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Symbolism plays an important role in the daily life of Chinese as they come from:
1) The written and spoken language
2) Ancient cosmological and ancient beliefs
3) Traditional religious ceremonies

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Lucky numbers are based on Chinese words that sound similar to other Chinese words. The numbers 6, 8, and 9 are believed to have auspicious meanings because their names sound similar to words that have positive meanings

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Red - Fire - It symbolizes luck, happiness and joy.
Yellow - Earth - Representing power, royalty and prosperity.
White - Metal - Associated with death and worn at funerals.
Black - Water - Associated with evil, destruction, and disasters.
Blue - Wood - Represents the wood element and symbolizes spring.

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The most visually arresting features of Chinese opera are the bold & colorful masks worn by the performers.

These masks hearken back to an ancient tradition of face-painting among warriors and, as with war paint, the colors and patterns bear symbolic meanings.

The spirit and personality of each character is effectively color coded.

White mask - sinister, evil, crafty, treacherous, and suspicious. Anyone wearing a white mask is usually the villain.
Green mask - impulsive, violent, no self restraint or self control.
Red mask - brave, loyal.
Black mask - rough, fierce, or impartial.
Yellow mask - ambitious, fierce, cool- headed.
Blue mask - steadfast, someone who is loyal and sticks to one side no matter what.

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The flag of the People's Republic of China (popularly called '五星紅旗' meaning 'Five-star Red Flag') is a red field with a large yellow five- pointed star and four smaller yellow five- pointed stars.

The red color symbolizes communist revolution. Red is also the traditional color in Chinese culture.

Golden yellow is the official color of the Manchu dynasty and is very dear to Chinese people. Yellow also implies that China belongs to the Chinese people, a "yellow race".

The large star represents the Communist Party. The four smaller stars represent the four social classes of the traditional Chinese society - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China.

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Sarawak Bamboo Craft Symbolism and Phenomenon

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For Borneo’s Dayak peoples, spirits embody everything: animals, plants, and humans. Many groups have drawn on this power by using images from nature in their tattoos, creating a composite of floral motifs using plants with curative or protective powers and powerful animal images.

Tattoos are created by artists who consult spirit guides to reveal a design. Among Borneo’s Kayan people, women are the artists, a hereditary position passed from mother to daughter. Among the Iban, the largest and most feared indigenous group in Borneo, men apply the tattoos.

These tattoos are blue-black, made of soot or powdered charcoal, substances thought to ward off malevolent spirits. Some groups spike their pigment with charms—a ground-up piece of a meteorite or shard of animal bone—to make their tattoos even more powerful.

For the outline, the artist attaches up to five bamboo splinters or European needles to a stick. After dipping them in pigment, he or she taps them into the skin with a mallet. Solid areas are filled in with a circular configuration of 15 to 20 needles.

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Traditionally, Dayak tattooing was performed in a sacred ritual among gathered tribe members. Among the Ngaju Dayak, Krutak said, the tattoo artist began with a sacrifice to ancestor spirits, killing a chicken or other fowl and spilling its blood.

After a period of chanting, the artist started an extremely painful tattooing process that often lasted six or eight hours. Some tattoos were applied over many weeks.

For coming-of-age tattoo rituals, the village men dressed in bark-cloth. This cloth, made from the paper mulberry tree, also draped corpses and was worn by widows.

Tattooing, like other initiation rites, symbolized both a passing away and a new beginning, a death and a life.

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One Dayak group, the Iban, believe that the soul inhabits the head. Therefore, taking the head of one’s enemy gives you their soul. Taking the head also conferred your victim’s status, skill and power, which helped ensure farming success and fertility among the tribe.

Upon return from a successful head-hunting raid, participants were promptly recognized with tattoos inked on their fingers, usually images of anthropomorphic animals.

Head-hunting was made illegal over a century ago—but even today, an occasional head is still taken.

