A Study of Chinese Festivals' Customs and Legends by Women Study
Date Issued
2003-07-31
Date
2003-07-31
Author(s)
DOI
912411H002049
Abstract
This project will make a research of Chinese Festivals' customs and legends by
means of women study. We will try to analyze the significance of "woman" as a
code in those special days. Most studies indicate that festivals and holidays could
control social orders and adjust people's psychology to health. People enjoy lives at
leisure and expend happily in those special days. But women's affairs are usually
neglected in the essays. Considering about this situation, it is very important to
strengthen woman study in the field of folklore. We will try it in this project by 4
topics：(1) the origin and development of Chinese festivals, searching for feminist
festivals;(2) observing women's manners in festivals which are allowed, animated
and prohibited.(3) analyzing women's group psychology, observing how do they tell
their wishes and desires, openly or secretly;(4) discussing the question of women and
the open space while women can only go outside on festivals. By researching the
“tzoou-chyou”（走橋）、 “jih-ching”（忌針）、 “tou-ching”（偷青）、 “mho-chiou”
（摸秋）and “jih-tzaw”（祭竈） custom , It describes four characteristics of women’s
festival culture. First, the festival custom allows women to enter the public space and
enjoys the holy space and carnival. Second, the festival custom sets up women’s
leisure time by no stitching or sewing to pray being smart. Third, the festival custom
reflects the deep wish in women’s hearts that is to have a baby. It plays with a special
custom called “tou-ching” or “mho-chiou” that means stealing vegetables or
stealing a pumpkin from other’s farm. Fourth, the festival custom usually has
gendered divides. For example, it is an old saying that men don’t pray to the moon
while women don’t pray to the God of kitchen. It really hints that women’s social
position is petty and low. It represents women’s festival culture abundantly and
clearly by these analyses.
Subjects
festival
custom
women study
Lantern Festival
Mid－Autumn Festival
Publisher
臺北市：國立臺灣大學中國文學系暨研究所
Type
report
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