The role of horses in folklore

The role of horses in folklore

Archaeological discoveries in Chengziya, Longshan Town, Zhangqiu, Shandong, proved that people have been domesticating horses since the time limit of the patrilineal clan commune. In many ancient books, there is a record of “Sangtu making a horse and riding a horse”, and riding a horse means using four horses to drive a vehicle as a means of transportation.

Huaxia has a folk custom of offering horse sacrifices since ancient times. Offerings to Mazu in spring, pre-shepherd in summer, horse club in autumn, and horse walking in winter. Mazu is the sky, the star of the horse in the sky; the first shepherd is the god who began to teach people to herd horses; the horse club is the god of the land in the stables; and the horse step is the god of horse disasters. The Han people believe in the king of horses, and the farm family offers sacrifices on the 23rd day of the lunar calendar with a whole sheep.

Mongolians have traditional festivals of Horse Milk Festival and Horse Racing Festival, which are held every year at the end of August of the lunar calendar for one day. On this day, the herdsmen put on holiday costumes, rode horses and brought kummies to the designated places, and then prepared holiday food. Horse racing starts when the sun rises, and the horses involved are two-year-old ponies. After the competition, people were seated separately, singing indulgently with the accompaniment of matouqin, and drinking happily until the night fell, and the people dispersed with their pleasure. During the Spring Festival , the Wa people feed their horses to eat glutinous rice, and observe the horse's posture in the stable to account for good or bad luck. They think that heading east is a lucky year, and heading west is an inauspicious sign.

In Hubei, it is said that when the bride gets married, the undead of the family will follow, and there may be various evil spirits on the way, which will bring disadvantages to the male family. Therefore, on the day of the wedding, the man will invite an alchemist to offer an incense to the world and the god of chariots at the door, and kill chickens to drive away ghosts. After the sacrifice, grab the rice and spread it on the bride's sedan chair, which means to destroy the evil spirit. The groom also salutes around the sedan chair at the same time, and can enter after the ceremony. ( Chinese Zodiac http:///shengxiao/)

In the Northeast, there is a marriage custom of riding on horses by the Han and Manchus. After getting off the bus, the bride steps on the horses without touching the ground to avoid evil and evil troubles. The Miao nationality in Guizhou has a marriage custom of "carrying a saber with a sword behind it". Young men and women love each other, and after three marriage discussions in the homes of both men and women, they must carry their sabers to the formal marriage proposal.