Look at what is different about the "Vesta" across the country

Among the traditional customs of Chinese, there is an important folk custom near the Spring Festival, that is, "sending the god of vesta". According to legend, every household has a "Vesta God", watching the world's family affairs, gaining insight into the sufferings of the world, and at the end of the year, they will return to the heavenly court to report. This day is the day of "sending Vesta". So, do you know what Vesta looks like? In the past few years, Yangzhou collector Zhou Xin has collected 68 plates of "Vesta" from all over the country, and the images of various Vesta gods are vivid and interesting.

He has a collection of 68 "Vesta" engravings

Zhou Xin recalled that the "vesta god" was the most "homely" god for Chinese. When I went to my grandmother's house when I was a child, the lintel would be pasted with a note that read "Jiang Taigong has no taboos here", and when you enter the kitchen, you will find that there is a square hole in the wall, which is pasted with the pattern of the god of Vesta, on which it will also be written "The head of the family", next to the words "The heavens say good things, the netherworld to keep peace".

"In the custom of Chinese, sending stoves is an important folk custom. Sending a stove not only pins on the summary of the past year, but also on the good wishes for the coming year. Zhou Xin said.

Over the years, Zhou Xin has been collecting engravings. In the collection world, the engraving collection is still a niche, so it is still relatively easy to collect.

"At the beginning, I collected it myself, ran from north to south, and when I got to an ancient city somewhere, I always encountered some carvings in the antique market. Because it is made of wood, the price is not high compared to gold, silver and jade. Later, I collected more, and the circle also knew that Yangzhou had a special collection of engravings, and if there was a good engraving, he would take the initiative to tell me. Zhou Xin said, "At present, I have collected more than 1,000 engravings, and there are 68 pieces of the 'Vesta God' theme." ”

Each place has its own characteristics

In Zhou Xin's collection, the oldest is a Ming Dynasty "Vesta" plate, the content of which is a "Dingfu Palace" Vesta. Where is the "Dingfu Palace"? Dingfu Palace is the heavenly dwelling place of the "Vesta God". Returning to the heavenly Vesta pattern, he looked relaxed and smiled happily. "This 'Vesta God' map of Dingfu Palace was widely circulated in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and this version of my tablet was carved by the people." Zhou Xin said.

By collecting the "Vesta" plates from various places, it can also reflect the local customs and customs. For example, in the northern version of the "Vesta God", the lines are rough, and the "Vesta God" appears to be bold and majestic. In the southern version of the "Vesta", the lines are much more delicate and soft, and the image of the "Vesta" is also much more gentle and elegant.

Zhou Xin's collection of "Vesta" plates, from Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and other places, Jiangsu also have, he received a pair of "Vesta" plates in Nantong, Yangzhou local but not, probably because Yangzhou's local engravings are mostly text-based, less patterns. The "Vesta" on these plates has different images. For example, a Piece of Sichuan's "Vesta" plate, A4 paper size plate, densely engraved 38 character images, the carver can portray so many images in just a few strokes, it is rare. Reporter Wang Xin Intern Sun Ting