Talk to you about old Beijing "Rabbit Dad"

According to the custom of old Beijing, besides enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes and drinking osmanthus wine, the Mid-Autumn Festival also worships male prostitutes.

A Qing people wrote in Dumen Zayong: "I am anxious to buy a male prostitute." Male prostitutes are molded in the same mold. First, clay and paper pulp are mixed evenly and put into a mold which is divided into two halves. After drying, pour it out, stick the front and back pieces together, stick it on your ears, coat your body with glue, and then coat it with gold. Male prostitutes are more than three feet tall, and the youngest is only three inches. They all have pink faces, wearing golden helmets and armour, and carrying a flag or umbrella cover on their backs. Its mounts include lions, tigers, deer and elephants. A prostitute holds a mortar in her left hand and a pestle in her right hand as medicine. There is also a male prostitute with a loud mouth, a hollow cavity, a flexible upper lip and a thread tied in the middle. If you pull it, the rabbit's lips will be crushed. Anyway, there are many kinds.

Male prostitutes first appeared in the late Ming Dynasty, which was a toy given to children by women to prevent their children from making trouble when they sacrificed to Xing Jun in Taiyin. Legend: One year there was a plague in Beijing, and almost everyone got it. Chang 'e was very anxious, so she sent jade rabbits around her to treat the people. Yutu became a young girl and cured many people from door to door. In order to thank Yutu, everyone will give her something; But Yutu didn't ask everyone for anything, but borrowed a lot of clothes from them. She changed clothes everywhere, sometimes dressed like an oil seller, sometimes like a fortune teller ... one moment she dressed as a man, the other moment she dressed as a woman. In order to cure more people's diseases as soon as possible, Yutu rode on mounts such as lions, deer and tigers. After the plague in Beijing, the Jade Rabbit returned to Chang 'e.

In order to thank her, people created the image of Jade Rabbit with clay sculptures, including those riding deer, riding unicorn, wearing armor and wearing various costumes, which were vivid and very cute.

Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, every household will worship her, send delicious melons and fruits to thank her for her peace and good fortune, and affectionately call her a "male prostitute".

I still clearly remember the scene described in Mr. Lao She's Four Generations under One Family: "Although life was not comfortable at that time, Master Qi still wanted to take his great-grandchildren to the market on the Mid-Autumn Festival to choose a pair of male prostitutes for them."

In Lao She's pen, he vividly depicts the image of a male prostitute:

Among the "delicious" fruit stalls on the street, there are many male prostitutes stalls, layers of pink and colorful bodies, and male prostitutes with flags and umbrellas behind them-large and small, all beautiful and meticulous, some riding tigers, some sitting on lotus flowers, some carrying bald heads, and some carrying big mahogany cabinets.

"There is no rouge on the face, only a thin line is drawn on the three-petal mouth, red and oiled; Two slender white ears were painted with light red; In this way, the rabbit's face presents a handsome appearance, as if it were Huang Tianba in the rabbit. Its upper body is wearing a scarlet robe, and below its waist are green leaves and pink flowers. Every leaf fold and every petal is carefully dyed into a bright and even color, which makes the green leaves and safflower shine. "

In the early years, there were stalls selling male prostitutes in Dongan market, major temple fairs and prosperous areas. At that time, male prostitutes were mostly clay sculptures, and some were pinched by hand. The figure, face and posture of male prostitutes are all human, except for the long ears on the head and the three-petal mouth on the painting.

Since the Ming Dynasty, old Beijingers have had the custom of inviting male prostitutes and sending them to relatives and friends. Asking a prostitute is asking for peace, and sending a prostitute is sending good luck.

Different images of male prostitutes have different meanings: sitting like a male prostitute, the image is homophonic with fragrance, which means auspiciousness.

Sitting on a tiger, a prostitute and a tiger as the king and commander-in-chief of all animals means a prosperous career and extensive contacts.

Male prostitute, Kirin, spread because of Kirin's allusion to books, symbolizing extensive knowledge and academic success.

Sitting on a gourd prostitute, because gourd is homophonic with Fulu, it symbolizes both Fulu and Fulu.

Hei Hu, prostitute and Hei Hu are the embodiment of justice and light, so Hei Hu has the theory of keeping peace, getting rid of illness and strengthening the body.

Nowadays, in the homes of some old Beijingers in Beijing, the custom of offering male prostitutes to worship them during the Chinese New Year is still preserved.

Male prostitute is an image that people love to see and hear, so many proverbs related to male prostitute are derived:

Male prostitute Tao Ergen turned over the mud.

The prostitute stumbled-he took a horn.

The prostitute patted his heart-heartless.

Male prostitutes take a bath-paralysis.

Fighting in Male Prostitute —— Break up the stall

Male prostitutes grow beards-pretend to be old men.

The flag of male prostitute-one-on-one hit

Male prostitute in the coming year-Teacher Chen

Are these two-part allegorical sayings interesting and vivid in interpreting the image of male prostitutes and fully demonstrating people's love for male prostitutes?

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, do you also want to "invite" a lovely couple of male prostitutes to your home to add festive atmosphere?