Jiangxi people's favor for "Lao Biao" has a long history, and the earliest statement may be traced back to the totem era. According to the examination, "table" refers to the wood of the old times, such as "Twelve Years of Gong Xuan": "The corpse will be collected under the wood tomorrow." Du Note: "Table refers to wood." However, the excavation of Wucheng site in Qingjiang River reveals that there are "hundreds of column holes of different sizes, mostly arranged in rows or staggered" in the laterite altar in Shang Dynasty. This is obviously the primitive fetishism totem pole belief of Dongyi ethnic group in the Jianghuai valley and the extension area of the south of the Yangtze River. From the middle of Shang Dynasty to the end of Warring States Period, Lao Biao was recorded in writing. Therefore, "Lao Biao" is the vernacular expression of totem list, and it is the memory residue of totem impression of Jiangxi ethnic group.
Although such totem tracing can push forward the origin of "Lao Biao", after all, it involves many ancient documents and historical research, and few people can understand and accept it. Ordinary people are more inclined to understand "cousin" as a cousin according to today's way of thinking. But is it the cousin of Jiangxi province or the cousin relationship between Jiangxi and neighboring provinces? Legend has it that there are two flowers, one for each table.
Westerners like to call themselves "old cousins", and foreigners also use "old cousins" to express their affection and welcome to Jiangxi people. Therefore, Jiangxi people are born with a subconscious attachment to their cousins, especially in respect for uncles, which is unmatched by outsiders.
In fact, as early as the early days of matriarchal clan system and paternal clan system in primitive society, there were natural rights and obligations between uncle and nephew because of the confusion of gender relations. My uncle, as the closest male elder of my niece, bears the responsibility of raising and educating the next generation together with my sister. When I get old, my niece will support me, my position (chief, priest, etc. ) and my personal property will be inherited by my niece. In many places, there is still a saying that "the thunder Lord is in heaven and the uncle is underground", which is a remnant of the matriarchal clan system, but there are many ceremonies in Jiangxi that retain this tradition of "respecting uncle".
Take Ganzhou wedding as an example. My nephew is married and my uncle is the guest of honor. On the wedding day, my uncle will hang a wooden plaque (now replaced by a glass mirror) in a conspicuous place in the hall, and write the nephew's name and auspicious words. When hanging up, my uncle still needs to keep saying good wishes. This ceremony is called registration card.
Also, Hakka people have the custom of sending their daughters away when they marry them. Among married people, the most important thing is to marry my uncle, that is, the bride's younger brother (usually the youngest brother), which is an essential person. If you have no younger brother, please go with your closest cousin. The task of sending a married uncle is to give my sister a money bag (formerly a money box). Before marriage, the bride should cry to her parents, relatives and friends, and the money from crying will be put in this money bag. According to Hakka regulations, the bride is not allowed to go out with her family's money when she gets married, so she can only let her brother take the purse. My uncle is a guest among guests and a VIP among VIPs. The groom should show special respect and enthusiasm to him and dare not neglect him. Seeing my uncle off will not enter the man's house at the same time as my sister. After the bride and groom worship heaven and earth, the groom's family will go out to meet him and give him a big red envelope at the same time. Some people are naughty or want to get more red envelopes, so they always wander outside for a long time. When the groom's family sees my married uncle coming in, they will immediately serve him a bowl full of dishes. In addition, if the groom wants to get the money bag, he has to wrap several red envelopes. When giving a banquet, the man's family should have the etiquette of sitting in the right place. There is no doubt that wedding uncles, regardless of their age, should sit at the banquet. An Xi can also play the flute and set off firecrackers, and some of his wedding uncles will hide at this time. After the groom looks around and finds it, he will be seated after wrapping the red envelope. When the bridal chamber is in trouble, my uncle usually accompanies my sister. After the rioters in the bridal chamber dispersed in the dead of night, some married uncles, especially the young ones, would stay there and refused to leave, saying that they would sleep with their sisters. At this time, the groom will make great efforts to lure his uncle away with a red envelope, both hard and soft. At this time, the groom and the man's family must endure no matter how impatient they are. It fully shows that Jiangxi people dare not be vague about their uncle.
Moreover, whenever there is a banquet, every table of the Eight Immortals must be seated as long as there is an uncle present. This kind of cousin relationship is recognized by the whole society.
Jiangxi people really like the lovely name "cousin", warmly welcome guests from all over the country and act as the "cousin" role of the people of the whole country!