It’s the end of the year again, and as the old saying goes in rural areas: the first month is taboo, and the twelfth month is taboo, the tail. These two months of the lunar calendar also have the most taboos. There are many taboos among the people. The author, born in the 1980s, has heard a lot of taboos from his family elders since he was a child.
To be honest, the author didn’t think much of it when I first heard it, but these are old rules passed down from the ancients. You should still listen to them. If you have children at home, it is necessary for them to understand them too!
Today I will share with you some folk taboos that I know and have heard about that only the elderly in rural areas understood in the past. In fact, it is not a disadvantage to know them!
① There cannot be 5 doors in a newly renovated house, nor can there be 4 doors. As for the specific reason, the author is not sure. Anyway, this is the saying in the author's hometown. When designing a house, the number of doors should be avoided to be four and five. It would be better to have several more than these two numbers.
② It is best not to face the bed, let alone other people, in the bedroom mirror. This is not superstitious. If you look at yourself in the mirror at night, you will be shocked when you wake up.
③Don’t take home any new clothes, new shoes you see on the road, or some wallets at the intersection. As for the reason, you can understand it if you think about it. Since it is new clothes, shoes, etc., why would anyone throw it away?
④ If some small animals such as snakes, swallows, weasels have entered the house, try not to hurt them. If you don't like them, you can drive them out, but you can't hurt them.
⑤ Never enter an abandoned shabby house in the wilderness, especially at night. You cannot go to such a place to play or stay. If you really want to go in, regardless of whether it is occupied or not, remember to knock on the door a few times and wait for a while before going in.
⑥ Whether you are going to someone else's house or knocking on the door at your own home, you must be polite and do not knock on the door hastily. In ancient times, this was called "announcement of mourning", which was very rude.
⑦ When passing by other people's houses, no matter what you see, don't talk nonsense, let alone have the idea of taking possession of it. It is a disrespectful behavior and it is easy to pay a price.
⑧ Women must not forget three things during confinement: not letting other men enter the room, not going to other people’s homes, and not taking a shower or washing their hair for a month.
⑨ If the dog at home suddenly barks before you go out, or if you encounter a cow or other animal blocking the way, try not to go out. It is best to choose a different day before going out.
⑩Don’t hold an umbrella at home. The old man said it won’t rain at home, so why do we need an umbrella? This may attract unnecessary things.
(11) Remember to take back the clothes and quilts that have been dried outside before dark. If you forget it, you have to wash it and dry it the next day, and then take it back before dark. In fact, this is mainly because I am afraid that some insects will crawl in or wear them directly.
(12) Pregnant women should not attend funerals, and should not enter the room of the newlyweds.
(13) There are two things you can’t do when eating. Never stick your chopsticks in the rice, and don’t hit the bowl with your chopsticks after eating. In the past, children who did this would be scolded and even served in a family law.
(14) Don’t just pick up money on the road, especially money wrapped in paper at intersections. When you find money, you should spend it promptly.
(15) If you wake up from nightmares at night, you can turn the pillow over and blow on the pillow three times to make it easier to fall asleep.
(16) When going to temples and other places, do not point at the Buddha statues, let alone take pictures or touch them.
(17) June, the twelfth lunar month cannot move. Also, don’t pick up hares in the twelfth lunar month, and don’t pick up pheasants in the first month.
(18) When returning home after being away from home for many days, knock on the door three times before entering.
(19) If you starve to death, you will not work for relatives; if you die of poverty, you will not cultivate the land of your father-in-law. You should also be cautious when doing business with others. It is best not to have money exchanges between relatives.
(20) Don’t touch a man’s head; don’t hug a woman’s waist; don’t straddle a child’s head.
(21) New Year On the first day of the Lunar New Year, do not sweep the floor, do not take out the garbage, do not touch or splash water, do not curse, and do not borrow money.
(22) Don’t expose someone’s shortcomings when you scold them, don’t slap them in the face when you hit them. Keep a line in your life so that we can meet again in the future.
(23) When visiting patients, you can only go in the morning. When buying fruits, don’t buy pears, and don’t stuff red envelopes in person.
(24) The mother-in-law does not sleep in the daughter-in-law’s bed, and the father-in-law does not enter the daughter-in-law’s room. Also, relatives cannot sleep in the wedding room.
(25) In rural areas, when things happen, people call for help.
(26) When you meet an elderly person, you should remember that when you are seventy years old, you should not stay overnight, when you are eighty years old, you should not stay for food, and when you are ninety years old, you should not stay for a seat.
(27) Remember not to take your baby out at night. If adults come back from outside at night and have to stand over the brazier, they can use a lighter to light it for a while if it's troublesome, or they can stand at the door and smoke a cigarette before entering the house.
(28) Unmarried young men cannot carry the coffin, and when carrying the coffin, do not talk about the weight, otherwise it will become heavier and heavier.
(29) When passing by a grave, you are not allowed to use your fingers, you are not allowed to talk, you are not allowed to step over the grave, and you definitely are not allowed to urinate or defecate in the cemetery.
(30) Finally, let me talk about the family banquet. The tableware must be the same, without missing corners, and the chopsticks cannot be of different lengths; the elders must move the chopsticks first, and then start with the back; do not knock the bowl with chopsticks or spoons; do not use chopsticks or spoons when eating. Squeak, don't shake your legs, don't pick vegetables, don't jump on the vegetables , don't stir the vegetables; toast your elders with wine, the wine glass should be lower than the elders' wine glass!
Of course, our country is a vast country, and the customs and habits of different places are different. Some of the above folk taboos are for your reference only. Is there such a taboo in your hometown? What else do you know? Everyone is welcome to leave a message for discussion!
