In modern society, with the popularization of high technology, every household can say that it has access to tap water, which is really a great convenience for our lives. However, it is difficult to imagine that a few decades ago, people still had to use well water to drink water, of course, some nostalgic people at least think that the well water is still relatively clean compared to tap water, but it is still a little inconvenient in terms of convenience.
Xiaobian also had a chance to see the old man in the family drilling the well when he was a child, when an old man in the family also took a turtle and threw it into the well, at that time Xiaobian did not know what the significance of this move was, but the old man in the family said that there was a big mystery in it? Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, I now know that the old man's back of throwing a turtle into the well is really useful:
Test water quality with turtles
In ancient times, people's daily water was mainly fed by the river water in the village or the water of their own wells, which was the only way for people to get water every day, and every time they drilled a well, they needed huge manpower and material resources.
However, we also know that in ancient times, due to the low level of science and technology, the method of excavating and extracting water was not necessarily scientifically standardized, so it was difficult to ensure that there was a deviation in the process of water extraction, which led to other impurities being mixed in the water.
In ancient times, people would use turtles to throw into the well after digging the well, the deep meaning of which is to use the turtle to "test poison", assuming that the turtle is fine in the water for a few days, then it means that the water quality here is clean and has reached the standard of drinking water, so you can drink with confidence and boldness.
Moreover, in ancient times, people drank water and water in the same well, and it was difficult to guarantee that in ancient times, there would be mountain thieves who used poisoning methods to deal with villagers, assuming that once the turtle was found dead or in poor condition during the process, then the villagers would immediately stop using it.
Good wishes: May the turtle bring good fortune and longevity
Although we now often use words such as "turtle" or "Wang Ba" to often insult each other, in ancient Chinese history, the turtle is a symbol of longevity, for example, many poets in history like to use the turtle's willingness to live a long life to "borrow another five hundred years from heaven", such as Cao Cao's sentence:
"Although the turtle lives, it is still timely"
Among them, it expresses its desire to continue to chase deer in the Central Plains, so in ancient times the turtle is very respected, such as Japan, which was deeply influenced by ancient China, in their culture, "turtle" is a good wish, maybe sometimes you say that he is a "turtle", people still think that you are praising him, and in Japanese culture, the turtle is often given as a national gift to foreign dignitaries.
Therefore, the ancients threw turtles into the well also represented the good wishes for the health and longevity of the villagers, and there is such a story in the "History": it is said that a sacred turtle often lives in Jialin, because it sits here all year round, so wild beasts and so on can not affect here, and there are few disasters.
Although this is a bit of an exaggeration, it also shows the fact that the ancients used turtles to pray for blessings and wishes as a kind of good wishes, just as we often worship our ancestors when we encounter major festivals today.
Turtle longevity and turtle auspiciousness has always been an important part of the ancient turtle cultural beliefs in the mainland, often with the turtle and another animal that symbolizes auspicious longevity, called "turtle crane longevity", in short, people just want to use this simple belief to hope that their lives are relatively better, and hope that the family will not have many disasters and difficulties.
Use the turtle as a sacrifice to pray that Xuanwu can rejuvenate the water
In our ancient Chinese mythology, there are four great sacred beasts: the Eastern Green Dragon, the Western Suzaku, the Southern White Tiger, and the Northern Xuanwu, in ancient Chinese mythology, the four great divine beasts each protect the peace of China, so the four sacred beasts are often said to be "four spirits".
In the legend, Xuanwu is in a position in the I Ching Bagua, located in northern China, and its counterpart is exactly the ancient Chinese water god, so this is the same effect as above, using the turtle to sacrifice the water god, hoping that the water god can protect the peace of the village, and also hope that the water of this well will not be exhausted.
In the ancient Chinese classical mythology, Xuanwu is a turtle and snake homogeneous, in the earliest mythological stories Xuanwu is the evolution of Dayu's father Cang, according to legend in the ancient times of the mortal flood, so the Heavenly Emperor ordered Cang Xia Fan to control the flood, but the Cangzhi water was unfavorable and angered the Heavenly Emperor, so the Heavenly Emperor was angry and beheaded it, and after the death of the carp, it turned into a three-legged Turtle, hoping to protect the human world from flooding again.
This is the early form of Xuanwu, and over time people have associated the turtle with xuanwu, so people throw the turtle into the well in the process, and behind it is a sacrificial culture.
Its purpose is the same as above, that is, it is hoped that the water god Xuanwu will protect one side and bless the village with smooth winds and rains, but also not to let the river dry up.
end
This is why people throw turtles into the well after digging the well, at first this was a cultural belief of people in ancient times, and over time it became a cultural custom with the changes of the times, so behind this seemingly simple action there are still a lot of cultural stories and customs included in it, so I have to admire the wisdom of the ancients.