Customs And Traditions Regarding The Bed

As one of the most important pieces of furniture in daily life, the bed not only reflects the evolution of ancient lifestyles and customs but also embodies many little-known historical anecdotes.

The Bed on New Year's Eve
The bed was decorated on New Year's Eve. *Zhuozhongzhi* (Records of the Inner Court) notes: "On the evening of the thirtieth-the year's end-people exchanged greetings and well-wishes, a ritual known as 'bidding farewell to the old year.' ... Gold and silver ornaments representing the 'Eight Treasures' and Tibetan-style prayer wheels were hung from the bed, or yellow paper money was woven into the shape of a dragon. Sesame stalks were placed at the eaves and pillars, and a hundred bundles of firewood were burned in the courtyard-a practice called 'smoking out the old year.'"

"New Year's Money" at the Bed's Foot
During the New Year's Eve vigil, children and grandchildren would pay their respects to their elders, who would tie coins with colorful thread and place them at the foot of the younger ones' beds; this was known as *yasuiqian* (New Year's money). *Yanjing Suishiji* (Chronicles of Annual Customs in Beijing) records: "Coins were strung together with colorful cords, woven into the shape of a dragon, and placed at the foot of the bed; this was called *yasuiqian*." This indicates that the custom persisted into the Qing Dynasty.

Presenting a "Child" to the Bed on Mid-Autumn Festival
According to *Zhonghua Quanguo Fengsuzhi* (Records of Customs Across China): "On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hengcheng, there was a custom of 'presenting a melon.' For wealthy families where a daughter-in-law had remained childless after several years of marriage, relatives and friends would organize a melon-presentation ceremony. They would select a day to steal a winter melon from a vegetable garden-without the owner's knowledge-and paint a face on it with colors. They would wrap it in clothing to resemble a human figure and have an elder with a long, fortunate life carry it, accompanied by the beating of gongs and the setting off of firecrackers, to the family's home."