The Dog of the Chinese Zodiac

"The Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Nanban Biography" describes the myth of the ancestor of the ancient Yao people, and discussions on primitive totems often refer to him: In ancient times, the god dog Panpiao helped Emperor Gaoxin to kill General Wu, and Emperor Gaoxin took his own The daughter married Pan Piao to breed Yao children and grandchildren. As the myth of the ancestor of the clan or the god of salvation, Panpiao has always been respected as the ancestor of the clan by the Mian branch of the Yao ethnic group, and is honored as "King of Pan" and "King of Panhu". Years surrendered.

Dogs are one of the most intimate animals to get along with people. He has an extraordinary background. As a totem, he was once the object of worship by primitive people. As early as ancient times, people began to domesticate dogs.

The earthly branch is Xu, and the zodiac is the dog behind the chicken. The chicken is in the morning, and the dog is watching the night. After the chicken rooster ushered in the dog.

Song Dynasty Zhu Bian’s "Old News on Quhu Lake" recorded a story about the emperor's prohibition of slaughtering dogs because of the dog : "In the early days of Chongning, Fan Zhixu said: "The twelve palace gods, dogs occupy the throne, are for your majesty. Today there are people in the capital who take dog slaughtering as their profession, and they should be prohibited. "Because of the command, the world is forbidden to raise dogs, and the reward is up to 20,000. The Tai students first heard about it and declared to the public: "The move to the dynasty is Shao Shuxi and Feng. Shenzong gave birth to Xunzi, and there was no ban on animals and cats back then.” There were good commentators during the period, and the secret words said: “Dogs are in the five elements, and there is some kind of interest in them. Therefore, if the review is as stated in "Hong Fan", the worry is beyond words. "

No. 1:

The Manchu has a custom of respecting dogs. Don't kill dogs or eat dog meat, don't wear dog skin hats, sleeve sleeves, or lay dog skin mattresses to burn incense. During the ancestor worship, Han people and other people wearing dog skins are not allowed to enter the sacrifice venues, that is, they usually go to Manchu people's homes to work and enter. The yard puts the dog-skin hat and sleeves on the window sill outside the house before entering the house. Manchu people usually feed their dogs very carefully. Dogs are generally not beaten or scolded. If someone hits his own dog, he thinks it is the greatest disrespect to the owner. This is how the common sayings of "beating a dog to deceive the owner" or "beating a dog depends on the owner" come from. Dogs have to be buried when they are old and sick, as a way of expressing their grief, which shows how sincere the Manchus’ feelings towards dogs are. The dog is called "yindahun" (yindahun) in Manchu. The Manchu custom of respecting dogs is closely related to the production and life of this riding and shooting people. Dogs can not only watch house hunting, but also pull sledges in winter. In hunting, once the prey is shot and injured by the owner, the hunting dog will rush up like a warrior and seize the prey. When the owner encounters an evil beast attack, the hunting dog will recklessly rush up to fight the evil beast and give up his life to protect the owner's safety.

No. 2:

Among the Tibetan ancestors, dogs were one of their earliest domesticated animals. Dogs have a keen sense of smell and are extremely brave. In the primitive Tibetan society where productivity is extremely underdeveloped, it used to be their right-hand man in production and life. Dogs can not only provide them with the necessary food sources, but also guard their masters day and night to protect the safety of domestic animals and their owners. Therefore, in the early stage of the Tibetan people, which is dominated by hunting and nomadic economy, dogs are a member of their lives. Although, with the development of history, the level of animal husbandry and agriculture has greatly improved and the status of dogs has declined, but dogs still play an important and special role in the lives of Tibetan people. For this reason, the Tibetan people have a custom of worshipping dogs.

In Tibetan areas, dogs enjoy a certain status in the hearts of Tibetans. Everyone who has been to Tibetan areas will feel the harmonious and friendly relationship between dogs and Tibetan people. On the grassland, on the street, at home, there are dogs everywhere. Groups of dogs are walking leisurely and aimlessly in all corners of the Tibetan area. No one disturbs their lives. It has become a unique landscape in Tibetan areas. If someone is indecent towards them, not only will they be stopped and blocked by the Tibetans, but they will also be retaliated against. Although dogs are the earliest domesticated animals of the Tibetan people, they are forbidden to eat dog meat, let alone kill them at will. The eating of dog meat is regarded as unreasonable and inconceivable in Tibetan society. On the contrary, in the Linzhi and Amdo regions of Tibet today, it is customary to bring out large bowls full of meat and pasta during the Tibetan New Year or harvest season, and let the dogs enjoy it first.

No. 3:

On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau a long time ago, the Tibetan ancestors had not yet planted food, and people had to live by nomadism and other ways. They were suffering from hunger and cold. In this situation, the god sent dogs to a distant world to find them. Seed, the dog has eliminated all the hardships, and finally one day, he returned to the Tibetan area with the barley tassels in his mouth. Since then, people have lived a happy life.

No. 4:

In "The Story of Prince Achu", it is described that Prince Achu, in order to save the people from starvation, did not fear hardship and finally got the seed from the snake king, but he fell into the snake king's plan and turned himself into a dog. Returning with the seeds in his mouth not only made the people eat the sweet tsampa, but also made himself a happy love. But people don't cherish the waste of food.

No. 5:

In Gulei Prefecture, in addition to dogs, dragons are also the main totem worship object. This is not very different from the Central Plains. Because of Leizhou's many thunders, every summer, dark clouds, lightning flashes and thunder, and trees come down after the typhoon. So people often die accidentally. In ancient legends, dragons are the same body as Lei Gong, so Lei Gong is mostly dragon-shaped (of course there are also cow-shaped ones). The objects left over from the totem worship of the ancients are stored in temples, archways and stone carvings, while the stone dog is a worship object completely different from that of the Central Plains.

No. 6:

In the old days, the Han folk had a festival custom of "catching a dog". The "hairy dog" is the fox demon. According to legend, the demon came out to worship the moon on the 15th of the first lunar month and disturbed the creatures. On this evening, people set up dog sheds and set them on fire. At the same time, they sounded gongs and drums and set off firecrackers to send plagues to drive away evil spirits.

No. 7:

There is a funeral custom of "beating dog cakes" in Jiangsu. After a person dies, seven longans and flour are used to make a ball and hang on the wrist of the deceased. Superstition believes that after death, people have to pass through the village of evil dogs. The cakes of the deceased are used to feed wild dogs to ensure smooth passage, so it is called Dagou cakes.

Part 8: (Chinese Zodiac http:///shengxiao/)

"Happiness is the grace of a dog" reflects this situation. Because of the happy life of the plateau people, they extravagantly use tsampa as a toy. When God saw this scene, he cut off the highland barley spikes one by one (the legend has it that there were nine spikes in the highland barley at first), and when it reached the last one, the dog suddenly yelled: "Leave my share." In this way, the gods left a tassel and only had the food we see today. Therefore, the ancestors of the Tibetan people for generations think of the gifts that dogs have given them, and they are grateful and have a special respect. For thousands of years, this kind of admiration and affection for the dog has given it a magical power to show the sacredness of the object of their worship. Becoming a custom has deep roots.

Dog