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One of the great islands of the world, is part of the Malay Archipelago located southwest of the Philippines. It is also one of the few places today where tattooing continues to be practiced in a tradition that may stretch back thousands of years. Although it is but an island, it is home to several native subgroups: the Iban (also called the Sea Dayak), Kayan, Kenyah, and Land Dayak. Often times, though, these peoples are grouped under the single term Dayak, used to refer to any of the indigenous people of the interior of this lush and mountainous island. In the late 1800s, anthropologists started to become interested in the traditional cultures of the peoples of the region and several investigative expeditions were mounted. From these, as well as the work of modern researchers, we are provided a rare glimpse behind some of the symbols at work in tattooing and the meanings that they hold. As with many indigenous forms of tattooing around the globe, the art of tattooing was not simply art for arts sake. Instead, tattooing was an integral part of the culture, a ritual expression, specifically connected with spiritual beliefs. The scorpion symbol, also sometimes known as kala, was noted particularly in Iban tattoo designs by Charles Hose (a civil officer who worked in Borneo over twenty years) and William McDougall (an English anthropologist) in their 1912 publication The Pagan Tribes of Borneo. However, the authors note that the “scorpion” design is actually based on the highly stylized image of the aso, the mythical dog/dragon associated with protection from malevolent spirits. Hose and McDougall suggest that the Iban adopted their tattoo designs from other subgroups on the island and created their own interpretations afterwards. In the kala design, the claws of the scorpion were originally the back end of the dog while the hooked ends at the back of the scorpion design were originally the open jaws of the mouth of the dog. Although it has no particular significance in the scorpion design, even the rosette-like eye of the dog still persists in the center.

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The Khanda is the main emblem of Sikhism and is to Sikhs as the cross is to Christians. The khanda gets its name from the double edged sword depicted in the middle of the emblem. The sword is a symbol for God. It is the center of the emblem to show God’s supreme power within the universe. The two edges of the sword symbolize Divine knowledge and justice. It is also said that the khanda is the weapon that God used to shape the universe with. Around the blade of the Khanda is a circle that represents the eternity of God; just as the circle has no end, Sikh’s believe that God is eternal. The two curved swords around the circle are known as kirpans. The twin kirpans are a symbol of balance. They represent the dual commitment of the Sikh to his spiritual and temporal allegiances.

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Ik Onkar, meaning “one God”, represents the central belief of Sikhism. The idea that there is one God, one Supreme Reality uniting the universe is the driving belief system behind Sikhism. The oneness of God is perhaps the largest way in which Sikhism separates itself from Hinduism, which was a great influencer to Sikhism. Ik Onkar is also significant in that it is the first phrase in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture. Mool Mantra (the opening to the Guru Granth Sahib containing Ik Onkar): There is but one God. Truth by name, the creator, all-pervading spirit, without fear, without enmity. Whose existence is unaffected by time, who does not take birth, self-existent, who is to be realized through his grace

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Waheguru literally translates to “the wonderful teacher”. Sikhism is unique to many other religions in that it does not believe in an anthropomorphic interpretation of God. Thus to please God, Sikhs must live in a way that benefits the universe. For a Sikh to achieve the ultimate goal of merging with God, he is really trying to become one with the universe as taught by the ten Sikh gurus

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The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs. Also called the Adi Granth, Sikh’s believe that it contains the spirit of the ten Sikh gurus the last and eternal guru after Guru Gobind Singh. The Adi Granth was first compiled by Guru Arjan Dev in 1604. In 1678 Guru Gobind Singh created a final version of Guru Arjan’s work. The complete Guru Granth Sahib contains teachings from the first five gurus through Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Teg Bahadur, and one scripture from Guru Gobind Singh. It also contains some Hindu and Sufi hymns. The presence of the Guru Granth Sahib is required in all official Sikh ceremonies.

