Recently, the news of "nephew's haircut in the first month of the year was actually the death of the uncle and the defendant in court" instantly climbed to the top of the hot search list of major social platforms, which caused the majority of netizens to boil their blood fiercely**: Where does the ancient proverb "shave your head and kill your uncle in the first month" originate? Can the New Year's Moon be a haircut by word of mouth?
After an in-depth visit, it was found that many authoritative experts made it clear that the common name of "shaving his head and killing his uncle in the first month" has no scientific basis, and its source is very likely to be changed by individual circulars. It is worth noting that for those good essences that are truly contained in traditional customs, we should stick to their original appearance and actively inherit and carry them forward, while those parts that are obviously feudal bad habits need to be resolutely discarded.
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So, where does this ridiculous legend come from?
Tang Zhiqiang, secretary general of China's 24 solar terms protection and inheritance alliance, gave an intriguing analysis of this, he pointed out that there is a view that when the rulers of the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, they forcefully launched the policy of "shaving their hair and making it easy to wear", which caused strong resistance and resistance among the general public, causing the people to begin to spread the saying that not shaving their heads in the first month of the new year was a "nostalgic" move, and then after several generations of oral transmission, it gradually evolved into a vicious rumor that "the first month shaved his head and killed his uncle". This interpretation is tinged with historical nationalism. Meng Lingfa, an associate professor at the School of Law and Sociology at Chongqing Technology and Business University, also made a detailed analysis of this issue, arguing that the meaning of "thinking of the old" was falsely rumored to be "dead uncle" and was widely spread, which may be closely related to the cognitive background of ordinary people in ancient times.
He said with deep feeling: "In the traditional ethical concept, family affection is always the first, which makes people generally believe that 'the mother and uncle are big', and as time flies, the rumors of 'the first month shaved the head and killed the uncle' have become more and more infamous, so the reputation has spread far and wide." He further added.
Every year on the eve of the Lunar New Year, people celebrate in various ways, such as getting a haircut in the lunar month, hoping to usher in the arrival of the Spring Festival with a new image. At the same time, it is also generally believed that scissors tools must not be used during the first month, so as not to attract quarrels.
Based on all of the above, Meng Lingfa gave his own opinion, according to the "Yellow Emperor's Neijing", the first month is just when the temperature is warming up and everything is sprouting. The ancients paid great attention to timely health, advocating going to bed early and waking up immediately to allow hair to grow naturally. It may be this environment that has contributed to the prevalence of the phrase "it is not suitable for haircuts in the first month".
In addition, Tang Zhiqiang also shared a mysterious folklore, it is said that the first month should be the month of "Uncle Si", which means respect and nostalgia for his uncle, but unfortunately due to many factors such as vague voice and miscommunication, "Uncle Si" gradually evolved into "Uncle Death", thus making haircuts a forbidden area that everyone avoids.
Tang Zhiqiang firmly believed that the feudal superstitious theory of "shaving his head and killing his uncle in the first month" was purely illusory, and his personal rational behavior should still be taken for granted as usual. When dealing with traditional culture, we should uphold the attitude of "taking the essence and removing the dross", only in this way can we better inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional customs, distinguish the dross with a wise eye, and completely eliminate it.
There are many other "taboos" in the ancient style of the first month, and Meng Lingfa tells us about them, such as avoiding negative words and cruel words during the Spring Festival, the seventh day of the first lunar month is the day of the birth of human beings, and parents who discipline their children on weekdays also need to follow the rules at this time, etc. However, with the changes of the times and the progress of science and technology, more and more stereotypes and bad habits have been forgotten in the long river of history, intentionally or unintentionally.
Screenshot of Weibo.
As for why the concept of "February 2, shaving the dragon's head" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, in fact, this folk custom has a profound cultural heritage in China, and it is precisely because of this that there is a popular proverb of "February 2nd shaving the dragon's head", which is a good story that has been passed down for centuries.