What is this bracelet made of?

Peach wood is also called "fairy wood". It is the most widely used material to exorcise evil spirits and create ghosts. Peach trees have such magical power, which is rooted in the mysterious concept that peach trees are afraid of ghosts.

1) peach board. Also known as "peach version", "peach symbol" and "peach symbol board", they are used in pairs. The image of the Shen Tu brothers (legendary exorcists) is painted on the board to suppress the evil soul. Of course, as we all know, it has gradually evolved into the present "Spring Festival couplets" and "couplets". 2) peach seal. Also known as the "Peach Seal", it is a button carved from peach wood and painted with red, blue and Huang San colors. Black and white, spells to ward off evil spirits, and perforated buttons. During the Dragon Boat Festival, you only need to tie the peach seal on the door or between the curtains with colorful ornaments to drive away evil spirits and ghosts.

2) Peach service. Ornamental objects made of mahogany are melon-shaped, multi-edged, engraved with inscriptions, and the content is mostly to pray for soil disaster. The usage method is to wear it on the body in the first month of the summer calendar. According to History of Han Poetry, this custom was popular in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the later mahogany system was its legacy.

3) Ren Tao. Also known as "peach stalk" and "peach puppet", it is an aversion to victory carved with peach stalks. Shaped like a human figure, the size is arbitrary. The way to use it is to stand by the door on New Year's Eve in the summer calendar or ward off evil spirits in Zheng Dan. According to the records in Zhuangzi and Warring States Policy, this custom was popular in the Warring States Period. Ren Tao is also used in the folk custom of building houses in some areas. The solution is to open a small hole between the door wall or the beam and column and let a small group of people in. In the past, people thought it could ward off evil spirits and keep the house stable.

4) peach pit. Intercepting the branches of peach trees without treatment is a ready-made ghost. "Zhuangzi" said that when a child puts a stick in front of his house and is not afraid to enter the house, the ghost will be scared away. In addition, the ancients also bathed with peach branches, thinking that they could ward off evil spirits. The officials of Buddhism and Taoism string them into hand beads and Buddha beads to facilitate seating and timing, and the space is purified.

5) Pink bow. Also known as "peach arc", it is made of peach wood, which is used with the arrow shape made of thorns. Zuozhuan? In Zhao Gong, there was a ceremony of "peach-arc arrow to eliminate its disaster" for four years. The meaning of "disaster" seems to be broader than the concept of ghost. Now some places also have the custom of hanging bows and arrows at the gate.

6) before the peach. The magic weapon made of peach branches and ears of grain looks like a broom. There are ominous records in Zuo Zhuan, Book of Rites and Zhou Li that picking peaches is useless. There are two occasions in front of peaches: mourning and killing animals to get blood. The ancients thought that things about the dead were always associated with ghosts and the like. Before hanging the dead, it is necessary to use town objects to ensure that the living are not infringed, and Tao Qian has the right to kill ghosts. Killing a sacrifice, taking blood and swearing, but also afraid of ominous, Taofeng plays the role of being removed. In ancient times, most of the people who picked peaches before holding them were officials such as Wu Shi, but later they gradually became a tool of Taoism before picking peaches, that is, the predecessor of blowing dust. 8) Taojian. This should be the most familiar usage. It is a magic weapon of "catching ghosts" or "splitting ghosts" made of peach wood, which is used in conjunction with "peach seal" and reed rope. This is already in the hands of the Taoist priest with a bull's nose, but the righteousness comes from the ancient people's belief in the power of peach wood to kill ghosts. Nowadays, exorcism is generally emphasized, which is one of the basic magic weapons.

7) Peach soup. There is a description of drinking peach soup to ward off evil spirits on the first day of the first month in the Chronicle of Jingchu. It is not known whether the soup is made of peach, peach gum or peach wood. In addition, there is a method of bathing with peach soup in folk witchcraft to solve the mystery of ghosts.

Avoid evil, fierce, happy and auspicious.

People in ancient China believed that peach wood had magical power, so during the Spring Festival, they cut peach wood into human shapes (peach people), cut peach wood into boards (peach boards), carved peach wood into seals (peach seals), and tied peach branches into brooms (peach purlins). And hang them by the door to avoid bad luck. This is the so-called "hanging peach symbol".

Why did the ancients think mahogany could ward off evil spirits? According to ancient records, where Shen Tu and Lei Yu, brothers in charge of all kinds of ghosts, live, there is a huge peach tree, which is the "gate of hell" for all kinds of demons to enter and exit. The two brothers usually sit on both sides of the gate of hell. If they find evil spirits, they will kill them with peach sticks, then tie them with reed ropes and throw them into the valley to feed the tigers. Peachtwood is their weapon against evil spirits.

Besides, in the famous story of "Kuafu Chasing the Sun", Kuafu, a giant who raced with the sun, was badly burned and extremely thirsty. He lost his life on his way to Daze in the north. Before he died, Kuafu threw his wand into the air and turned it into a peach grove. There are many fresh peaches on the tree. Kuafu hopes that future generations can conquer the sun like him, because there are peaches on the roadside. It can be seen that peach wood has long been a very useful "Shenmu" in the minds of ancient ancestors.

The custom of hanging peach charms later evolved into only writing the names of Shen Tu and Lei Yu on the mahogany board, or just drawing some charms, called "carving peach charms". Fu Tao's inscriptions developed into antithetical sentences, warning sentences and auspicious sentences in the Tang and Five Dynasties, which is the origin of Spring Festival couplets.

Fu Tao has also evolved into a keeper, especially in rural areas. During the Spring Festival, in addition to posting Spring Festival couplets, you should also post a door god. Spring Festival couplets are pasted on the left and right door frames, and door gods are pasted on the two doors. As for the portrait of the gatekeeper, besides Shen Tu and Lei Yu, in the Tang Dynasty, Zhong Kui, the ghost king, was added. At this point, the mythical color and folk cultural significance from mahogany have also been more widely used.