According to historical records, the Qing army entered the customs and forcibly required the Han people to shave their hair and leave braids. However, the Han people, because they cherished their homeland, agreed not to shave their heads during the first month to show that they would not forget their old emperor and became "nostalgic". As time went by, the word "nostalgic" became homophonic to "dead uncle", and eventually it became a folk taboo that "if you don't shave your head during the first month, your uncle will die if you don't shave your head".
From this point of view, "it is not suitable to have a haircut in the first month", half of it is a traditional concept, and generally it is a far-fetched superstition.
In addition, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine and health care, it is reasonable not to have a haircut during the first month. "Huangdi Nei Jing·Su Wen" records: In the third month of spring, this is called the birth of Chen, the birth of heaven and earth, and the prosperity of all things." In other words, spring is the time when all things sprout and bring out the new, and should not prevent the growth of new things. Corresponding to When it comes to hair, you should let it hang loose and grow freely; it should not be cut, which goes against the spirit of spring.
Old people often say: "The first and fifteenth day of the lunar month are for one year or one month." The first day is a day that symbolizes the restart of things." As the saying goes: "Good luck comes first." Therefore, washing your hair on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month is to wash away the good luck. Extended information
< p>Not shaving your head in the first month refers to the custom of "if you don't shave your head in the first month, your uncle will die if you don't shave your head" in most places in our country; this custom originated around the time when the Qing Dynasty issued an order to shave your hair in the first month in 1644.Shaving your head in the first month. It is a misinformation that not cutting one's hair means "nostalgia for the past". This was a custom that started in the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Qing Dynasty ordered all citizens to cut their hair, and some people commemorated the Ming Dynasty. They did not cut their hair to express "nostalgia", but they could not openly confront the Qing government, so there was a saying that "cutting one's hair in the first month of the lunar month will kill one's uncle" has been passed down to this day. p>
Legend 1
Volume 2 "Customs" of "Ye County Chronicles" published in the 24th edition of the Republic of China revealed the mystery of the custom: "I heard that the old people from Zhuxiang talked about the edict of shaving their heads before Qing Dynasty. It was implemented in the first month of the fourth year of Shunzhi. The system of the Ming Dynasty changed. People shaved their hair to think of the old emperor, so it was called "thinking about the past". We have known each other for a long time, so we mistakenly called him "dead uncle". "Not shaving your head in the first month is originally a "nostalgia for the past".
The first month is the beginning of the year, just like the morning of the day. Not shaving your head for one month in the first month to remember the tradition. It is the time for the village veteran to "shave your hair" I remember wrongly, it was not the first month of the fourth year of Shunzhi, but the sixth month of the second year of Shunzhi. At that time, the regent Dorgon ordered the establishment of mat tents at major intersections such as Qianmen, Di'anmen, and the East and West Archways in Beijing, providing free access to passers-by. Pedestrians were required to have their heads shaved.
The "Order of Hair Shaving" stipulated that all officers, soldiers and civilians should have their heads shaved. Those who hesitated would be considered traitors and beheaded! The imperial court threatened the Han people with death to surrender to the Manchu hairstyle, which made the Han people panic at this moment. Filled with anger, they would rather die than shave their heads, and even shouted: "I would rather be a ghost with a tied hair than a shaver." "However, the neck was not as strong as a steel knife after all, and the Han people were forced to shave their heads in order to put their heads on their necks.
However, the resistance did not stop. Not shaving your head in the first month was a form of resistance. 1644 to 1650 (Shunzhi From the first year to the seventh year), the Italian Wei Kuangguo wrote "Tatar War Chronicles", which recorded the situation of soldiers and civilians in southern China fighting to protect their hair: soldiers and common people took up arms and fought to the death to protect their hair. The struggle was more heroic than fighting for the Ming emperor, not only driving the Qing troops out of their city, but also driving them to the Qiantang River, killing many Qing troops.
In fact, if they Chasing the past, they may regain the provincial capital and other towns, but they did not continue to develop and win, and were only content to save their hair, which is a legend that is difficult for Italians to understand. 2
Han men have grown their hair since ancient times. "The hair and skin of the body are protected by their parents" and they do not dare to damage or move their hair. The punishment for "hair removal" is not among the five punishments. It is also a form of punishment. This practice has been abolished since the Sui and Tang Dynasties by Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms: the hair of underage children was covered with a shawl; when they became adults, their hair was always in a bun. At that time, in order to unify the country. In terms of clothing, the Han people were forced to imitate the Manchus, shaving their heads and leaving braids.
The Manchus were originally a hunting tribe. For the sake of practicality and convenience, a straight line was drawn from both ends of the forehead, and all the hair outside the straight line was shaved off. The hair on the top of the head is braided. This custom has a strong inheritance and will change with time and place. After the Manchus took over the Central Plains, they forced the Han people to shave their heads. "The Han people fought to the death, and many people died, but in the end they were forced to shave their heads, leaving them with "money rat tails."
In this way, those who do not shave their heads in the first month of the year to "remember the past" lose the basis for their existence. In order to resist the rule of the Qing aristocracy, the Han people made up the idea that not shaving their heads for a month in the first month means not shaving their heads for a year, in order to commemorate their ancestors. Remember the tradition. In Chinese tradition, the uncle is a symbol of justice. Generally, the uncle is responsible for justice in family divisions.
Reference: Don’t shave your head in the first month - Baidu Encyclopedia