Some 3,000 years ago, windmills were widely used in farms during harvest season. The color and the sound it made kept the birds away from grain. And during the Spring Festival, every family had to keep the gate open to welcome the gods, who it was believed would visit people during the festival and bring them good luck. In case thieves came, people would put windmills in front of their gates as a kind of alarm. In ancient times, the windmills were very large. They were made of bamboo or other materials and made according to one uniform standard. The length of the circle was 365 fen, which is about 1.2 meters. This means there are 365 days in a year. It is believed that there are four spells on the paper windmill which indicates the four seasons. However, as large windmills were hard to carry, craftsmen later began to make smaller paper ones and paint bright colors on them. These small paper windmills soon became popular among children, while peddlers usually placed one on their carts. As paper windmills were considered so auspicious, they gradually became a part of Chinese peoples lives. Paper windmills were also used as part of the closing ceremony performance of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:20:41 +0000
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