Is broken shoelaces an ominous sign unique to Japanese culture?

Japanese traditional consciousness and etiquette

There are many full-time wizards and fortune tellers in Japan. Although Japan has entered the modern society, there are still many people who like fortune-telling and divination. According to the phenomenon of stars, the movements and chirping of animals, the variation of plants and other natural phenomena, according to mysterious sounds, people's fantasies, hallucinations, dreams and the feeling of itchy ears and other body organs, we can judge the good or bad luck. This habit still occupies a considerable part in Japanese daily life.

During the Russo-Japanese War, there was a saying among Japanese people that "when a comet appeared, something would happen and war would happen". Since ancient times, the Japanese have regarded comets as a precursor to military chaos, hunger and state affairs. In addition, the Japanese believe that if there are stars (near stars) near the moon, they are either dead or natural disasters. The Japanese can also judge whether a man is dead or a woman is dead according to the position where the near star appears on the moon.

The Japanese compare snow to a sign of a bumper harvest. There is also a saying in our country that snow will bring a good harvest. In addition, the Japanese also believe that if the weather is fine on the evening of August 15, there will be a bumper harvest of wheat this year. If the weather is fine on1October 10, this year will be a bumper year.

The Japanese think it rains on New Year's Day, and it has been raining for more than a year. The year when there are too many pumpkin vines must be a windy year. There is also a saying among Japanese folks that "the morning glow grinds the sickle" and "the morning glow twists the rope". In addition, "Dai Li in the Moon" and "Frogging" are also regarded by the Japanese as signs of rain.

The following is a brief introduction to several Japanese folk sayings.

"Planting Cherry Blossoms": The Japanese have eradicated many years of experience in farming life, and summed up the most reasonable farming time according to the changes of animals and plants and the four seasons in nature. KINOMOTO SAKURA is one of them. When cherry blossoms bloom, the survival rate of rice seeds and seedlings is very high. Some kinds of cherry blossoms refer to a specific kind of cherry blossoms, and some refer to the flowers of an ancient cherry tree. Akita Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan call Flos Magnoliae a kind of cherry blossoms.

"Crow crow": Many countries and nations in the world regard crows as birds of prey. The Japanese believe that the crow's cry is a sign of the dead. Under whose roof the crow flies three times, the family will die. In addition, the Japanese also believe that there will be fire or death in the direction where dogs bark. The absence of mice at home is a precursor to fire or decline. It is a good sign that swallows build nests.

"Worried Epiphyllum": The "Worried Epiphyllum" that blooms every 3,000 years is an imaginative plant created by Indians. There is also an introduction about worrying about epiphyllum in Buddhist scriptures. The Japanese call the eggs laid by insects on bark, leaves and ceiling worry epiphyllum. There is a saying among the people that "I am worried that Epiphyllum will kill people." It can be seen that the Japanese regard the troubled epiphyllum as an unlucky flower. However, some Japanese divide worry epiphyllum into gold and silver, and point out that gold worry epiphyllum is an auspicious flower and silver is a bad flower.

"Dream": The Japanese believe that dreams have mysterious foresight and can predict the future. There is a story in the Japanese classic story of Zeng Ming: "Masako Kitajima" believes that his sister's dream belongs to Ji Meng, but Masako pretends that the dream is a nightmare, buys it from his sister with a mirror and Tang Ling, and asks him to marry Yuan Laichao, a shogunate general. "There are many legends among Japanese folks about exchanging wine for auspicious dreams. The residents of Caotian Island in Kumamoto Prefecture had a good dream, then bought big silk fish and held a "dream publishing" ceremony.

For Japan, under normal circumstances, the order of auspicious dreams is treasure ship, Fuji, eagle and eggplant. In addition, dreaming of climbing mountains, walking in the clouds and dreaming of the angel of God, snakes, carp, apes, bears and horses are all auspicious. People who dream of snakes can become rich. Dreaming of the dead and laughing at them are symbols of longevity and good luck. It is also auspicious to dream of fires, funerals and gray hair.

Japanese people think that unlucky dreams are dreams of monks, immortals, marrying daughters-in-law, coffins and transplanting rice seedlings. In particular, fishing dreams, Bai Baihe dreams and tooth extraction dreams indicate that the closest relatives will die. Then the Japanese also have positive dreams and negative dreams, so how to explain dreams often depends on the specific situation.

"Tinnitus": Small changes in the body are also regarded as signs by the Japanese. In Japan, tinnitus is called "ear bell" and is regarded as "bad omen". Biting your tongue is considered a sign that you will be hated by others. Biting the meat on the inside of cheeks is considered a good sign of praise.

