Why do you worship the silkworm god instead of other insects when you are full?

? Almost full. On this day, many places have had the custom of offering sacrifices to the silkworm god since ancient times. This is the problem. Why not other insects? It can be traced back to the basic economic structure of ancient agricultural society in China-men plowing and women weaving, which is also the main survival factor of agricultural society. One is farming, and the other is raising silkworms for reeling. It can be seen that silkworms are very important to the life of ancient ancestors, so they are revered and deified. Other insects don't have this function, and they may even be pests, so people naturally don't worship them.

Then why choose Xiaoman season to worship the silkworm god? In fact, the temperature near Xiaoman is suitable, which is a good time to raise silkworms. The lukewarm temperature, coupled with the growth of mulberry leaves, is very comfortable for silkworm babies. The thinking mode of the ancients always attributed the development law of all aspects of life to the will of the gods, so it is not surprising to choose to worship the silkworm god in Xiaoman season.

There is a saying among the people that the silkworm god is Leizu, the original wife of Xuanyuan Huangdi. It is said that she is not only beautiful, but also invented sericulture reeling, so there is a saying that Lei Zu started sericulture. Therefore, the silkworm god worshipped by people is actually Lei Zu, not a simple insect.

There are many versions of folklore about the silkworm god, which are also recorded in ancient books such as Shan Hai Jing and Sou Ji Shen. One of the more famous sayings is that the silkworm god is a woman in a horse's skin. This is Matou Niang:

According to legend, in ancient times there was a woman whose father had been away from home for a long time, and she was very worried. She swore that whoever could bring her father back would give her life. As a result, the favorite white horse in the family took great pains to get her father back. Father refused to marry a white horse for his daughter, and even tore off the horse skin and hung it in the yard. The family turned around and finally got what they deserved. One night, the wind was very strong, and the horse skin flew and took the girl away. The family looked everywhere, but there was no trace. A few days later, they found something strange in a tree. Take a closer look and suddenly it's your own daughter! Women and horse skins are closely linked and become silkworms! Because the woman died here, the tree was called mulberry after it was lost. This girl in horse skin is regarded as a silkworm god, and because her head is like a horse, she is also called Matou Niang.

There are many versions of this legend alone, all of which are slightly different. Various folklore also adds many mysterious and strange colors to the silkworm god. But in any case, Xiaoman's worship of the silkworm god is a long-standing folk custom, and it has even evolved into a sense of ritual, and it has become a festival for praying for silkworms, and it is also for placing good wishes.