What's the use of auspicious tiger head shoes in the Year of the Tiger?

Tiger shoes Tiger shoes are a kind of children's shoes made by traditional folk crafts in China. Because the toe looks like a tiger's head, it is called a tiger's toe shoe, and it is also called a cat's toe shoe in the north. It has both practical value and ornamental value. At the same time, it is also a mascot, and people give it the function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits.

Tiger-headed shoes are complicated in workmanship, just embroider the tiger's head, pluck the hair and remove the seeds. The color of the upper is mainly red and yellow, and the tiger's mouth, eyebrows, nose and eyes are often outlined with thick lines, exaggerating the ferocity of the tiger.

When the child is about one year old, the elders will wear tiger-headed shoes for the child. People think that the tiger is the king of all animals. Wearing tiger's head shoes can ward off evil spirits, keep safe and protect children's healthy growth.

Tiger-headed shoes have a long history in China. Behind this history, there is such a legend.

A long time ago, in the famous ancient city of Yangzhou, there lived a boatman. His name is Dayang. He is generous and willing to help others. Soon, an elderly traveler came to the village, and she praised Dayang's kind character. When she left, she gave an ancient painting to Dayang. In the picture, a beautiful girl is sewing a pair of tiger-headed shoes with needle and thread. The boatman likes this painting very much. As soon as he got home, he hung it on the wall beside his bed.

One night, the girl in the picture suddenly came out of the picture and had a good time with Dayang. Since then, they have met every night. A year later, they gave birth to a boy, and the boy brought more joy to the couple. However, something unfortunate happened. When the village chief heard that there was a strange painting in the Da Yang family, he proudly took it away. The goat hated the vicious village chief, but there was nothing he could do. The greedy village head hangs the picture on the wall of the bed like a big sheep, expecting the woman in the picture to come down every day. To his disappointment, nothing happened.

When the sheep's child grows up, he always keeps calling his mother. The sheep had to keep coaxing him that his mother had gone to the far west and could not come back. What the sheep said didn't help at all. The child insisted on finding his mother. Finally, he embarked on a journey to find his mother. He sailed west day and night, and finally he found his mother and many fairies taking a bath in a puddle in the forest. "Oh, my child, how did you come so far to find your mother?" Just as the mother was talking, two crystal tears rolled down the child's cheeks. "Mom, you know, I have lost you too much." "We can't really be together until you walk into the village chief's bedroom in the tiger's head shoes I sewed for you. Close your eyes, son, and let me take you home first. "

After a whirlwind, he was surprised to find that he had arrived home. He told the village chief that he could summon the woman in the painting. The greedy village head eagerly took the child into his bedroom. When the child saw his mother, he shouted at the painting, "Mom, let's go." As soon as the voice fell, the woman in the painting answered, picked up the child and went out. However, the greedy village head blocked the way. He arrogantly asked this woman to be his wife. After being rejected, the village chief rushed over like a mother and son. The child bravely rushed up to fight with him. At this moment, the pair of tiger-headed shoes came loose from the boy's feet and immediately turned into a colorful tiger, only to see it quickly pounce on the evil village head. The village chief's cry for help and the tiger's roar resounded through the village. ...

Tiger shoes saved the mother and son and their families. Since then, people have started to make tiger-headed shoes for their children, hoping that they can protect the safety of children and families.

There is also an interesting story about wearing tiger-headed shoes. Legend has it that there is a boatman named Shi on the bank of the Yellow River. He is ready to help others and never asks for money to ferry people across the river. Seven days later, an old woman crossed the river in the rain and asked her to deliver the baby to her daughter-in-law. Who knows she just walked to the river. When it is windy and rainy, her head hurts like an explosion. When the boatman surnamed Shi saw this, he helped the grandmother into the house to rest and invited a midwife for her. After the rain cleared, grandma's daughter-in-law gave birth to a big fat boy. Thank you very much. Grandma sent a photo to the boatman. The picture shows a delicate girl embroidering tiger's head shoes. The boatman liked it very much and posted it in his cabin.

From then on, the boatman drove the boat home, and there was always a beautiful girl waiting for him to cook. It turns out that this girl is the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, who sent her to earth to marry the boatman. After ~ years, they added another son, named Shi Hu.

A few years later, it was known that the boatman married the beautiful woman in the painting. On this day, the county magistrate came to the ferry and saw that the boatman's wife was beautiful and wanted to take her as his concubine. The boatman's wife saw that the county magistrate had ulterior motives, so she accepted the mortal body and returned to the painting. The county magistrate grabbed the painting and put it on the bed. However, no matter how sweet the county magistrate talks, the beauty in the painting just won't come down.

Xiaohu has been crying for her mother at home. The grandmother who sent the painting told the boatman to let Xiaohu's aunt make a pair of tiger's head shoes. When Tiger wears them, she can find her mother. Tiger mother made tiger head shoes overnight according to grandma's instructions. The tiger put it on, as light as a swallow, and immediately flew to the county boundary. See the county magistrate. Tiger shoes turned into tigers, killing the county magistrate and the boatman's wife. Seeing Tiger coming to save her, she jumped out of the painting and happily followed Tiger home.

Now; People still think that tiger-headed shoes can keep the devil safe, so everyone should make a pair of tiger-headed shoes for their children. Some areas also pay attention to wearing three pairs of tiger-headed shoes, and keep the custom of letting my aunt make three pairs of tiger-headed shoes of different colors for my nephew. As the saying goes; "The head is double blue (homophonic, that is, it is not very favorable), two pairs of red (red can ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters), and two pairs of purple (meaning that children grow up at home)." With blue, red and purple tiger-headed shoes, children will be safe and sound.