Cloth tigers originated from tiger totem worship. In primitive society, wind, thunder and lightning, wild animals haunt, and the fragile and powerful tiger of human beings is regarded as the strong one in the world.
Tigers are not only brave and invincible, but also give special protection to their cubs. There is a folk saying that "tiger poison does not eat children". Therefore, people regard the tiger as the god of life protection and reproduction. Cloth tigers are more common with double-headed tiger pillows, which is the expression of tiger worship custom in folk customs and contains profound cultural connotation.
The double-headed tiger pillow is a symbol of the combination of yin and yang, which can dispel disasters and protect the safety of dolls. The one-headed tiger, the crouching tiger and so on are the totem tigers in the town house as the protectors of the whole family.
Extended information:
Related legends
Cloth tigers are mainly produced in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. It has spread in 17 cities in Shandong, especially Weifang, Linyi, Binzhou, Jiaozhou, Jining and Zaozhuang. There are many different versions of the legend about the origin of the cloth tiger everywhere.
A more consistent statement is that according to Shan Hai Jing, it is said that there is a big peach tree on Dushuo Mountain in the East China Sea, whose branches bend and stretch for 3, miles, reaching the Ghost Gate in the southeast, through which all the ghosts and gods in the cave will go in and out. Under the tree, there are two brothers and two gods, named shentu and Yu Lei, who are extremely powerful and skilled.
The two brothers tamed the tigers on the mountain and ordered them to take care of the peach trees. Through their hard work, the peach trees are flourishing. Seeing that the peaches are about to mature, a group of evil spirits rushed up the mountain in an attempt to snatch the peaches. The two brothers commanded the tigers to fight with the ghosts. The elder brother knocked the ghosts down with a peach stick and the younger brother tied them with a reed rope.
knock one over, tie one up, and the tiger will eat one! In a short time, most of the evil spirits were eliminated, and the rest of the evil spirits saw a genial smile and fled in a mess. The battle was won, and the names of shentu and Yu Lei spread all over the world. The tiger's fame has also been greatly shocked, becoming the king of beasts and the nemesis of evil spirits. It is a symbol of strength and courage and is regarded as a beast by ancestors.
in addition, in folk dialects, "tiger" and "blessing" are homophonic, which have cultural connotations such as blessing, town residence and making money. Therefore, tiger-shaped objects are often used by people to ward off evil spirits.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Cloth Tiger