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The Myth and Folklore of the Ox Zodiac
The Myth and Folklore of the Ox Zodiac
Ox is the second place in the Chinese zodiac, and it is “ugly” with the twelve lands, so the “ugly time” in the twelve o’clock of the day – from 1 to 3 o’clock at night, it is also “the time of the ox”. The Yi Gua is “Kun is a son and a cow”.
1-3 in the morning (the “ugly time”). At this time, the cow has eaten enough grass, and the “chew” is the smallest and most comfortable, so it is matched with the cow when it is ugly.
In ancient times, the ox was the servant in front of the Jade Emperor’s Palace, who often traveled between the Heavenly Palace and the earth. One day, the farmer sent a message to the Jade Emperor on behalf of an ox, saying that the human world was barren and the earth was bare and ugly. He asked the Jade Emperor to bring some mother grass seeds to the world to make the world look better. When the Jade Emperor heard this, he felt that it made sense, so he asked His Royal Highnesses and the gods who would go to the world to sow grass.
“Jade Emperor, I’d like to go to the world to sow grass.” Niu Wang volunteered. “You are a careless guy, I’m afraid you can’t do it.” The Jade Emperor said worriedly. “Don’t worry, Jade Emperor, I can’t handle this trivial matter, and I am willing to be punished.” Niu Wang insisted on going. The Jade Emperor agreed to the Ox King’s request and ordered the Ox King to go to the world and walk three steps to scatter a handful of grass seeds.
The Bull King walked out of the Heavenly Palace with the grass seeds. When he stepped out of the Nantian Gate, he accidentally fell and fell into the human world. After he was attached to the human world, his mind was dizzy. . So, a lot of grass seeds were scattered on the ground. The next year, the weeds were so overgrown that the farmer could not grow crops at all. They asked the kitchen god to tell the Jade Emperor that there were too many weeds and the crops could not grow. The Jade Emperor knew something was wrong, and when he summoned the Bull King to ask, he found out that the careless Bull King had threw three handfuls of grass seeds in one step and ruined a good thing.
“You careless old cow has made grass everywhere in the world. How did you guarantee it? From now on, you and your children and grandchildren are only allowed to eat grass and help farmers weed. At the same time, ancestors help farmers work. Son.” After the Jade Emperor finished speaking, his anger did not subside, and he kicked the old bull with a kick. The bull king fell from the sky to the world with a somersault, his mouth facing down, and a row of upper teeth was thrown off. As a result, the cow has been working as a coolie for the farmer all his life, and the man has not stopped gnawing the grass. To this day, its upper teeth have not grown.
However, the cow is a good animal that knows what to do with it. It works hard without complaint, is diligent and steadfast, pulls carts and ploughs fields and never looses its grip. It has done a lot of work for farmers and won people’s praise. When arranging the zodiac, people will recommend him as the zodiac sign. If it weren’t for the speculative little mouse hiding on the horns and winning the title first, the Bull King would definitely be the leader of the zodiac. The ox became the zodiac sign of the human being by virtue of its contribution to human beings.
Whip Spring Bull, also known as “beating spring”, is intended to persuade people to farm. “Zhou Li Yue Jin” contains “the unearthed cow to send cold air”, which was later fixed in Lichun. People dressed as “Jumang God” whipped local cattle, and local officials officiated with incense, announcing the start of the New Year’s work.
After that, paper cows are used, and the tripe is loaded with five grains in advance, which are scattered after the whip, symbolizing “the grains are abundant and the grains flow all over the ground”. In the Qing Dynasty, the “Spring Niumang Shentu” was distributed to the localities every year. The colors of the various parts of the spring cattle in the picture are designed according to the relationship between the stems and branches of the year and the yin and yang of the five elements.
The vertebral column is seen at funerals. The sacred cow is tied to a colorful flower column, and the master leads a dozen youths with spears. After the drum is played, the master’s uncle and the youth stab the cow in turn. After the cow falls to the ground, it is auspicious for the head of the cow to turn towards the master’s house.
Zhejiang Jinhua likes bullfighting. Chen Qiyuan’s “Notes on Yongxianzhai” in the Qing Dynasty said: “Each of the two families ordered four strong men to flank their oxen, and the two oxen stood side by side, and the king watched them. skillful”.
The Miao people have the marriage custom of grabbing the tail of an ox. On the wedding day, the woman brings the ox to the scene, the bride cuts off the ox’s tail, and the groom immediately grabs the ox’s tail, which must be won before the woman’s parents arrive, otherwise the marriage will fail.
