Brief Research On The Folk Custom Of The Tortoise Worship Of Ancient China

Tortoise worship is people's a worship to tortoise. The folk custom of the tortoise worship is the custom caused by the fact that people worship tortoise. Tortoise is one of four fetish of ancient, and tortoise is only real thing in four fetish. The content of the folk custom of tortoise worship includes tortoise's sort, tortoise's divinity and tortoise's symbol meaning. Tortoise has the divinity of characterizing with the king of carapace animal and animal liking shade, longevity, learning the deity, driving evil, huge strength, punishing evil and canonizing goodness, leading breath, showing direction, forecasting flood, changing shape and haunting. It is the symbol of longevity, wealth, predicting lucky, sage, autocratic kingship, authority, glory, incorruptness. Tortoise worship is originated from animal worship and procreation worship. The developing of Tortoise worship includes the developing of tortoise's name, tortoise's form and tortoise's cultural meanings. Tortoise has the cultural meanings as follows: learning deity's herald, a symbol of autocratic kingship, the deity of charging water, the deity of bodyguard, the Zhen Wu deity, the flood predictor, a symbol of glory, a symbol of cowardice and wife nastiness. They have gone through a long developing course. The character of tortoise worship is changing. It is the animal worship and procreation worship, then, developed into totem worship, and then, developed fetish worship. The folk custom of the tortoise of china ever played an important role in social living. It played moralizing, admonition, education, agglomerating, inspiring functions in history of china. The folk custom of the tortoise worship ever posses a very important status in history of china. It is a kind of important folk faith and the outstanding cultural heritage of Chinese nation. Studying the folk custom of the tortoise worship using some theories and methods of folklore, in terms of custom history, and discussing on the questions, such as content, origin, development, nature, function, position, and the meanings, which are helpful for making people have a correct understanding to the folk custom of the tortoise worship and carrying forward national culture and cultivating national spirit.