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At the turn of the 18th century, Guru Gobind Singh performed the first Sikh baptism called Amrit. At that time he declared that all baptized Sikhs wear 5 “articles of faith” at all times, which have come to be known as “the 5 Ks” of Sikhism. Wearing the 5 Ks are an outward display of a Sikh’s commitment to the teachings of the gurus and to becoming a Khalsa, a Sikh who has been baptized and completely devoted himself to Sikhim in thought and in action as defined by Guru Gobind Singh

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Kesh is the most important of the “5 Ks”. Kesh, or uncut hair, is a symbol of spirituality. Sikhs consider it a sin to cut their hair. Hair is a natural part of the human body and to alter it would be disrespectful to God’s perfection as the Creator. Sikh men are obligated to wear a turban to protect their hair and keep it clean. Turbans are optional for women. Maintaining kesh and wearing the turban also remind Sikhs of living according to the teaching of the gurus

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Kangha is a wooden comb that can easily be worn at all times. It is a symbol of cleanliness and self-discipline. Sikhs are required to comb their hair twice a day (morning and night). Sikhs must never let their hair become unkempt and matted. Just as the comb detangles and cleans the hair, Sikhs are reminded of cleansing their mind of impurities

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The kirpan is a ceremonial daggar. The word kirpan comes from two words, “kirpa” meaning an act of kindness, and “aan” meaning honor or respect. The Sikhs are non-violent people who believe in self-defense only when all other means have failed, thus the kirpan was originally meant for Sikhs to use for self-defense against their enemies. However, it is no longer used as a weapon. The kirpan is meant to symbolize Sikh dignity and their struggle against injustice.

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The kara is a steel band that is meant to remind Sikhs of God’s presence at all times. It is also a symbol of self restrain, reminiscent of wearing shackles in slavery. The Guru Granth Sahib explains the importance of kara, stating: “With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with the Immaculate Lord” (SGGS page 1376)

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Kachera is a pair of shorts worn as underwear. They symbolize self control and chastity. The kachera remind baptized Sikhs of their high moral character. Sikhs are taught the importance of sexual self control in the Guru Granth Sahib, which states: Through the Kind and Compassionate True Guru, I have met the Lord; I have conquered sexual desire, anger and greed. (SGGS page 81). Sexual desire is considered one of the 5 evils in Sikhism, so the kachera are symbolic of overcoming that evil.

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The Nishan Sahib is the Sikh flag which is flown outside of all Gurdwara (Sikh houses of worship). Nishan is a Pershian word meaning “flag” and Sahib is Arabic for “lord” or “master”. The top of the flag staff is a Khanda, the double edged sword, and some Nishan Sahib will have Ik Onkar inscribed on them. Traditionally Nishan Sahib are a bright saffron color so that the presence of Khalsa can be easily seen by other Sikhs. It is very important for the flag to be replaced once its brightness has faded. The Nishan Sahib is most important to Sikhs as a symbol of Sikh unity and a means to create visibility of Sikhs among larger communities.

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There are ten gurus, or teachers, in Sikhism who lived between 1469 and 1708. The first guru, Nanank Dev, and the last guru, Gobind Singh, are considered the most important of all the gurus. Guru Nanank Dev was the founder of Sikhism and over 900 of his hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh gave Sikhs the concept of Khalsa and the 5 K’s. Sikhs believe that the divine spirit of the gurus was passed on from one to the next. Guru Gobind Singh declared that after his death, the spirit of the gurus would be passed on into the Sikh holy scripture, hence why it’s called the Guru Granth Sahib.

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One of the biggest differences that Sikhism has from Hinduism is that Sikhs reject the Hindu caste system; instead they believe in the equality of all people. This is especially important in terms of the equality of women, who at the time that Sikhism was created were treated as property in most other religions. One way that Sikhism symbolizes the equality of all people is through the use of surnames. Guru Gobind Singh declared that all Sikh men should adopt the name Singh, meaning lion, and all Sikh women take the name Kaur, meaning princess, thus establishing equality among genders and individuals.

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Minangkabau House: Architectural and Cultural 

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Minangkabau House: Architectural and Cultural 