Characteristics of Manchu people

According to the statistics of 1998, there are 65438+8000 Manchu people in Xinjiang, who are scattered all over Xinjiang. Most of them are descendants of the Eight Banners soldiers stationed in Xinjiang in the Qing Dynasty, and some of them moved in from the mainland after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Their food, clothing, housing, transportation, customs and habits are basically the same as those of the Han nationality. Most of them are engaged in education, health and government work. Chinese is widely used by Manchu people in Xinjiang, and few people can say that Manchu is one of the main ethnic minorities in China. Manchu people in Xinjiang are mainly concentrated in Urumqi, Yili, Changji, Hami, Qitai and other places, mainly living together with Han people.

Before the Revolution of 1911, Manchu men shaved off the long hair around them, hung their braids behind their heads, wore horseshoe sleeves, split on both sides and tied them in the middle of their waists; A woman wears a bun on her head, earrings, high heels and a wide straight cheongsam. They like to decorate sleeves, collars and skirts with silks and satins and various laces. Now men wear uniforms and suits, and women's cheongsam has evolved into women's dresses in China. Han and Manchu men and women tend to wear the same clothes.

The descendants of Manchu Eight Banners soldiers sent by the Qing government from the northeast to the western regions to station fields and defend the border are now mainly engaged in agricultural production. Manchu, a branch of Donghu, originated between Baishan and Heishui, and its origin can be traced back to Sushen in Zhou Dynasty, Lou in Han Dynasty, Buji in Southern and Northern Dynasties, and Nuzhen in Jin and Yuan Dynasties. Jurchen in Ming Dynasty can be divided into three branches: Jianzhou Jurchen, Haixi Jurchen and "barbaric" Jurchen.

Manchu was the founder of the last feudal dynasty in the history of China, and Manchu's arrival in the North and South Mountains was the product of the successful development of Xiqiao in Qing Dynasty. Manchu only used their first names in Qing dynasty, and it was not until after the Republic of China that they gave their surnames, and most of them were Han surnames. Due to long-term exchanges and integration, Xinjiang Manchu people have basically the same living customs, food, clothing, housing and transportation as Han people except eating dog meat, wearing dog fur hats and wearing cheongsam on holidays.

Manchu people like to eat sticky food, and cakes are an essential sacrifice in Manchu sacrifices. Because it is easy to carry, it passes through Russia. When the Eight Banners fight, use it as food rations. It is still the best staple food for Manchu people to entertain guests. Because of the different practices in different seasons, bean flour cakes are made in spring, su leaf cakes in summer and sticky cakes in autumn and winter. Bean flour cake is made by soaking rice or millet in water, grinding and steaming. At the same time, the soybeans are fried and ground, and the cakes are dipped in bean noodles, which are golden yellow, sticky and fragrant. Su Ye Hele is prepared by soaking glutinous rice in water, grinding flour, cooking adzuki beans into bean paste, and steaming in perilla leaves. Su Ye is planted by farmers, and it tastes delicious. Sticky cakes are also made by soaking glutinous rice and glutinous rice in water, grinding and steaming. They can be dipped in red bean flour paste, dipped in sugar or fried.

Manchu people are used to raising pigs. Every Spring Festival, some fat pigs are pickled in jars for a year. The rest is used to improve life and entertain tourists. I am used to eating white meat, blood sausage, pork and sauerkraut vermicelli. When eating, connect the cooked dishes to the pot, take down the round plate that can open and close automatically in the middle of the dining table, sit the pot on the table, put a brazier under the table and heat the bottom of the pot. Some people have a big brazier with wide sides and sit on a supporting iron frame. The flame rises slowly, the dish pot beeps, everyone sits cross-legged, takes food directly from the pot, and puts a stew pot (placed on the edge of the brazier) in front of them to taste.

On holidays, Manchu people eat jiaozi, and on Lunar New Year's Eve, they must eat braised pork. Full-style cakes have a unique flavor. For example, "Saqima" is one of the cakes that are still popular today.

custom

Manchu people honor their elders and pay attention to etiquette. When they meet elders on the road, they should bow sideways and wait for them to pass by. Not only the younger generation should greet the elders, but also the younger generation should greet the elders. When relatives and friends meet, in addition to shaking hands to say hello, some people will also say hello. During the Spring Festival, we should worship once every two years, once on the evening of 30th, once on the New Year's Day, which is called welcoming the new year.

