In rural West Yunnan province, it is always a great event when a family builds a house. Once the home is finished, the family must follow time-honored customs. The Tile Cat in Yunnan refers to the ornament made from tiles placed in the middle of the home’s ridge.
Since it looks like a cat, it is called a "Tile Cat". It is said 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 Tile Cat is placed on the home’s ridge. Generally falling during the second or eighth month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, a lucky day is chosen and a local koradji is invited to preside over the ceremony.
During this time, the koradji catches a red rooster, whispers some incantations related to the elimination of disasters, good luck, ghost removal and fortune-making, and then bites the cockscomb and sheds its blood on the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and entire 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 the Title Cat while burning a yellow sacrificial paper and whispering more incantations, and then finally killing the rooster. Later on, the Tile Cat is passed around and touched by the whole family, who stand witness during the whole process while the roof is being covered with tiles, until the Tile Cat is placed firmly and forever in the middle of the home’s ridge.
From there on out, regardless of 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 rural folk, the Tile Cat reflects the constant aspiration for and the pursuit of guaranteed survival, safety and a happy life. At this point, moreover, the modern urban citizens share the same inner world with rural residents.
