Detailed Explanation of Chinese Festivals: Origins and Meanings of Traditional Chinese Holidays (Illustrated Collector's Edition)

Author: Qiao Jitang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: As the curtain of the New Year's Eve gradually fades, the faces of children with lucky money under their pillows break into smiles, and the people who stay up all night are filled with joy. When the morning light of the first day of the lunar calendar illuminates the new window paper cuttings, the mountain villages awaken, the towns awaken, and the land of China awakens, stepping into the new year with vitality. This book is a revised version of "Chinese Festivals and Customs." It introduces traditional Chinese festivals in a picture-book style, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese folklore.
3. Human Day: Cutting and Wearing Paper Cuttings
In any nation that has moved beyond primitive ignorance, gods are merely appendages or tools of humans; in the polytheistic China, this characteristic seems even more pronounced. Take a look: the door gods hung on New Year's Eve, after completing their task of protecting the year, are relegated to the "other register" of gods: "On the sixth day, the eyes of the door god are broken, for fear that they may cause mischief." [Shiliuxian County Gazette of Shanxi, edition of the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty.] And on the seventh day, it is clearly a festival for the most esteemed of all creatures—humans. Human Day is also known as "Human Seventh (Day)" or "Human Celebration (Day)," and it was called "Human Victory Festival" during the Tang Dynasty. According to Taoist interpretation, "The heavens and earth first gave birth to chickens, then dogs, then pigs, then sheep, then oxen, then horses, and finally humans," placing humans at the highest rank. The main festive activities of Human Day also reflect the emphasis on human worth. As Ming Dynasty scholar Yang Shen noted in "Yi Yuan Ci Huang," "In ancient times, people pasted human figures on their beds for seven days, showing their reverence for humanity." The main customs of Human Day include making and wearing paper cuttings called "human victories," which can be pinned in the hair, pasted on screens or beds, or used as gifts. During the Liang Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, this custom was quite popular. The "Record of the Festivals of Jingchu" states: "On the seventh day of the first month, it is Human Day. People make a soup with seven types of vegetables. They cut paper into human shapes or carve thin gold into human figures to paste on screens or wear in their hair. They also make splendid victories to exchange with each other." The victory was originally a hair ornament for women, symbolizing "beauty" and "superiority." According to legend, the Queen Mother of the West wore such an ornament. The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" records: "The Queen Mother of the West has her hair in disarray and wears a victory." There are many types of victories, such as human victories, square victories, treasure victories, flower victories, and spring victories. On Human Day, human victories and flower (hua) victories are primarily used. Human victories are usually cut or carved into human shapes and worn by women on their hair or given as gifts. Flower victories are generally made with the theme of flowers and birds, resembling modern flower knots. The "Record of Attire in the Later Han Dynasty" states: "The Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager wear victory when entering the temple."