"God of Wealth in the Morning": Japanese shops hope that the first customers who come in in the morning will be women. This indicates that business will be prosperous that day. This is because women can have children, which is a symbol of prosperous business. On the contrary, the first person to enter the shop in the morning is considered a monk.

In addition, when you go out, your shoelaces are broken, your chopsticks are broken, things hanging on the wall suddenly fall down, and so on. All these are regarded as ominous.

Japanese taboos and curses

In addition to observing signs, the Japanese have many taboos. Japanese people have many taboos in the world. Here is a brief introduction.

The Japanese call death "black and unclean". The families and relatives of the deceased must mourn for a certain period of time. In the past, when the Japanese mourned, they had to go into a special taboo room and cut off contact with the outside world. Nowadays, many Japanese people hang a "No Entry" sign at the gate to show that they are not allowed to enter. During this period, family members are forbidden to shave, comb their hair, take a bath, do farm work or go fishing by boat. In addition, women must stop needlework or play with looms. If two people die in the village at the same time, the whole village will mourn. The fire in the deceased's house is the most taboo. The Japanese believe that whoever reacts with this fire will die if he eats it. Other families will never eat or borrow anything from mourners during their stay. According to Japanese tradition, the death taboo was lifted from the 49th day.

The Japanese call women's menstruation and childbirth "impure". Menstrual women and lying-in women can't touch god, and it is forbidden to cook with the same fire as ordinary people. During this period, they often go to a separate room to live in isolation, or cook with a new stove. The mother's husband and family members must also take taboos and not participate in hunting, charcoal burning and other activities. In addition, fishing, salt industry and wine industry are also very taboo. If someone eats at the maternal home, they can't go into the mountains, or they will burn the charcoal kiln or be eaten by bears. Fishing villages not only have strict regulations during the "unclean" period, but also forbid women to take boats alone. It is said that women can't walk over at will or touch fishing gear at will.

There are also many taboos about pregnant women's activities and diet. Stepping on a broom during pregnancy will cause dystocia; If you look at fire, you will have a child with a mole; If you eat two chestnuts, you will have twins. In addition, pregnant women are forbidden to eat fried food, eggplant and beef breast.

Usually, fasting refers to fasting without eating fish or meat. The Japanese resumed eating fish on the third and seventh day after the funeral. The Japanese also call it "fasting rice" or "fasting rice". Vegetarianism was originally a Buddhist term. Monks are divorced from secular life and practice strictly. In ancient times, the Japanese also had to fast and avoid offering sacrifices to the gods. The worshippers first enter the fast hut and eat clean cooked food. Wash yourself in the morning and evening, don't shave with a razor, don't take a bath in soup, etc.

There are some idle farmland called "secluded" and "worship" in rural Japan. It is said that it is unlucky to grow crops in these fields. There is also a mountain in Japan called "Don't enter the mountain". It is said that people will get lost when they enter. In addition, there are places where logging is not allowed. If you plant crops in a field called "sick field", the crops will get sick, so this field is often left uncultivated for many years. Generally, Japanese people will not use the ruins of nursing homes, temples and cemeteries for other purposes, otherwise it will bring bad results. In Japan, most of the land that is forbidden to enter or use has small shrines or stones and graves, which are regarded as sacred places.

Up to now, quite a few rural areas in Japan still maintain the custom of not raising chickens or eating chickens or eggs. Izumo's Legend of Sambo Pass is very famous in Japan. It is said that the cock crows in the morning, which can arouse the favor of the gods. All the villages that worship God don't raise chickens. The Japanese here think that chickens are birds that tell the time and messengers of God. Therefore, the average family is not allowed to raise chickens or eat chickens. In addition to chickens, domestic animals that are forbidden to be raised as messengers of God include white horses (God's mounts), white dogs and black cows. In addition, some villages do not raise or eat sheep, catfish, carp and salmon. It is said that they can communicate with each other.

Not planting cucumbers may be the most common crop taboo in Japan. This is because the section of cutting cucumber is exactly the same as the symbol of the small garden god, so it is unlucky to fertilize and eat cucumber. During the festival, even people who eat cucumbers on weekdays must fast. There are many villages from Nagano Prefecture, Japan to North Kanto and Northeast China that don't grow sesame seeds. Legend has it that sesame seeds can sting the eyes of gods and ancestors. Other villages also prohibit the cultivation of plants such as pumpkin, wax gourd, watermelon, taro, eggplant, radish, pea and hemp for the same reason. Some species are forbidden by villages, while others are forbidden by families or clans. Most of the reasons are because these plants are hated by God or are sacrifices of God. In addition, some Japanese families are taboo to grow loquat, fig and camellia in their own homes.

