The rite of putting on a hat, its main features and importance (concerning the discription of the contents of Li ji Confucian treatise)

It is an analysis of the chapter of Li Ji [禮記] canonical Confucian treatise ( Notes on Rite ) that describes the importance of Guan Yi [冠義] ( Importance of [ the rite of ] Putting On a Hat ), the rite of putting on a hat. The text of Li Ji was composed in the beginning of the Han dynasty period. Ancient Chinese authors contributed the most important standards of social, ritual and religious behavior in it. Relying on the ancient text, the article describes and analyses the main features of the ancient rite connected with a young man’s entry into adulthood. An appropriate day for the rite would be chosen by fortune-telling. The day had to be a lucky one in the hope that it would mark a commencement of a happy phase in the young man’s life. The chapter lists all the main participants of the ceremony -主, zhu (the master of the ceremony; as a rule, it was the father of the young man), 賓, bin (a special guest of honour who would put a hat on the young man’s head), 贊, zan (a special helper). It also describes the ritual clothes used during the ceremony: hats and garments, the main of them being the special ritual hats - 緇布, zibu, 皮弁, pibian, 爵弁, juebian. During the ceremony bin would put them one after another on the head of the young man passing the rite of entry into adulthood. Every time that the hat was to be put on the young man’s head, bin would address him with instructions about studies, care for preserving life, carrying out the rules of virtue (as it is the only way to deserve ancestor’s favour) and with expression of various good wishes. The main stages of the rite to be highlighted are preparation, invitation of participants and guests, triple change of hats and garments, drinking wine, presenting the man who passed the rite to his parents, honourable family members, and other relatives. While analysing the goals of the rite, the article also evaluates its significance to the molding of personality that lives in the reality of Confucian culture and to the formation of stable Confucian state system. One of the most important tasks of the ceremony is to teach the young man entering his adulthood the proper manners and appearance, reserved face expression, respectful conversation; that is what primarily helps the rite to achieve significance. The significance of the rite is based around the proper appearance and manners, respectful behaviour, reserved speeches. If the young man understood the importance of the rite and aspired to fulfill it, first of all he would think of his appearance, facial expression, manners and the way he talked. That is why both zan and bin tried to help the young man by combing his hair, giving his head a proper look, enabling him to display the proper appearance. That is exactly what the text implies by saying that “putting on a hat is the beginning of 禮, li ”. The study of the text provides an insight into the crucial Confucian concept, li. The description of the text is accompanied by the first Russian translation of Guan Yi chapter.