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墨書 Inktalez
What are the Supernatural Taboos that we must not violate? Speaking of Supernatural events makes us feel uneasy. So, what are the Supernatural forbidden zones in our daily lives? What consequences might arise from violating certain Folk Taboos?
Similar to Sweep the Spider Sores, there is a ritual called “Sweeping the Pit to Request Rain”.
In my hometown, the “pit” refers to the Pond where rainwater accumulates in low-lying areas of the village.
Farmers hope for Favorable Weather, but actual Favorable Weather is merely a beautiful wish. It is common to experience months without rain or continuous overcast weather for more than half a month, which delays farming activities.
During my time in Junior High, there was a year when the Wheat was cut but not yet brought to the yard. It rained continuously for fourteen days, causing many Wheat plants to sprout, resulting in significant losses. When the Grain Management Office assessed the grain quality that year, they added a new indicator: “Germination Rate”.
Back to “Pit Sweeping”.
In ancient China, the construction of Water Conservancy Projects lagged severely, and relying on nature was a common situation in rural areas. Coupled with cultural backwardness, folk rituals for rain were quite prevalent.
In my hometown, there is a story about the “Pit Sweeping” ritual performed by the Twelve Widows to request rain.
Legend has it that during one summer and autumn in the Ming Dynasty, there was no rain for over a month in *County*, leaving crops parched and the village's Pond completely dry.
At that time, there were no Wells in the fields; crops depended entirely on rainfall. To protect their seedlings, families with male laborers would fetch water from the village well to irrigate their fields, doing so day by day. Families without male laborers could only wait anxiously, hoping for timely rain from above.
One day, in Xiao Li Village, families with male laborers were busy fetching and carrying water to irrigate their seedlings. Meanwhile, twelve widows in the village were unable to stay calm at home and gathered by the large pit in the center of the village. They expressed their frustration about not having men to fetch water for their crops and began to cry emotionally. After a while, an older widow suggested, “Since heaven isn’t sending rain, maybe it’s because this pit is too dirty? Let’s clean it up.”
People at that time were quite superstitious, so they went home to fetch shovels and brooms and cleaned up all the weeds and garbage in the pit, hoping to move heaven to send them enough rainwater.
During the Pit Sweeping, they chattered about their own catchy rhyme: "Today everyone comes to Pit Sweeping, sweep and sweep, gather and gather, within three days the pit will be full. If it doesn't rain in three days, the Twelve Widows will have to marry. Marry and marry, within three days it will rain."
Interestingly, just as they finished sweeping the pit, the South Wind suddenly turned into the North Wind, bringing with it patches of Bird Cloud that gathered more and more above the pit. The widows, seeing this, hurriedly knelt down and silently prayed. Perhaps their sincerity moved Heaven, for a Thunderstrike appeared in the sky, followed by a Torrential Rain that fell. Within less than an hour, the pit was filled.
From then on, the story of the Twelve Widows Sweeping the Pit to Request Rain spread far and wide.
When I was young, whenever there was a drought, villages would gather the Twelve Widows to sweep the big pit to pray for rain; it was said to be quite effective back then.
Later on, with wells established in rural areas, it became possible to ensure water supply regardless of circumstances, and these rituals faded away.
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