The significance of sheep and dragons in traditional culture

Sheep represent auspiciousness, kindness and beauty. In ancient times, "sheep" and "auspicious" were interlinked, and the original meanings of "goodness" and "beauty" were also related to "sheep". Dong Zhongshu, a Confucian scholar in the Western Han Dynasty, once fully affirmed "sheep". In the Spring and Autumn Period, he said, "It is a good man that a lamb has horns but doesn't take them;": Hold it silently, kill it falsely, and die like a righteous man; If the lamb eats its mother's food, it will kneel down and accept it, just like a polite person; Therefore, the word sheep is still auspicious, and Qing thinks it is a basket. " Dong Zhongshu endowed benevolence, righteousness and propriety with the core essence of Confucian culture, saying that sheep are beautiful and auspicious things. In the Ming Dynasty's enlightenment book "Zengguang Xianwen" for Taoist children, sheep were even portrayed as a model of gratitude. The phrase "the crow has the meaning of feeding back, and the sheep has the grace to kneel and nurse ..." is still widely circulated. The little crow has the kindness to feed the mother crow, and the little lamb has the gratitude to kneel down to receive breast milk ... using animals as a metaphor to teach children to be filial to their parents.

Because sheep's moral character is so noble, senior officials in ancient times used lambs and furs as court clothes to show their pure moral character like lambs.

Some scholars believe that the virtues of kindness, loyalty, courtesy and filial piety of the Chinese nation and the simple and kind folk customs, if traced back to the source, lie in sheep. In the past, there was a custom of "sending sheep to persuade filial piety", which was the most direct reflection of the influence of sheep on the conduct and folk customs of ancient people in China.

"Sending sheep to persuade filial piety" is generally carried out in June and July of the lunar calendar every year. Grandpa and uncle want to send a sheep to their grandson and nephew. Legend has it that when a child fails to honor his parents, his uncle drives his nephew into the flock. When the nephew saw the lamb kneeling in front of the ewe, he immediately understood his uncle's intention: the lamb still knows how to honor his mother, let alone people. My uncle gave him a lamb to take home. After the news spread, "sending sheep to persuade filial piety" became a social custom, reminding children to be filial to their parents.

Because sheep have so many advantages, they are deeply loved by people, so the ancients paid attention to sheep as a gift when they met, which is called "taking sheep as a basket".

"Taking sheep as a basket" is a high-grade conference present, which can only be used by people who have reached the level of doctors or officials. Ordinary officials use "geese", intellectuals use "pheasants" (chickens), and ordinary people can only use cloth. The book "The Rites of Scholars" says: "When doctors meet, they will tie lambs, cloth ornaments and four dimensions to their faces; Left head, such as holding it. "

When giving gifts with sheep, not all sheep can use lambs; You won't leave with your arms around you. You should dress up the sheep as a "gift sheep". Sheep should be wrapped in patterned cloth and their four legs should be tied in pairs. When the rope passes behind the sheep, it should be tied back to the sheep's chest and tied with a knot. When giving gifts to each other, you should lead the sheep with its head facing left, and the etiquette is the same as meeting a gentleman. This custom was called "sheep hug ceremony" by the ancients, which is actually a reflection of sheep worship culture in life.

The formation of the dragon recorded the aggregation process of ancient national development, which was firmly engraved in the hearts of China people, and we were often proud of the descendants of the dragon. There are no dragons in the world, but why is the ancient totem dragons? In the ancient totem era, the earliest legend is that Nu Wa and Fu are the ancestors of human beings, and they are both heads and snakes. With the development of history and the merger of tribes, especially after the merger of Yandi and Huangdi in northern Baoding, various tribes joined this big family one after another. Horse totem tribe joined in, adding a horse's head to the snake head, and the deer totem tribe merged and added antlers to the horse's head. When the fish tribe came in, they scaled the snake's body. As a result, dragons comprehensively embody the characteristics of many animals: for example, the feet of animals, the tails of birds and goatees. The formation of dragons embodies national equality and democracy, and tribes, big or small, are like a family when they merge. This is a pioneering work of excellent national culture, and today, the great unity of people of all ethnic groups still embodies this glorious tradition.

The formation process of the dragon is the process of national unity, which was basically completed when it was merged into Tang Yao, and the image of the dragon was determined.