Why can't the ancients leave willow branches for rain, but also treat geckos as Jackie Chan?

There used to be a custom in the south that willow branches were planted at the door of every household on the fifteenth day of the first month every year. But unlike other festivals, willow branches are not inserted to scare ghosts or detoxify, but for a more solemn purpose: to meet the gods. It was greeted by a goddess, a goddess who managed the toilet. The name of this goddess is Zi Gu, a famous Ce Shen.

Don't despise this goddess because of her management position. Immortals only have different division of labor, and there is no distinction between high and low. All the immortals here must be aristocrats, and this Zigu is especially noble, because although she is in the toilet, she dominates sericulture all over the world. (Zi Gu, please refer to this list of snow hidden gods. This is an important industry related to GDP in agricultural society, so every household attaches great importance to it and prepares rich sacrifices for Zigu to enjoy every year. According to the Chronicle of Jingchu, the method of offering sacrifices to Zigu is to insert willow branches at the door and put chopsticks on the offering according to the direction pointed by the willow branches. The role of willow branches here is to determine the direction of Zigu's arrival.

The reason why willow branches are used to greet Zigu is probably because willow, like Zigu, has the function of protecting agricultural production. It is God's will that willows are in charge of agricultural production. The willow in the sky consists of eight stars, one of which is called Chutian. According to Huang Zhang of Amin Dynasty in his book "Compilation", this star is in charge of kitchens, warehouses and plants on earth. These three are connected, which is the process of crops becoming food. Crops first grow into vegetation in the ground, then they are harvested into warehouses and then turned into food in the kitchen.

Therefore, Liu Su is naturally responsible for agricultural production. However, Zigu is in charge of organic fertilizer, while willow is in charge of other aspects of agriculture, mainly good weather and so on, to ensure a bumper harvest in agriculture. But the willow tree is not as tall as the daughter-in-law, probably because "one crop of flowers depends entirely on dung", so the daughter-in-law sits firmly in charge, and Liu Su can only contribute silently.

When Liu Su is in charge of good weather, the first thing to do is rain, which is especially important in an agricultural society that depends on the weather. Although Liu Su is in the sky, it is windy and rainy, but there is another division of labor, which is not his responsibility. According to Cai Yong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the God of God is a dustpan star, and the God of Rain Lord is a Bi star, which has nothing to do with it. How can you get good weather? However, as a conscientious manager, it won't be hard for Liu Su, probably because these two "stars" have installed spies at home, and Liu Shu can predict the rain. The most accurate one is a willow named chēng. It is said in "Time Test" that when it rains, Tamarix will release a cloud. People like this kind of willow very much and call it a saint in the forest.

As the god in charge of agriculture, it is far from enough to predict only, because the initiative is in the hands of others, who are "sunny without wind or rain". What can you do? But don't forget, willow has another excellent relationship-above us (see the powerful reproductive ability of willow is worshipped by the ancients, called ghost wood, which can ward off evil spirits when inserted at the door. It is said that dragons like willows very much. For dragons, the next rain is not the same as spitting and peeing.

With this relationship, Liu Shu can not only passively predict, but also take the initiative to attack, advance and retreat, and defend well. His position in people's minds has gradually replaced Fengbo and Rain God, who are in charge of rain. Whether it rains or not, people don't go to see White Star and Bi Xing, but only Liu Su. If it doesn't rain for a long time, they all blame Liu Su. For example, there was no rain in the autumn of the Song Dynasty, and a poet wrote: "In the early autumn of Jiazi, the willows are lovely, and the gods are speechless and only thunder. On the third night of July, the emperor advised Changxing to drink. " The first two sentences imply a rebuke to Liu Su, because Liu Su acted perversely, resulting in only thunder and no rain in the sky. On the evening of the third day of July, the emperor raised a glass to invite Liu Su, who must be begging for rain.

The emperor is like this. Ordinary people believe that willows can bring rain. Whenever there is drought, people pray for rain with willow branches in various ceremonies. In the Song Dynasty, the process of praying for rain was recorded in the Record of Years Old, which was more like a game and very interesting. When asking for rain, first take an urn filled with water, put willow branches on it, and then put the lizard in it. The child shouted: "Lizard lizard, it's raining cats and dogs, let you go home." Obviously, the lizard is regarded as a substitute for the dragon here. Putting it in an urn with willow branches is equivalent to putting it under house arrest. The child's cry is a threat. If it rains, let you go, otherwise ... it seems that in the eyes of our ancestors, the dragon is a guy who eats hard and does not eat soft. But sometimes lizards are really hard to find, so people use their own geckos instead. Gecko can't swim, so it drowned when it was put into the water. Later, the child also saw that this was a farce and cried for the gecko: "I am a gecko, and I seem to be in a daze. How can I get nectar? " This is a joke. However, it can also be seen that even the dragon can be careless in the rain-seeking ceremony, but this willow branch is indispensable, which shows the importance of willow in the rain-seeking process.

Compared with this funny ceremony in the Song Dynasty, the rain-begging ceremony of the northern Qidan nationality is much more serious. This rain-praying ceremony of the Khitan nationality is called the Sasa instrument, which is very grand and the emperor personally participates. The whole se se instrument lasted * * * for three days. On the first day, the emperor offered sacrifices to the first emperor, and then began to shoot willows. The emperor fired two shots first, and the courtiers fired one shot each. Let's propose a toast to the one who misses. The next day, willow branches were planted in the southeast, and the wizard worshipped with wine and food. After the pilgrimage, the royal disciples began to shoot willows. On the third day, if it rains, the officials in charge of the sacrifice will be rewarded with four sets of clothes and four horses, otherwise they will be splashed with water. Although the whole ceremony looks serious, it is full of fun with sports and finally tested by facts.