What is the meaning of "grasping the week" in ancient fertility etiquette?

The custom of "grasping Tuesday at the age of one" has been circulating among the people for a long time. Song? Wu, did you dream? "Education" contains: "His family in nave lists brocade seats, burns incense and holds candles, gold and silver seven treasures toys, study books, Taoist scriptures, scale knives and scissors, handkerchiefs, colored satin flowers, official money, needlework for women workers, applications and playthings, but Zhou Xiaoer put them in the middle seat, which shows what he picked first. Song? Meng Yuan Lao, Tokyo Dream China? Yukon called it "a gift for children".

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, this kind of children's "Catch Tuesday" ceremony was still popular in Beijing. Although the children didn't set up a tent to hold a banquet and put up invitations to treat them, all the closest relatives congratulated and gathered together. Generally speaking, we don't give big gifts (such as wedding gifts and gold and silver jewelry) but just buy some cakes, food or toys for children. In addition, it is customary for elders to tie coins with a white thread when they first meet children, which is called "hanging thread". This gift is also suitable for ordinary times.

The ceremony of "grasping Tuesday" is usually held before eating "longevity noodles" at noon. Rich people who pay attention to some things should display major cases in front of their beds (on the kang), and put them on: seals, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism classics, pens, ink, paper, inkstones, abacus, coins, account books, jewelry, flowers, rouge, food, toys, shovels (cookers). Due to economic constraints, ordinary families tend to simplify, using only one copper tea tray. Girls plus pendulum: a shovel, scissors, ruler. Adults will take the child to sit up without any inducement, let him choose and see what he catches first and then what he catches. In this way, we can predict his interests, future and future career.

If the child catches the seal first, it means that when he grows up, he will take advantage of God's grace and prosper in his career. Grasping stationery first means that when you grow up, you will be eager to learn, and there will be splendid articles, which will eventually be ternary harmony; If a child grasps the abacus first, it means that he will be good at managing money when he grows up, and will become the career of Tao Zhu. If a girl first masters sewing utensils such as scissors and rulers or cooking utensils such as shovels and spoons, it shows that she is good at housework when she grows up. On the contrary, children should not be dismissed as "delicious" or "playful" on the spot when they grab food and toys for the first time. They should also say that "children will have a good mouth and be good at eating, drinking and having fun when they grow up". In a word, the elders have high hopes for their children's future, so it's good to bless them when they are one year old.

Based on the grasp of children's week, this paper objectively tests how birth mothers, nannies and wet nurses lead children and how to carry out enlightenment education. Therefore, some parents are not superstitious, but they still advocate that children should pay attention to their ears, which is one of the reasons why this custom has been circulating among the people for a long time.

Date: When the baby is one year old.

Significance: Celebrate the baby's first birthday and worship the ancestors. Grandma will also send him a head-to-tail gift (gold ornaments and clothes from head to toe) and a red turtle shell to congratulate him.

Supplies: rice screen, book, seal, pen and ink, abacus (calculator), coin, chicken leg, pork, ruler, onion, celery, garlic, straw, sword, receiver, etc.

Conduct a ceremony: worship ancestors, tell ancestors that the baby is one year old, and pray for the healthy growth of the baby. After the worship, prepare a rice sieve in front of the altar and put 12 ~ 14 items into it. Suggested books, seals, pen and ink, abacus (calculator), coins, chicken legs, pork, rulers, onions, celery, garlic, straws, swords, receivers, etc. The following are the occupations and meanings represented by each item. You can also add some new age items, such as mice.

Then let the baby sit in the center of the rice screen and let the baby grab it at will, so as to predict the industry and fate that the baby will choose in the future.