Farmers in kanto region dare not scatter their seeds on the ground when sowing. They call this phenomenon "off the ridge". Legend has it that people who don't eat will die if they do this. There are also many taboos in various workshops. Especially in the mountains and at sea, there are the most taboos. For example, you can't bring marine fish into the mountains to work, seven people can't hunt together, and twelve people can't spend the night in the mountain cabin at night. Mud feet are not allowed to board the boat, singing and whistling on the boat, throwing dried plums into the sea, and bringing soy sauce and vinegar aboard.

Japanese people are afraid to eat with chopsticks. This is because there is only one chopstick in the victim's food. A bowl of rice and a flower are also for the dead, so it is taboo on weekdays. In addition, scooping water out with a spoon with a handle, adding boiling water to the water, talking loudly when scooping water, handing things with a screen and wiping seats with two brooms are all methods used in funerals and taboos in daily life. It is not allowed for two people to sew a dress and sew things with untrimmed thread. When crossing the pot, it is forbidden for two people to pick up vegetables and use chopsticks to pick up vegetables. Japanese people regard eating and living taboos as daily etiquette.

Just as the Japanese taboo to hold various celebrations on the day when the Buddha died and funerals in Ewing, today's Japanese still taboo to build buildings on the "Three Neighbors Death" day in the almanac. Legend has it that building a house on this day will cause disaster and endanger three neighbors. There are also regional regulations that this day is not trustworthy. The Japanese don't do farm work until the fire day, the fire day and the unfamiliar day. You can't build a charcoal kiln on an unclean day. Try to avoid the day when the new ship is launched. In addition, it is also a folk custom that the Japanese can't transplant rice on the first day, harvest wheat on the second day and hold a funeral on the second day.

Japanese people stop working and have a day off to celebrate the worship of gods and buddhas, auspicious days, the first month, Kogasawara Festival and traditional New Year festivals. On the fifth day of May, agricultural labor is prohibited, especially cattle and horses must rest. Fishing is prohibited in fishing villages. In addition, Japanese people are forbidden to go out in July and return to China in September every month. It is also unlucky to go home after the seventh day or three months. There are also many taboos in one day, such as not sewing at sunset, not cutting your hands and toenails at night, not whistling at night and so on.

In Japan, it is said that a woman born in Bingwu will lose her husband. Therefore, it is difficult for girls born this year to find in-laws. Many people use abortion or assassination to settle girls born in Bingwu. The year of Bingwu was a fierce year, and the saying that disasters frequently occurred was introduced into Japan from China. In addition to Bingwu year, girls born in acting year also have the characteristics of "going for a thousand years, returning for a thousand years". Legend has it that they didn't stay at her husband's house for long.

The taboo ages in Japan are 25, 42, 6 1 for men and 19, 33, 37 for women. People of these ages should avoid marriage and pregnancy. Children born to their parents in the year of ErNian are difficult to support. Once abandoned, they can return to normal after being adopted.

◆ Traditional health care methods and treatments

Japan is the country with the longest life expectancy in the world, and news organizations can often interview centenarians. As far as the health law is concerned, some people answer "eat eight points full" and "get enough sleep", but most people answer "no different from ordinary people". It is almost a good wish to live a long and healthy life. Many uncivilized spells and popular beliefs still remain with the Japanese.

The first section of Ekiken Kaibara's famous book "Keeping in good health" published in the third year of Japanese Zheng De (17 13) wrote: "The art of keeping in good health must first get rid of other things, which are internal desires and external evils. Inner desires are the desire to eat, lust, sleep and love words. Emotion, worry, sadness, fear, fear. The external evil is the four qi in the sky, and Feng Yun is cold and warm in summer, with few internal desires. Preventing external evils is to protect the sky forever. " .

Here is a brief introduction to the traditional Japanese methods of praying for health and treating diseases.

Hanging thick rope: There is a common custom called "hanging thick rope" in Nara, Japan. The villagers hung very striking thick ropes at the entrance to the village and the forest. Tie some paper and mustard leaves on the rope. The villagers said that this was done to prevent infectious diseases from entering the village. In fact, this is a kind of large-scale rope (a straw rope hung at the door during the Japanese worship or Chinese New Year), which the Japanese think can prevent disasters and get sick.

In Asuka village, Nara, Japan, big snakes are woven with straw, and people hold big snakes for sacrifice. In Beishijian village near Asuka village, centipedes are woven with razor grass for children to hold as sacrifices. The sacred ceremony held at Sugiyama North Shrine in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture is to lead the snake out of the shrine and throw it into the river. These folk sacrifices can be said to be "hanging rope" activities.