Manchu traditional houses are generally divided into three rooms: west, middle and east, with the gate facing south. The west room is called the upper room in the west, the middle room is called the hall, and the east room is called the lower room in the east. There are three health in the west, namely, south, west and north. Xikanggui, Beikangda, Nankang Small. Visitors live in Xikang, elders live in Beikang, and younger generations live in Nankang.

Taboo: indoor Xikang is not allowed to sit and lie down and pile up sundries at will; Avoid beating, killing and eating dog meat; Don't wear a dog skin hat, don't spread a dog skin mattress, and avoid guests wearing dog skin hats or dog skin sleeves.

marriage customs

Manchu wedding not only has strong national characteristics, but also incorporates many customs and etiquette of the Han nationality. Generally speaking, it has to go through the following procedures: engagement: there are two forms of engagement between Manchu young men and women. First, the parents of young men and women are acquaintances or friends. The two knew each other very well and were interested in getting married, so they asked the matchmaker to promise their children a lifetime. Some men propose to women, while others propose to men. The other is that men and women don't know each other and entrust the matchmaker to engage their children. The matchmaker will give them "portal stickers" and issue their flags, resumes, surnames and three generations. Besides, we should test each other's birthdays.

Release: Give gifts immediately. There are two kinds of amplification and amplification. Letting Xiaoding go means that the future daughter-in-law will visit relatives of the man's family, such as aunt, brother and sister-in-law, and get property. Enlarged it is called "big gift", commonly known as "big dish", that is, choose an auspicious day of the zodiac, and the man will send the bride price to the woman's house. The day before the wedding, people who bid farewell to their families should drink "windward wine". The bride left home to live in a good apartment borrowed by the man, commonly known as "shooting down." The next morning, the woman saw her off with a float and was escorted by her brother. The float arrived at the groom's house, and there was a brazier on the ground in front of the bridal chamber, so that the wedding car could carry the bride through the brazier. Quot excessive avoidance of evil spirits. "In order to drive away or kill the ghosts that come with the sedan chair, the groom will shoot three arrows at the door of the sedan chair; There are also real shots, but they are usually taken under the sedan chair to avoid hurting the bride. Then, the bride was helped out of the sedan chair to heaven and earth, and kowtowed to the north three times with the groom, commonly known as "worshipping Beidou". After worshipping Beidou, a world-famous ceremony of "Leaving the Light" was held. That is, the bride and groom wearing red hijab face south and kneel in front of the god table in the yard. On the table, there is a pig's elbow, three small glasses of wine and a sharp knife. Shaman knelt in front of the table with one leg, chanting in Manchu, cutting the meat into pieces with a sharp knife and throwing it into the air, and throwing it on the ground with a small glass of wine. The main purpose is to pray for God to bless the newlyweds and let their children and grandchildren grow old together. After these ceremonies, the bride is brought into the bridal chamber by a general practitioner (that is, a person whose parents and children are present). When the bride crosses the threshold, there is a saddle on the threshold and the bride must cross it. The beds in the new house must be made by all practitioners. After the new house is paved, music should be played in the room. This is called a "ringing room". When the bride entered the bridal chamber, a little girl took pictures of the bride with two bronze mirrors, and then hung them on the bride's chest and back. Then, another little girl handed me two tin cans containing rice, money and so on. Brides either hold them in their arms or put them under their armpits, commonly known as "holding bottles" or "holding media pots". When the bride sits firmly on the bed, the groom takes off the red cloth covering the bride's head with the weight, which is called "lifting the veil". Next, the husband and wife drink a toast and eat happy noodles, longevity noodles or children's cakes.

Holidays and festivals

Traditional festivals mainly include Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, February 2nd, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Traditional sports activities such as "Pearl Ball", vault, camel jumping and skating are generally held during festivals.

Golden Festival: It is the National Day of Manchu. 1635 Lunar New Year+10 On March 3rd, Huang Taiji issued an imperial edict, officially changing the surname "Nuzhen" to "Manchuria", which marked the formation of a new national identity. 1989 10, at the first Manchu culture seminar in Dandong, the annual 12.3 was officially designated as the "Golden Festival".