Why are there one or two "village idiots" in every village in China, as referred to by the elderly as "guardians of the village"?
Introduction
According to archaeology, the Chinese have had sacrificial activities since pre-Qin period. In Han Dynasty, sacrificial culture gradually formed and was recorded. In addition, Buddhism was introduced into China from Han Dynasty, which gave rise to a lot of rumors about various mysterious things in our country. With the development of social civilization, urban construction, technology and other aspects have diluted the theological color, but in the relatively closed rural areas of technology and information, there are still many local customs.
It can be said that there are many stories with mysterious colors in rural areas, but not every event can be explained and explained by science. For contemporary young people, they gradually view folk mysterious things with a broader vision, more emphasis on their local customs and meanings. After all, for young people who have lived in rural areas since childhood, everything in their hometown has long been accustomed; and under the advocacy of developing national local culture in recent years, young people on the Internet can also have more access to strange anecdotes in rural areas. For example, every village has one or two fools, and it seems that it has been so since ancient times. As for this group of people, they are called "guardians of the village" by the old people in the village. What is the reason behind this?
The Story of Guardians of the Village
A netizen from a northern rural area shared that there was a fool in their village. No one knew where the fool came from, but they remembered that many years ago, the villagers suddenly found him sleeping in the village's earth temple, and his daily behavior was mostly wandering around the temple. It is not difficult to see that his intelligence is disabled from both appearance and conversation.
What is strange is that the fool's behavior is very different between red events and white events in the village. If the other party is happy and the host family is distributing candy or food to some old people or fools in the village with the idea of "happy events are good luck", the fool living in the temple never eats it, even if the host family invites him to eat.
On the contrary, no matter which family in the village has a funeral, the fool living in the temple can always be the first to arrive at the host's house and help with the work. Some people even said that the fool already knew and arrived at the house even before the host told the relatives and friends that someone had died in the family. As for how the fool knew that someone had died in that household, almost no one could figure it out. Moreover, at the banquet of a funeral, the fool never wants to eat with others, but rather eats alone and leaves when he is full. The fools in the village are always called "guardians of the village".
The Folk Legend of Guardians of the Village
It should be stated here that in the article, calling the fool in the earth temple does not show any disrespect or discrimination. It is because even the local people do not know his name, and calling him a fool is also to echo the characteristics of being called "guardians of the village" by the elderly in the village. According to folk legends, guardians of the village, also known as "township ghost watchers", are people sent by heaven to guard the spirits of the dead in the folk. The previous life of the township ghost watcher is generally a very bad person, but fortunately, he repented before he died. In order to redeem himself, he voluntarily "lost three souls and lost two spirits, guarding one side" when he was reborn as a human being. Just like in Mr. Lu Xun's work "The True Story of Ah Q," Ah Q was considered to be the "guardian of the village" in the village.
Therefore, almost every guardian of the village looks like a fool, wandering around the village all day, but they are honest and never hurt other people in the village. In history, people generally stay away from this kind of guardians of the village, especially the experienced elderly, that is, do not disturb them. Guardians of the village will die alone and die. Generally, after their death, the old people in the village will take the initiative to organize the people in the village to give them burial.
Conclusion
In fact, for contemporary people, whether you believe in scientific explanations or the mysterious color rendered by folklore, there is essentially not much conflict. Because if we look at the world, there are not many countries with ancient civilizations, and for these countries that have ancient civilizations, they all started from a civilization with mysterious colors. This also fits the process of human evolution, from surviving with bare hands to knowing how to use tools. When faced with inexplicable phenomena in life, such as thunder and rain, humans tend to attribute them to mysterious forces. However, under the development of science, humans have come to realize more truths and the essence of things.
Do you have any "guardians of the village" in your village? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.
