Listen to the entertainment discipline
Editor丨Listen to the entertainment discipline
As the saying goes, everyone has a love for beauty.
For girls, wearing flowers on their heads is a very common thing, and everyone who sees them will praise them. But if a man wears a flower on his head, our first reaction when we see it must be a hilarious laugh.
However, if you pay attention to the portraits of the ancients, you will find that hairpins on men's heads seem to have become a very common thing since the Tang Dynasty.
So why do they put hairpins on their heads? Is it just for the sake of looking good? In fact, the hairpins on men's heads really have a lot of origins!
The origin of hairpins
Hairpin flowers, a decorative way of inserting flowers into a bun or hat, have a deep historical background in ancient Chinese history and culture.
Its origin can be traced back to ancient times, and with the development of the times, the meaning and form of hairpin flowers have been constantly enriched and changed.
In ancient times, people lived in nature and had an intimate relationship with nature. As a part of nature, flowers are loved for their beautiful form and fragrant aroma.
At that time, people may have begun to experiment with putting flowers in their hair or hats as a simple decoration, perhaps simply for the sake of beauty or as a sign of reverence for nature.
In the pre-Qin period, with the gradual civilization of society and the formation of the etiquette system, the hairpin flower gradually rose from a simple decorative act to a symbol of etiquette and culture.
The Han and Tang dynasties were the peak period of the development of Chinese culture and the prevalent period of hairpin flower Xi.
During this period, hairpins were no longer just for women, and men began to use hairpins extensively as decoration.
Especially on some important occasions, such as weddings, celebrations, etc., hairpins are an indispensable decoration.
The types and forms of hairpins are also more diverse, not only from flowers, but also from metal, jade and other materials.
During the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, the Xi of hairpins was further inherited and developed.
During this period, hairpins not only continued to play a decorative and symbolic role in various important occasions, but also began to be endowed with more cultural connotations and symbolic meanings.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, there were a large number of descriptions of men's hairpins in "Water Margin", showing the aesthetic concept and cultural atmosphere of the society at that time.
The emperor also loved hairpins
In the Song Dynasty, whether you were an emperor or an ordinary person, a flower on your head was a symbol of fashion! This is not a casual statement, and men at that time even felt embarrassed to go out without wearing a flower on important days.
Although the Xi of wearing flowers existed before the Song Dynasty, it was mainly worn on special occasions, such as marriage and middle lifting.
But in the Song Dynasty, this thing became popular, and whenever they were in a good mood or had something to celebrate, everyone would wear flowers on their heads.
Mr. Su Shi has a poem: "People are not ashamed of old hairpins, and flowers should be ashamed of the old man." ”
However, don't think that this is just for the pursuit of fashion, there is a deeper reason behind it! That is, the influence of the emperor's authority, even the emperor takes the lead in wearing flowers, can the officials and people below not follow suit?
At that time, the imperial examination was a major event, and the people who held the imperial examination would receive flowers from the imperial court.
After Sima Guangzhong was raised, the emperor gave him flowers, which he didn't want to wear, thinking it was too luxurious.
But when others told him, "This is a flower from the emperor, how can you not wear it?" This invisibly recognized the emperor's authority.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, men liked to wear flowers.
It is recorded in the "Qingbo Magazine" that when the men admired the peony in full bloom, they would also "fold the song to insert it" while drinking and having fun, which shows their love for wearing flowers.
The Xi of wearing hairpins in the Song Dynasty was not only a fashion trend, but also a ceremonial system.
It embodies people's yearning and decoration for a better life, and also plays an important role in maintaining the etiquette system, so if you travel to the Song Dynasty, don't forget to put a flower on your head!
There is also a need for what kind of flowers to wear
In the Song Dynasty, the Xi of hairpins was closely linked to the season, and people would choose the corresponding flowers according to different seasons and festivals.
