Talk about Tiger Head Shoes

Tiger shoes, as the name implies, are shoes made in the shape of tigers. Anyone who comes to Quzhou to have a baby must wear tiger-headed shoes. This custom has been inherited until now.

Tiger-headed shoes, as one of the traditional handicrafts, are a kind of children's shoes, named after the head of the shoes looks like the head of a tiger. Wearing tiger-headed shoes is a childhood memory of many Quzhou people. One-year-old babies, wearing tiger-headed shoes and learning to walk, used to be a very common picture in Quzhou. In addition to practical functions, tiger-headed shoes have been endowed with a better vision since ancient times: the tiger, the king of beasts, can ward off disasters and evil spirits, and children wearing tiger-headed shoes are safe and healthy.

Tiger head shoes not only have practical value, but also have craft value and folk value. Wearing tiger-headed shoes is not only beneficial to the growth and development of children's feet, but also keeps them warm and safe. Technically, this handicraft manufacturing is beyond the reach of modern science and technology. The appearance of folk art not only endows Tiger Shoes with good aesthetics, but also endows Tiger Shoes with auspicious meaning and the function of exorcism, which represents a deep affection for children.

As far as folk value is concerned, the tiger was described in Ying Shao's Custom Yi Tong Festival in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "The tiger and penis are the first of all animals. Can be frustrated and eat ghosts. " Tigers can not only devour ghosts and deter enemies, but also protect people and gods and bless litmus. These characteristics of tigers greatly cater to people's good wishes of borrowing things to pray, and naturally become the object of people's admiration.

Folk customs such as wearing a tiger hat, wearing tiger shoes, wrapping a tiger's head, covering its mouth with a tiger's head, sleeping on a tiger's headrest, and even naming it after the word "tiger" are strong evidence in this regard. Although, the history of tiger-headed shoes has been unable to be accurately verified. But the custom of sewing tiger's head shoes is still very popular in China. "The first pair of blue shoes (homophonic, that is, immortal), the second pair of red shoes (red can ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters) and the third pair of purple shoes (that is, children who grew up at home)" is about the custom of giving my nephew three pairs of tiger-headed shoes with different colors.

A pair of shoes, tiger's head shoes, not only embodies the wisdom of the working people in China, but also praises the great maternal love, which is a long-term implicit expression of China, and continues and inherits all the blessings and love.

Today, we live in the new century, and all kinds of shoes are dazzling. We can't go back to the days when we wore Melody, and we don't need to pretend to be melodramatic in our memory. However, kindness, reunion, loving mother, dutiful son, peace, auspiciousness and sureness are still the coverage of a happy life. We often say that China's culture is extensive and profound, and how extensive and profound it is, it is derived from bits and pieces.

What needs to be preserved and what needs to be passed on? A pair of tiger's head shoes shows the realism of seeking good fortune and avoiding evil in ancient times, and also carries forward the people's pursuit of peaceful life in China. No matter how the times change, from a historical point of view, these are an inseparable part of China culture, which should always be protected and passed down.