What are the lost traditional folk toys?

Cloth tiger originated from tiger totem worship. In primitive society, thunder and lightning, wild animals haunt, and human fragile and powerful tigers are regarded as the world's strongest.

Tigers are not only brave and invincible, but also protect their cubs. There is a folk saying that "tiger poison doesn't eat children." Therefore, people regard the tiger as the god of life protection and reproduction. Cloth tigers are mostly common with double-headed tiger pillows, which is a manifestation of the custom of worshipping tigers in folk customs and contains profound cultural connotations.

The double-headed tiger pillow is a symbol of the combination of yin and yang, which can eliminate disasters and protect the safety of dolls. One-headed tiger and crouching tiger are totem tigers in the town house, as the protector of the whole family.

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Related legends

Cloth tigers are mainly produced in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. It has spread in Shandong 17 cities, especially Weifang, Linyi, Binzhou, Jiaozhou, Jining, Zaozhuang and other cities. There are many different versions of legends about the origin of the cloth tiger everywhere.

According to Shan Hai Jing, on Dushuo Mountain in the East China Sea, there is a big peach tree, whose branches bend for 3,000 miles, reaching the ghost gate in the southeast, and all the ghosts and gods in the cave will come in and out from here. There are two brothers and two gods under the tree, named Shen Tu and Lei Yu. They are both very powerful and skilled.

The two brothers tamed the tigers on the mountain and ordered them to take care of the peach trees. Through their hard work, peach trees are flourishing. Seeing that the peaches were about to ripen, a group of evil spirits rushed up the mountain in an attempt to snatch the peaches. The two brothers ordered the tiger to fight the ghost. My brother knocked the ghost down with a peach stick, and my brother tied the ghost up with a reed rope.

Knock one over, tie one up, and the tiger will eat one! In a short time, most of the evil spirits were eliminated, and the remaining evil spirits saw that the situation was not good and fled in a mess. The battle was won, and the names of Shen Tu and Lei Yu spread all over the world. The tiger's reputation has also been greatly impacted, becoming the king of beasts and the nemesis of evil spirits. It is a symbol of strength and courage and is regarded as a beast by ancestors.

In addition, in folk dialects, "tiger" and "blessing" are homonyms, which have cultural connotations such as praying for blessings, living in the town and making money. Therefore, people often use tiger-shaped objects to ward off evil spirits.

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