In the rural areas of west Yunnan Province, it is a great event for a family to build a house. Therefore, the family must follow the time-honored customs. The Tile Cat in Yunnan refers to the ornament made from tiles placed in the middle of the ridge. Since it looks quite like a cat, it gets the name "Tile Cat". It is said that the cat made from tiles can eat all monsters and devils, thus protecting the whole family.
A sacrificial ceremony to inspire the magic power of the cat is required before the placement of the Tile Cat on the ridge. Generally falling in the second or eighth month of Chinese lunar calendar, a lucky day would be chosen and a local koradji would be invited to preside over the ceremony. At that time, the koradji would catch a red rooster, whisper some incantations related to disaster elimination, good luck, ghost removal and fortune-making, bite the cockscomb soon afterwards and shed its blood on the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and the whole body of the Tile Cat before putting five kinds of fruits and seeds (pine nut, melon seeds, broomcorn, Chinese date, and root) into the mouth of Title Cat while burning the yellow sacrificial paper and whispering the incantations for another while, and finally kill the rooster in person. Later on, the Tile Cat shall be passed to and touched by the whole family, who will witness the whole process when the roof is being covered with tiles until the Tile Cat is placed firmly and forever in the middle of the ridge. From then on, no matter in whatever weather, the Tile Cat will guard the house on the high ridge, making the family feel at ease and grateful.
As a spiritual support for the rural folk, the Tile Cat reflects truly the constant aspiration for and the pursuit of survival guarantee, safety and a happy life among the ordinary people. At this point, moreover, the modern urban citizens share the same inner world with those rural residents.
