Brief Introduction of Auspicious Culture in China

"There must be a scene in the painting, and it is not greasy to see it; Exports must be auspicious to be satisfactory; Be handsome and likable. " This is a formula once circulated by the old artists of Tianjin Yangliuqing woodblock New Year pictures. There is such a demand for New Year pictures, because it is not only for looking at pictures, but also an indispensable thing for China people to celebrate the New Year for thousands of years: there is a door god at the door, a god of wealth at the door, a nave in the hall, a wall painting on the wall, a bed painting on the bed, a kitchen god painting on the stove, and even the stable in the cowshed can't be left. The reason why New Year pictures are so overwhelming is that people in China think that New Year pictures are auspicious things, which can bring good omen to the new year. In addition to New Year pictures, there are red Spring Festival couplets, red lanterns, red firecrackers, red dresses, red window grilles, red blessings and so on, which are flourishing everywhere, making the New Year full of vitality and making people feel happy.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, auspicious culture is not only in the New Year. The common people's spring planting and summer harvest, marriage and having children, birthday celebration, market opening, scientific research examination, promotion and wealth, moving to a new house and other life-related events all contain auspicious culture. Recently, it has been widely used in activities and ceremonies at the national level. For example, Jinlin, the mascot of the 10th National Games of China held in Nanjing, is a golden unicorn, which is not only a homonym of the ancient capital Jinling, but also a traditional mascot Kirin. As for the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, although it was printed in China, it still uses the auspicious color China Red. Fuwa, a group of mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games, is closely related to traditional auspicious symbols.

This strong sense of auspiciousness in China society is a remarkable feature of China. Why is China people's auspicious view particularly strong? Why can "deer", "bat", "peony", "elephant" and so on, from animals and plants to myths, legends, operas, stories and even words and characters, become auspicious symbols? Why many traditional cultures have gradually disappeared or died out, while auspicious culture has never declined or even developed? Over the years, I have been wandering in the ocean of folk culture, often thinking about these and many related problems, some of which seem to be solvable, and some may not.

Why are they auspicious symbols?

Auspicious, literally means "good luck" and "peace". As the ancients said, the so-called "auspicious people are blessed; Auspicious, auspicious. " Shuowen said: "discipline is good"; "Auspicious, blessed also". To put it bluntly, auspiciousness is a good omen, that is, everything is smooth, complete and happy. So throughout the ages, there is no one who does not pursue auspiciousness. Everyone has this kind of heart of pursuing good fortune and avoiding evil. Auspicious symbols, mascots and auspicious patterns are props created by human beings to convey their own voices.

In fact, lanterns, ropes and firecrackers are all objective things. Like water, electricity and fire, they are all substances without good and evil. How can they be auspicious? We might as well explore.