Beijingers' "Four Great Families": Fox, Weasel, Hedgehog, Willow — Must Not Hit or Insult Casually

Old Beijingers and people in North China often speak of the "Four Great Families." The Four Great Families refer to four animals: fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake.

Fox is fox, weasel is yellow weasel, hedgehog is hedgehog, willow is snake. In some places they also add gray, meaning rat, together called the "Five Great Families." Elders have some reverence for these things, saying that after many years they become "spirits," have spirituality, repay kindness, and also take revenge.

So there are many taboos. If a yellow weasel enters the house, you cannot beat it with a stick; place something in the corner and politely ask it to leave. If you find a hedgehog in the courtyard, do not touch it, and certainly do not step on it. If you see a snake in the room, say "Willow Immortal has arrived," do not say the word "snake."

Some families place a small spirit tablet in a side room or behind the house, with a piece of red cloth and an incense burner, burning a stick of incense on holidays, not ostentatious, and not telling outsiders.

In the 1940s, a scholar conducted a survey in the suburbs of Beiping and found that this belief was already very common in villages at the time. Later, as cities grew higher and higher, these things gradually diminished.

However, even now, when Beijing elders encounter a yellow weasel burrowing into the courtyard, some will instinctively say: "Don't touch it, let it leave."

#Folklore #网络转载 #北京 #民间信仰