Think carefully, the word "Fu" is actually a form between New Year pictures and Spring Festival couplets. The tradition of sticking the word "Fu" on the Spring Festival can be traced back to ancient Fu Tao and Yichun stickers.
In the Classic of Mountains and Seas quoted by Wang Chong in Lun Heng Ding Gui in the Eastern Han Dynasty, he said that there is a crescent mountain in the sea, and there is a huge peach tree on the mountain. The northeast branch of the peach tree has a ghost gate, which is composed of gods (shēn), teas (shū) and depressions (y ). Based on this, the Yellow Emperor created the custom of exorcising ghosts: "Set up peach people, draw Shen Tu, Lei Yu and tigers at the portal, and hang reeds to ward off evil spirits." This is also recorded in Ying Shao's "Custom Yi Tong Sacrifice Code" in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It can be seen that in the Han Dynasty, every New Year's Eve, people would put up a peach blossom picture in front of their house, draw Shen Tu, Lei Yu and tiger on the door, and hang reed ropes to play a role in "resisting evil spirits".
Door gods are pictures posted on doors in the old calendar and New Year's, which are used to ward off evil spirits, keep house, keep peace, help practicality and bring good luck. Shen Tu, Zhong Kui, Gong Weichi, etc. Are common images of door gods. The picture shows the New Year pictures of Shen Tu and Lei Yu. After several evolutions, the goalkeeper was gradually replaced by the simplified "Fu Zi Doufang".
Because the production of Ren Tao is more complicated, it was gradually replaced by mahogany boards after the Han Dynasty. For example, it is recorded in the Chronicle of Jingchu, the ancestor of the Southern Dynasties: "On the first day of the first month ... the mahogany board was made by households and called immortal wood." Writing a prayer for disaster on the mahogany board, or painting the gods of Shen Tu and Lei Yu, has become a symbol of peaches. This symbol of peach was still popular in Song Dynasty. For example, in the Song Dynasty, Chen's "Guang Ji at the Age of Years" quoted "Miscellaneous Notes at the Age of Years", saying: "The shape of a peach symbol is a thin board, two or three feet long and four or five inches wide. I painted Bai Ze and the like, and the book was written by Shen Tu left, Lei Yu right, or a spring poem. "
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, literati began to inscribe poems on peach symbols, which gradually evolved into later Spring Festival couplets. Song people changed the door gods painted on peach symbols into paper seals, which evolved into door gods paintings and New Year pictures. The earliest existing woodcut New Year picture "Sui Dynasty is graceful and luxurious" is a work of the Song Dynasty.
Writing and printing on red paper instead of writing "auspicious words" on peach symbols is the predecessor of "auspicious words" (including blessings).
The formation of "auspicious words" is also closely related to Yichun stickers (or Yichun Fangsheng). Yichun Post is an auspicious language posted on the day of beginning of spring. There is a saying in the Chronicle of Jingchu: "On the day of beginning of spring, I learned that the ribbon was cut into the shape of a swallow and labeled with the word' Yichun'." Wei Zhuang, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in beginning of spring: "Write Yichun songs diligently, and stick beautiful poems on stationery". At the latest in the Song Dynasty, this auspicious language, which was originally posted in spring to congratulate the Spring Festival, was transferred to the Spring Festival.
In Dream Volume Six written by Wu in the Song Dynasty, it was recorded: "When I was young, I shopped in department stores, painted peach charms to welcome the spring, printed Zhong Kui and Cai Ma on paper horses, and gave them to customers ... December is the end, as the saying goes,' When the moon is poor, the year is over', which is called' except the night'. Scholars, big or small, should sweep the floor, remove dust and filth, clean the family, change the door gods, hang Zhong Kui, nail peaches, stick spring cards and worship ancestors. At night, prepare fragrant flowers to greet the gods and pray for peace in the new year. " Some people think that the "Spring Card" mentioned here is "Yichun Post", because before the Republic of China, the Spring Festival was only called New Year's Day, and things posted on New Year's Day should not be called "Spring Card". The name "Spring Card" may come from Yichun Post in early spring. What does the spring card say? Zhou Bida's Miscellaneous Notes on Yutang in the Southern Song Dynasty revealed some information for us: "Apart from the Japanese, more spring stickers, column couplets, house numbers and Fu Lushou are posted on the porches of the Tang Dynasty." It can be seen that in the Southern Song Dynasty, there may have been a struggle to inscribe happiness, wealth, longevity, wealth and happiness.
The word "Fu" has been circulated among the people in China for a long time, probably because it has rich cultural connotations.
The word "fu" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions means "offering wine on the altar with both hands", which is a portrayal of ancient people's sacrificial activities. In the pre-Qin period, "Fu" refers to the offerings used for sacrifice. For example, in Tianguan, there is a saying that "all people are blessed by sacrifice", in which "blessing" refers to "ancestor", which is a kind of meat shared by all people after sacrifice.
With the development of history and the progress of human civilization, the "blessing" on the physical level has gradually evolved into the "blessing" in the abstract sense, resulting in two extended meanings:
One is extended to mean "shade and protection". Offering rich blessings to gods and ancestors, the original purpose is to get more food, catch more prey and meet the most basic survival needs; From this, the desire to pray for the protection of the gods has gradually emerged, and "blessing" has become an act that people hope to be protected by the gods.
The second is the meaning of "happiness". This is also what we usually call "blessing" today. The Book of Rites Sacrifice System says: "Blessed people come prepared. Those who are prepared, in the name of Baishun, are prepared for everything. " It means everything goes well and everything you need can be realized. In the sixth volume of Everything is done wrong, it says: "Wealth is a blessing for life." The "Five Blessingg" in the "Five Blessingg" that we often talk about is also put forward in Shangshu Hongfan: "First, longevity, second, wealth, third, corning, fourth, virtue and fifth, the end." Among them, "longevity" means longevity, "wealth" means wealth, "Kangning" means health and ease, "goodness" means taking good advice and cultivating good moral character, and "finishing the exam" means dying well. The ancients believed that only those who do good can die well. What China people call "happiness"-personal health and longevity, successful career, peace and smoothness, family harmony, affluent life, affluent population and social stability-are generally included in the scope of Five Blessingg.
Such a scene of family reunion and posting blessings has become one of the symbols of the New Year in modern life.
Being a "blessed" person is the goal that every China person pursues and strives for all his life. During the Spring Festival, every household posted the word "Fu", which is a typical reflection of this desire and psychology of seeking "Fu". Spring Festival is the beginning of a year. At this important moment, the word "Fu" is posted at home, hoping that the new year will be blessed. And the folklore about the origin of "sticking to the good news" explains this psychology well:
Legend has it that there was an illiterate servant in Gongwangfu in Qing Dynasty. One year during the Spring Festival, the word "Fu" was pasted backwards. When Prince Gong Fujin saw this, he was furious and wanted to punish this man. The witty and eloquent housekeeper quickly said to Prince Gong, "Your Majesty, calm down. This is a good sign. It is a blessing' arrival'. Doesn't this indicate your majesty's great happiness? " Prince Gong turned anger into joy and rewarded the housekeeper and profiteers. Later, giving blessings became a custom.
The homonym of "Fu Dao" is "Fu Dao", which is one of the forms of folk "begging for grace". The "witchcraft" of this language reflects people's deep expectations, and posting the word "fu" in the Spring Festival is also the materialized expression of this psychological expectation and desire for happiness.