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Gourd
Feb 15th, 2007
Posted by handicraft
Gourd is the fruit of a kind of liana.When fresh and tender,it could be eaten as ;when dried,it makes an ideal container of wter or wine.northern Chinese farmers have the habit of cutting a gourd in two to be used wine containers or ladles.Our ancestors fashioned the gourd into a wind nistrument known as sheng,and the wayfarers loved to carry drugs in a gourd.This gave rise to the old platitude:"i don't know what he has got in his gourd."meaning somebody is wondering what's up somebody else's sleeves.
Because the gourd liana is prolific in fruits and seeds,families have regarded it as a symbol of prosperity since ancient times.Life-like green-glazed ceramic gourds were unearthed along with such burial objects as earthen kettles,ovens and bronze mirrors from a Han tomb dating back to 3,000 years ago.This is a rare case in which gourds were used as burial objects.
In some areas,men and women in love sre still observing the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition to steal gourds from the fields with the desire to have as many children as possible after they get married.
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