People in the Song Dynasty would choose to wear flowers such as dogwood, hibiscus, roses, etc., which were brightly colored and fragrant, just in line with the breath of spring.
In summer, when the sun is scorching, people will choose some fresh and elegant flowers to cool off, such as jasmine, peony and so on. These flowers not only bring a touch of coolness to people, but also add an elegant temperament.
When autumn comes, chrysanthemums become people's favorites. Chrysanthemums not only symbolize the harvest and maturity in autumn, but also symbolize people's optimistic and tenacious spirit.
In winter, the flowers are gone, but the plum and apricot blossoms still stand proudly on the branches, which is the highlight of the season. Therefore, this season, people choose to wear plum blossoms and apricot blossoms as a way to praise the perseverance and indomitable spirit.
In addition to the flowers of the four seasons, people in the Song Dynasty would also choose the corresponding flowers according to different festivals. For example, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people will choose to wear osmanthus flowers to express their feelings of missing their loved ones.
During the Spring Festival, people will choose to wear red flowers, such as red grass, red grapes, etc., to pray for prosperity and good luck in the new year.
In the Shangyuan Festival, people will hairpin on the jade plum, in the beginning of spring, they will hairpin on the snow willow and spring flags, in the afternoon festival, people will hairpin on jasmine, on the Double Ninth Festival on the hairpin chrysanthemum, in winter, people will put the dried flower hairpin on the head, called "flower wax".
The Xi of this hairpin flower was popular not only among the people, but also in the court, so it was also popular among folk women to wear flower crowns.
In order to meet this demand, specialty stores have appeared in the market that specialize in selling flower crowns, and there are also special craftsmen who work on the work of repairing crowns, because flower crowns are very delicate and easily damaged.
In addition to hairpins, women in the Song Dynasty would also use flowers to decorate their buns and hair, and they would insert flowers into the bun or decorate the headband with flowers to make the whole hairstyle look more beautiful and moving.
The custom of wearing Xi hairpins and flowers in the Song Dynasty not only reflects people's love and awe of nature, but also expresses their yearning and pursuit of a better life, Xi which is not only an aesthetic performance, but also a cultural inheritance.
The disappearance of hairpins
As a traditional decorative and ceremonial element, hairpins were once very popular in history, and with the passage of time, the popularity of hairpins gradually declined in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and almost disappeared in the Qing Dynasty.
With the development and progress of society, people's aesthetic concepts and lifestyles have changed.
In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, with the rise of literati and scholars and the prosperity of market culture, people paid more attention to restrained and subtle beauty, and gradually lost interest in overly ostentatious and ostentatious decorations.
As a conspicuous decoration, hairpins were gradually seen as too flashy and tacky, and no longer conformed to the aesthetic standards of the society of the time.
Of course, economic factors also had an impact on the disappearance of hairpins, and with the development of the commodity economy and the prosperity of the market, all kinds of new decorations and luxury goods continued to emerge.
People have more choices, and they are gradually losing interest in traditional hairpins.
The production of hairpins requires a lot of time and labor costs, and with the rise of labor prices and the increase in costs, the production and sales of hairpins have gradually become difficult, which further accelerates the disappearance of hairpins.
However, with the entry of the Manchus into the Central Plains and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the court culture and etiquette system underwent major changes.
The Manchu rulers reformed and banned the traditional Xi customs and culture of the Han to a certain extent, and the hairpin, as a traditional Xi of the Han people, gradually lost its status in the Manchu court.
The dress code of the Qing Dynasty also restricted the use of hairpins, making them almost extinct in the Qing court.
Cultural diversity and inheritance have also had an impact on the disappearance of hairpins, and although the Xi of hairpins has gradually disappeared in mainstream society, the tradition of hairpins is still preserved in some regions or groups of people.
Although the Xi of men's hairpins in modern society has disappeared, we should remember this history, inherit this culture, and let the beauty of ancient hairpins remain in people's hearts forever.