Why is Guan Yu regarded as a keeper?

According to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu was beheaded after the defeat of Maicheng, and his soul gathered nearby for a long time to protect the safety of the military and civilians. Since then, people began to believe that Guan Yu was the patron saint, so their portraits have been hung in the town house at the door. Zhang Fei is also a protector.

Door-keeper, that is, the guard of Simen, is a painting posted on the door during the Lunar New Year. As guardians of folk beliefs, people stick idols on doors to drive away evil spirits and ghosts, defend their homes, maintain peace, help public utilities and bring good luck. It is the beloved patron saint of China people. According to traditional customs, every household is busy writing couplets and door gods on the eve of the Spring Festival to pray for the coming year.

According to historical records, the activity of "worshipping the door" appeared in the Zhou Dynasty, which was an extremely important ceremony. Among the legends of door gods, the legends of Shen Tu and Lei Yu have been circulated among the people for a long time, and they are recorded in ancient books such as Shan Hai Jing, General Meaning of Customs, Rebuilding the Integration of Weft Books, and Searching for Gods by Three Religions.

Han people believe in door gods for a long time. According to the Book of Rites, there are seven sacrifices for kings, five sacrifices for princes, three sacrifices for doctors, and two sacrifices for scholars, including "door" and "ordinary scholars and one sacrifice, or a household or stove." Visible, since the pre-Qin, from the emperor to Shu Ren, door gods have been worshipped. The custom of sticking door gods at home during the Spring Festival has been circulating for thousands of years.

Door-keeper is a kind of painting posted on the door in the old calendar and New Year, and it is also a folk door-keeper with the same belief. In the old society, people put their idols on doors to exorcise evil spirits, defend their homes, maintain peace, help public utilities and bring good luck. It is one of the most popular folk protectors.

The doorman's birthday is the fifteenth day of the first month. During the Spring Festival, people often worship gatekeepers and post gatekeepers at the door. Door stickers should be attached to both sides of the door from the perspective of the person who enters the door. In the painting, the goalkeeper regards the opposite as the correct traditional method, and vice versa.

Some famous traditional woodcuts are also famous for printing doorkeeper prints, such as Yangliuqing, Weifang and Taohuawu. The paintings of door gods are also colorful, some wearing tiger helmets and some wearing robes. The New Year pictures are also decorated with festive patterns such as Jue Lu, Bat Xi, BMW and bottle saddle to pray for good luck.