中國民俗文化의 養育禁忌 考察

Abstract

From time immemorial the birth of a child is considered as the most mysterious and significant secret of the mankind. Traditionally the Chinese families are formed on a basis of strong blood ties, the reason by which a number of rituals and customs have been established and observed on the occasion of the birth of new babies who are supposed to reinforce the continuity of family blood relations. In order to raise a new-born child free from demons and illness, so that the child could become later a pillar of the family and of the country armed with the Confucian virtues of loyalty and integrity, the parents are recommended to follow and respect the taboos established to protect the baby for a better upbringing. The origins of these taboos date back to the early period prior to the dynasty of Chin(BC 221), but they were flourished in the eras of Tang(AD 618) and Song(AD 960). Based upon the notion of preferring a son to a daughter, almost all taboos were directed to a baby boy and all rituals were celebrated more for a son than for a daughter. When the taboos were not duly respected, the life of the baby was believed to be in danger and immediate measures should be taken to get rid of the evils. The taboos are in general based on superstitious way of thinking, but in a certain sense some taboos are derived from a scientific point of view, where we can witness the wisdom of the ancient people. That is the reason why some taboos are still observed until today. The present paper will cover three different approaches to the taboos in question: the first approach refers to the rituals for the birth of a child; the second one, the taboos for the family life; and the third alludes to taboos in connection with the eventual contacts that may cause bad effects for the baby. 1. Rituals for the birth: There are several ceremonies to be held on this occasion. The first one is called Choisaeng to wish a happy parturition. Generally flowers, eggs, dates, chestnuts, clothes are offered for the occasion; Bohwi is to announce from the groom's family the joyful news of the birth of a child; Also some ceremonies are held to mark the third day, one full month, and one hundred days of a childbirth. At the third day the child starts to have milk and some kind of food with fish taste, and to take a bath. At the ceremony of one month, the haircut of the new born child will be done and the hair in a red cloth is kept next to the pillow on the bed. And various useful objects for the baby are presented as gifts. At the ceremony of one hundred days, Baekawi (cloths from one hundred houses) is performed and the baby is dressed with a clothes made with different fabrics offered by neighboring families. If the baby wears it, then the child is believed to be grown up with a good health and happiness. For the first birthday of a baby, there is a custom called chojurae (Family members put different objects on the table); the baby is asked to choose any one of them. Whatever he picks up, his future is believed to have in a certain way a connection with the object. The purpose of these rituals is to avoid evil forces and to wish a good health and a bright future for the baby. 2. Taboos for the family life: A name is chosen for a baby in accordance with the family generation or the eight trigram for divination. Sometimes a humble and vulgar name is given to a baby in order that the child could enjoy a sound and healthy life in the future. For the same purpose, the baby is to have a foster father or mother. For the longevity of a child, the blankets for the baby's bed are made with the clothes worn by an old man. The baby is required to take bath as often as possible and is recommended to wear very thin jacket without pants. The baby's clothes are not to be taken out of the room in the night, because of an old tale of a night bird that used to hunt and take away new born babies. Breast-feeding is considered to be very important and therefore mother's health should be carefully checked. The noises, strange people, a strong ray of sunshine and of lamps should be avoided from the baby. One should not scratch the sole of a foot of the child. All these taboos are to protect the child from any sort of harmful surprises. Knives or hatchets are not supposed to be put near the bed and no one should shake the empty cradle. The baby should not be put near water and fire. 3. Taboos related to eventual contacts that may cause bad effects: Sangmo (the god of upbringing) is the one who is believed to take care of giving instructions to the baby and showing the beautiful landscapes of the country while the child is sleeping. If the child is awaken abruptly, the baby will become dull- brained in the future, due to the interruption of the Sangmo's care. If the face of the sleeping baby is painted with dyestuff, the spirit will not be able to return to the baby. In consideration of the psychological phenomenon of Haeum (In Chinese the characters A and B are different, but they may have the same pronunciation. And when one speaks of A, the negative image of B may be appeared in one's mind, due to the same sound. The Chinese people make use of this phenomenon to defend or protect from a bad omen.) one should be extremely careful with the use of language. When a baby is born, a particular decoration will be placed at the door of the house to announce the birth of a baby and, at the same time, to advise people not to come to visit the house. The house should be free from the access of rats, grasshoppers and the spoils of hunting. One should not take the baby out of the house in the night and puppet shows are not recommendable for the child.