Chinese Folk Culture - Choosing Auspicious Days

Author: edited by Zhu Ying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features:
Zuoji, also known as "selection," is commonly referred to in folk terms as "choosing auspicious dates" or "picking lucky days." It was highly popular in ancient China. Any activities such as offering sacrifices for blessings, taking imperial examinations, marriage and funeral rites, renovating houses, or hunting and fishing all required selecting an auspicious day first before proceeding. Zuoji can be broadly or narrowly defined. Narrowly, it refers to a method based on the Gan-Zhi calendar system, supplemented by other divinatory arts, to find auspicious dates and times, often called "choosing auspicious dates" in folk terms. Broadly speaking, any act of pursuing and selecting auspicious information can be considered Zuoji, and this is the type of Zuoji we explore in this book.
This book presents vivid, lively, and elegant text, accompanied by exquisite images, offering readers a multi-faceted view of how ordinary people in folk life seek good fortune and avoid misfortune through methods, rituals, and customs. Using simple and fluent language, the book introduces "Zuoji" in all aspects of life, with a strong storytelling quality that is engaging and captivating. It reflects people's yearning and pursuit of beautiful things.