists in various folklore activities, mainly in the way of negative avoidance in all aspects of the implementation of self-suppression, so it is an organic part of the whole folklore. In China, the contemporary folklore community has paid full attention to the classification of taboos. For example, Mr. Tao Lieven has a special chapter on "Classification of Taboos" in his Introduction to Folklore. He classifies taboos into (1) religious taboos; (2) production taboos; (3) language taboos; and (4) general life taboos. Although the division is rather general and not strict, it is one of the earliest scholars to discuss this issue. Mr. Wu Bing'an's classification of taboos in Chinese Folklore, on the other hand, is based on the folk belief origin of taboos. He broadly classified taboos into five aspects, namely: First, the natural forces or natural objects in nature are regarded as sacred and inviolable things to be worshipped, forming taboo concepts and behaviors towards the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, the rain, the thunder, the rainbow, the water, the fire, the mountains, the rocks, and other objects. Secondly, they regarded certain animals or plants as sacred objects that had a close relationship with their ancestors, and formed taboos such as forbidding hunting and killing or forbidding offenses. Third, the worship of ancestral spirits gives rise to taboos about ancestral symbols and relics. Fourth, taboos about ghosts, monsters, and other places of activity derived from the worship of ghosts, spirits, and sprites. Fifth, the superstitious belief in the fate of good and bad luck derived from the concept of good luck to avoid the formation of taboos. These five aspects can be roughly summarized as: (1) nature worship; (2) totem worship; (3) ancestor worship; (4) ghost worship; (5) fate worship. The classification of taboos here is in accordance with these five types of worship originating taboos. The theory is systematic and rigorous, and the understanding has depth. It is only that we have not yet seen the results of actual categorization based on this classification in a comprehensive and systematic way. Maybe it is because these five forms of worship are intertwined in real life, and it is not easy to separate them and there are some difficulties. Taboo: First, the human body taboo. The human body is different from the human body, some people have greater spiritual power in the body - the Chinese called "life", "nemesis". These people can "nuisance" people. "Nuisance" is a common word, nuisance, harm, that is, the ability to endanger others, and even cause people to die. For example, the king of the country, ministers and other high-ranking people on the people; wizards, Shen Han, Duan Gong and other folk figures of divine power; and fate, bone in the non-intercourse or the opposite of the "enemy", etc., are able to harm, nuisance, death of the people (see the book "Bone Taboos (See the "Bone Face Taboos" section of this book). For such a person, such a human body, ordinary people should be wary of their contact, it is best to respect from a distance, retreat, or it will lead to disaster. In the old society, a seventh-grade sesame official - the county magistrate, ascending to ask the case, is also not allowed to look at the people's eyes. Therefore, there is often such a dialog when singing opera: "x x x, raise your head." "I dare not." "Forgive your innocence." "Yes--" It can be seen that only in the case of prior prohibition and forgiveness, the common people, only dare to raise their heads to let the officials see, or raise their heads to see the officials. Otherwise, they would hurt themselves because of the official's "great destiny". The Book of Rites. Qu Li" cloud: "the son of heaven see not in the lined (cross-collar also), not in the band. The king of the country Sui see, the great ministers Heng see, Shi see five steps. Where to see, on the face is Ao, down in the belt is worried, leaning is treacherous (treacherous)." It can be seen that some of the visual taboos have been institutionalized and ritualized in ancient times. One of the things emphasized is also a prohibition concerning the human body. The usual way of tabooing sacred and inviolable or unclean and dangerous human bodies was to take various ways to isolate them from ordinary members of society. The king of the country, the powerful ministers live in the high thick palace walls, official residence inside; lamas, monks, Taoist priests live in the detachment of the mortal world of monasteries, temples, Taoist temples; childbirth to live in a separate place; criminals to be escorted into the prison; the sick to be alone and discreet; the dead to be buried in the earth ...... Chinese people taboo on exposing their bodies. In addition to small children can run around naked, adults can never be naked in front of people. Folk have "men do not show their navels, women do not show their skin" proverb. Maybe it is out of the care of men who are too hot to do heavy physical labor, but also out of the consideration that the male upper body is not sensitive to sexual stimulation of the Special Administrative Region, so the restriction of male upper body nudity is not yet too strict. For women, the strict requirements are shocking and horrifying. In the old days, the general civilian women of good families, people from a young age on the deep bosom, the so-called "door does not go out, two doors do not step", stay at home all day. This means nothing more than to be difficult to wrap the face, hands are hidden from outsiders to see. Because any part of the woman's nakedness will produce "sexual attraction", will cause men's lust, thus incurring disaster. Second, the bone phase taboo because of the belief that through the gaze can be ingested, control the soul of the witchcraft effect, so China in ancient times there are many human physiognomy. Bone phase is one of them. Wang Fu, "the paper of the submerged husband. Phase column" cloud: "people have bone method, as if the species of all things." Wang chong "on balance. Bone Phase": "The case of the method of bone joints, check the reason of the skin, in order to examine the life of people, there is no one who does not respond." Wang Chong also cited the examples of Fan Li going to Yue and Yuliao's death in Qin. Said: "The king of Yue is a man, with a long neck and a bird's beak, who can be with *** in trouble, but not with *** glory." "The king of Qin is a man, long quasi-long eyes, kites and jackals voice, less grace, tiger eyes and wolf heart ...... can not be with the fellowship." Are through the bone phase, accounted for inspection to grasp each other's soul so as to avoid the actual evidence. Visible folk are "long neck bird beak", "Long quasi-long eyes, kites and jackals voice" and other bone phase taboo. Once the principle of the common belief that the bone is bad omen is agreed upon in the folk, it is not only suitable for other people, but also suitable for oneself. Therefore, if you have a bad omen of the bone will also be self-taboo. Of course, this kind of theory is idealistic, but there are still many folk who believe in it. This situation, the warring states period thinker xunzi, long ago in "xunzi. Non-phase of the chapter pointed out, he said: "the shape and color of a person's face to know the good and bad luck and demonic auspiciousness, the world said; the ancient people do not have also, scholars do not say also." He also cited many examples to argue that the method of bone phase is not credible, pointing out that "the shape is not as good as the theory of the heart". Visible bone taboos are part of the popular beliefs, which superstitious, fallacious place, has long been clear-eyed people see through. However, the existence and development of folk beliefs and not due to the realization of a small number of wise people to suspend and change, bone phase beliefs are still more and more complex development, continued. Folk have "long upper body, supporting the king; upper body short, blessing shallow", "long upper body, sitting in the center of the hall; lower body long, walking busy". This is flattering. There is another saying: "The upper body is long, the lower body is short, and it is lazy if you don't eat your mouth". This is the laborers cherish the proverb.