Including the laying ceremony I held on the Mid-Autumn Festival and the first month, the sacrifice using rope nets belongs to a kind of disaster prevention and epidemic prevention by continuous injection of ropes.

Gatekeeper: Every year from 65438 to February 28th, people in kanto region put big-eye cages outside their houses. This custom was recorded as early as in the manuscript of keeping chastity. Legend has it that the demon is a young monk with only one eye, and the big eye cage can deal with it. In Hokuriku, 65438+February 28th is the day of "needle support". People hang a thorny fish in front of the eaves. This kind of fish is called "needle stem root", which is said to ward off evil spirits. On the first day in beginning of spring, there is a custom of hanging giant fish heads and inserting leaves in front of their homes all over Japan. It is said that this is to use the thorns of tung trees and the stench of giant fish to exorcise demons.

In addition to the various types of "gatekeepers" mentioned above, the Japanese also put pieces of paper and mantras on the doors as "gatekeepers". It is said that sticking paper on the door with the words "Town West Four Langliuting", "Sanzuo Liangliusanba", "Pinchuan Linliuuemon" and "If it is as narrow as ten banks of ponytail Uemon" can prevent diseases such as blisters from entering the room. In addition, children's hands are stained with ink, and their handprints are put on paper. It is said that sticking them on the door can drive away whooping cough.

Shou: According to Japan's "Picking up Mustard Copy", the curse of eliminating epidemic disease says "descendants of Su Min are also". This kind of paper can be attached to the body. Preparing for the future tells a story: A long time ago, God Wuta visited the goddess of the South China Sea. It's dark on the road. Two brothers live nearby. My brother Juhuan must be a rich man in the future. He didn't leave Wuta God for accommodation. My brother Su Min will be very poor in the future, but he warmly received the God of Wuta. At this time, God Wuta told his brother that he was the God of Suksuke. If you say that you are a descendant of Sioux people when the plague is prevalent, you won't get sick if you wear a thatched hoop around your waist. According to this legend, the Japanese made a spell of "descendants of Su Min in the future". No matter which Japanese shrine you go to today, you can get all kinds of amulets called "Shou".

Ink mark: A newborn in Aomori Prefecture, Japan goes out for the first time after 40 days. It is said that a black pot bottom is used to draw marks such as "big", "left" and "ten" on the baby's forehead to ward off evil spirits. When Fengyuan people in Shanbian County of Nara County smeared pot black on the baby's forehead, they kept calling "dog" and "dog". When sending ink to children who go out at night, strangers in Staff Sergeant County sang "Son of Yin, Son of Yin". If a child of the same age dies, the family should also mark the child's forehead. It is said that this is also a symbol of "the son of Yin".

People in northeastern Japan like to look at children and draw the word "ten" on their foreheads. Some people say that this is the result of Christian influence. In fact, in the eyes of the Japanese, pot black has a deep relationship with Vulcan and Kitchen God. The amount of ink is to protect Vulcan.

Naming; Japanese believe that the life of a newborn is extremely unstable, so it is particularly important to name the baby. Takizawa Ma Qin quoted some wonderful names in Xuan Tong Yan Fang. For example, Sakamoto's history, the first monk in brocade, Chen Cang's ten shits, Abe's courtier's male shit, lower body shit, courtier's shit, Shimonoseki's shit. "Southern Essays" believes that this name is entirely to ward off evil spirits. There are many children in modern samurai families whose milk names are Heganshiwan and Huruowan. "Pill" means to be discharged like a shit pill (a shit ball) to divert the devil's sight. Japanese ships are mostly * * pills, with the same meaning.

There is a folk saying in Japan that children wear a belt on their sleeves when they go to the toilet, and the umbilical cord must be wrapped around their necks. Japanese people in Beppu, Oita Prefecture think that children with umbilical cords around their necks are lucky. If it's a boy, it's as famous as Kesaji and the city of cassock. If it is a girl, it is called a cassock. In Duojun East Village, Gunma County, such children were named as cassock men, Kesajiji, etc. for the blessing of the Buddha. In the Iida area of Nagano Prefecture, this kind of child is called "Juan Man".

The Japanese in the self-defense area of Nagano Prefecture believe that giving children the name of Lu can make them grow sturdily, so there are many children named Kazunosuke in this area. People in saitama are also used to naming children who feed Kumataro and other wild animals hard for good luck.

Bathroom: Japan has enjoyed bathing since ancient times. Bathing is considered as a kind of pulling. The "Queena Ding Bath" in the New Year and the "Peach Bath" in the dog days are to get rid of the plague. The most famous are the calamus bath on the fifth day of May and the glaze bath on the winter solstice.