Tiger Symbol in China Traditional Culture

Tiger is an extremely important part of China traditional culture. The tiger is the king of beasts. It is strong, strong and brave. In people's minds, the tiger is a symbol of avoiding evil spirits and disasters, and it can also protect wealth.

About 5,000 years ago, tigers had an indissoluble bond with China folk culture. Tiger totem originated in Fuxi era, before dragon totem. The worship of tigers exists in all ethnic religions. In Taoism, the tiger is regarded as the patron saint of Tianmen. Taoist classics are called "Dragon and Tiger Sutra" and refined pills are called "Dragon and Tiger Pills". In Buddhism, tigers have also been domesticated as "Zen tigers" to serve the propaganda of Buddhism.

In China, the custom of offering sacrifices to tigers as gods has a long history. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, tigers sacrificed at the end of the year. There is a record of "welcoming tigers" in the Book of Rites. The ancients believed that the tiger was the patron saint of agricultural production. Sacrifice to the tiger, because it can eat wild boar that harms crops.

Many ethnic minorities in China worship tigers, thus forming their own different customs. The Yi people call the tiger god "Ronnie", which is the most effective and lofty god in their minds. The tiger god can eliminate disasters and exorcise evil spirits for them, and can bless them with good luck and peace. They put themselves, their families and their happiness under the protection of the tiger god.

Therefore, in some Yi shrines, most of them are dedicated to tiger-shaped ancestral spirits, with tiger-shaped exorcism symbols hanging on the gates and tiger-shaped Shi Hu gods set at village intersections.

In China folklore, people think that tigers are extremely powerful animals. They can drive away the three disasters of the family, namely fire, theft and evil. So many people like to hang tiger pictures on indoor walls. Common tiger paintings can be divided into "Shang Lu Gen" and "Mountain Tiger".

"Shang Lu Gen" is mostly eaten by hungry tigers, often accompanied by snow-covered rocks to highlight the tiger's power and used to ward off evil spirits in towns and houses. This kind of tiger painting should be hung on the wall of the camp gate to curb the invasion of evil worship with its fierce momentum.

"Mountain Tiger" generally adopts the posture of looking up at the moon, decorated with pine branches and bright moon, which is quiet and far-reaching, meaning peace. This kind of tiger painting should be hung on the indoor side wall to get its meaning of better life.

In southern China, because the pronunciation of "tiger" and "fu" is similar, the tiger has become a symbol of happiness. For example, the "five tigers (blessings) picture" in the southern New Year pictures belongs to this category. In addition, northern women also like to cut out all kinds of tiger-themed window grilles with red paper. The image is simple and lovely, posted on doors, windows and indoors, creating an auspicious and rich atmosphere.

On the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the custom of children wearing "Ai Hu" is very popular in many parts of our country. On this day, parents will draw a "king" on the child's forehead with realgar wine, tie it into a tiger-shaped sachet with five-color thread, and put it on the child, indicating that the "five poisons" will be driven away.

In traditional folk customs, tigers can ward off evil spirits and cater to people's desire for peace and happiness. Many customs of tiger worship run through people's daily life. For example, after a woman is pregnant, put a little cloth tiger next to her pillow, hoping that the baby in her belly will be as strong and lovely as a tiger; As soon as the child was born, the grandmother gave the child a tiger bun, a tiger collar and a tiger quilt. When children can walk, they should wear tiger hats and shoes and dress up as mighty tigers.

Many handicrafts with the theme of tiger have been formed in our country. Among them, the most influential and widespread are tiger hat, tiger shoes and cloth tiger.

Cloth tiger is not only an interesting toy, but also a sincere blessing from the elders to the children. The process of tiger head hat and tiger head shoes is very complicated, and it can only be completed through dozens of processes such as cutting, pasting, inserting, stabbing and sewing. It takes five or six days to make a tiger hat and three or four days to make a pair of tiger shoes. Both sides and back of the tiger hat can be embroidered with various colorful patterns. It can be embroidered with patterns of auspicious plants such as lotus, plum blossom, pomegranate and peach blossom, and it can also be embroidered with patterns of auspicious animals such as butterflies, swallows, magpies and waterfowl. It looks lifelike and beautiful.

Cloth tigers come in various forms. Sometimes, people put peach sawdust in cloth tigers to make them "dear tigers" to protect children's lives. Sometimes, people make the tiger's nose into a vase, because the vase means "peace", so it is called "peace tiger", hoping that "peace tiger" will protect the family's peace; Sometimes, people sew tigers into gold ingots and decorate them with fish and copper coins, hoping that tigers can help them look after their family wealth. ...

People worship the mighty tiger as a mascot, which reflects the strong desire and pursuit of safe and happy life of our working people.