"Choosing The Day" And "Living"

Local society often refers to the process of a person’s life as "living".In order to live the better life,people are cautious and constantly planning on various major events."Kan Ri Zi"is an important way of behavior.What people call "Kan Ri Zi" is "choosing the day",which refers to selecting a meaningful day through certain calculation methods to complete important affairs in production and life.The folk custom of choosing the day can gradually evolve into a folk image with inheritance and stability,which is inseparable from these sustainable needs of the people.The person who can choose the day is Day-chooser.In villages,they are often called "Day-watchers",which refers to the role of mastering the technology and "art" of choosing the day and serving the people in the area.Under the influence of external factors such as the basic environment within the community,acquaintance society and belief context,as well as endogenous driving forces such as growth trajectory,outlet choice,interest cultivation and role identification,Day-chooser completed the growth of this folk role.As the ordinary member of the village society,Day-choosers also hope to live the good life."Kan Ri Zi" is the important way to live the good life.In order to "Kan Ri Zi" and "live the good life",they make full use of their mastered skills in the practice of choosing the day,and construct the image of authority through "earning fame" and "managing relationships" in their daily life.Day-chooser,as an"intellectual" in the local society,is different from other faith-based Servicers of folk life,and also as a member of the village community,is different from other Diviners in the city.These realistic roles not only provide them with opportunities,but also limit their behavior,put them in a position where their authority transform between working and failing at any time.Through the grasp of Day-choosers overall image,we can establish a deeper understanding of the basic characteristics of Servicer of folk life who enjoy folk knowledge and skills and provide services,as well as the additional characteristics of enriching knowledge accumulation,being familiar with the way of communication and shaping an image different from ordinary people.This process of discovering folk role individuals is also a way to perspective social life.Paying attention to the key roles in the inheritance of folk customs can help us more vividly understand the basic characteristics of a folk custom and the cultural ecology of civil society.Based on this,this paper focuses on the personal life history of many Diviners in Weifang village,Shandong Province.Taking field work as the main method of collecting data and folklore ethnography as the writing method,this paper explores the psychological characteristics and action mode of Day-choosers as the Servicer of folk life in the village in the working and non-working state,so as to establish a clearer picture of their life characteristics,behavioral value and cultural status in the village,and try to enrich the research and discussion on the concept of "the Servicer of folk life".