Why should the animal year be a red belt?

The "Animal Year" is a year in which the zodiac signs meet in the twelfth year of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the Zodiac Year. For example, people born in the Year of the Monkey, 2004 is their birth year. In traditional customs, the Year of the Animal is usually considered as an unlucky year. The folk song "Tai sui commits the year of birth, Tai sui takes the lead." Without happiness, there will be disaster "is the best portrayal of the unlucky year of birth." Therefore, people usually refer to the "year of birth" as the "year of threshold", that is, spending the year of birth is like stepping into a threshold. Every animal year, in all parts of the northern Han nationality, no matter adults or children, they should wear red belts, commonly known as "tying red", and children should wear red vests and red shorts, thinking that this is the only way to avoid disasters. This custom is still popular everywhere today. During the Spring Festival, red and yellow ribbons of "auspicious belt" and "auspicious knot" are sold everywhere in the market. People in the Year of the Animal tie them around their waists and wrists, which can eliminate disasters and turn evil into good.

The word "animal year" can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, and originated from China's zodiac and "red worship" mentality. In ancient China, people used the combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches, such as A, B, C, D, Zi Chou and Yin Mao, to remember the year of birth. In order to facilitate memory and calculation, people use twelve kinds of animals, such as rats and cows, to correspond to the twelve earthly branches, and one of them is used as a year's zodiac every year. The birth year of the Han nationality is put forward according to the cycle of the zodiac, which is closely related to the zodiac. When a person is born in the lunar calendar, then every year of this zodiac will be the year of his birth. Because of the cycle of the zodiac, every two years, people will meet their own birth years and introduce them in turn. The birth years of life are 2 years old, 24 years old, 36 years old, 48 years old and 60 years old. Many ethnic groups in our country have the custom of attaching importance to the 60th birthday of the elderly, commonly known as "flower armor". Hua Jia is the sixth animal year in a person's life, and it is also the reincarnation of the year of dry support. We should celebrate it well to express people's desire for longevity, health and auspiciousness.

The taboo of "Monument to the Core of Life" has a wide influence among the people. In the folk customs of the north and the south, there is a tradition of hanging red in the animal year to avoid evil spirits and disasters. So people especially love red in every animal year. The emphasis on red in the animal year should come from the worship of red in the traditional culture of Han nationality in China. The concept of red to ward off evil spirits and red auspiciousness has existed since primitive society. Red is the color of the sun, blood and fire. With the changes of the times, this thought of respecting red has not changed. Red couplets, red wedding dresses, red hijabs, red candles, new family red lists for old weddings of Han people, and so on. Whenever and wherever, people should use red to add joy. Han people regard red as a symbol of happiness, success, loyalty and justice, especially red has the function of exorcising evil spirits and protecting the body. Therefore, on New Year's Eve, people put on red underwear early, or wear red belts and some accessories tied with red silk to welcome their birth year. It is believed that only in this way can we avoid disasters. These red things that ward off evil spirits in this animal year are what people often say, "this life is red."

People also have the custom of offering sacrifices to the "god of life" in the year of the zodiac in order to prolong life. The god's view of the core monument of life comes from Taoism. Taoism has absorbed the popular saying of "the stone tablet of life" and put forward the theories of "the stone tablet of life", "the year of birth" and "the year of birth". Anyone born at the age of 60 is called the core monument of life. Chen Yuan, also known as the animal year. As a local religion in China, Taoism has a natural kinship with heavenly stems and earthly branches and the Chinese Zodiac. As for the core monuments of the God of Life, some places are called "Ming Shou Xing Jun" and some places are called "Chen Yuan", which are collectively referred to as the God of Sixty Children. People born in different years within 60 years, headed by Jiazi Year, can find their own core monument. For example, Yue Fei, a national hero, was born in A.D. 1 103, and the core monument of his life was named "General Wei Rener, not yet mature". Taoism believes that if Chen Yuan is enshrined in the core monument of life, and Chen Yuan is enshrined in the core monument of life in the animal year or the normal year, it will eliminate disasters and gain happiness, which has become a custom that has been passed down to this day.

The animal year should be counted from the first day of the first month. For dogs that passed their animal year in 2006, it is very lucky that next year will be a good animal year. Grasp it well, everything will be smooth and there will be new development. However, although it is an auspicious animal year, don't forget not only to wear red underwear, but also to tie a red rope if it is convenient. Can be tied to the wrist, neck and waist according to personal preferences and habits. Generally, you don't wear a red rope. You can wear it all year round until the New Year comes. Jade ornaments or gold ornaments can be hung on the rope. Although it is especially important to remember that red underwear must be given by others, because it is said that if you buy it yourself, it will lose its function of ward off evil spirits.