Ethnic customs in Lehe Miao Township

Miao festivals mainly include Eating New Year Festival, Duanyang Festival, Mountain Treading Festival and Ethnic Fields (Miao Fields Festival). The Spring Festival (China New Year) is celebrated after the year of eating, and the Miao people call it "Ndaoxzhab". The time is from the first day of the first month to the fifteenth day of the first month, which is divided into small years and big years. Four or five days before the Chinese New Year, people were busy sweeping the floor, washing clothes, smashing noodles, killing pigs and curing bacon on the kang. Off-year takes three days. On New Year's Eve, dozens of glutinous rice cakes will be made. In the evening, every household should set off firecrackers and have a reunion dinner. Before dinner, they should worship their ancestors and invite them to celebrate the New Year. Eat glutinous rice balls in the morning of the first day and have New Year's Eve dinner at noon; On the third day, the ancestors were sent away by flipping rice cakes, and the third to fourteenth days were the time to visit relatives and friends and pay New Year greetings to each other. 14. Steal young people, and acquaintances around you play tricks on each other, but don't steal pigs, cattle, livestock and bulk property; Celebrate the Lantern Festival (that is, the New Year in China) on 15.

Duanyang Festival is called "NaoxDausYangx" in Miao language. Once a year, people take this opportunity to offer sacrifices to the dragon god. The festive atmosphere is not very strong, mainly to improve life.

Tanhua Mountain is called "NGHOUKDaox" in Miao language. Miao people in the county are usually held from the first day of the first month to the fifteenth day of the first month (that is, during the Spring Festival). The gathering time varies from place to place. That is, from the first day to the third day, by the ditch and the rich rock. Gao Qilin in Bai La is from the first day to the fourth day; The Baiyang River in Huangpi is from the first day to the eighth day; Baoshan of Lehe is thirteen to fifteen; Big tree grass dam fifteen.

The origin of Tanhua Mountain is very early, and there is a legacy of reproductive worship. Most of them are held by Miao childless families after several years of marriage, and many of them can be jointly held. Legend has it that a long time ago, Miao Gong Zu and Miao Zupo were infertile and traveled all over the world. God "OKBuad" showed Miao Gongzu three rice hexagrams and told him to jump into the flower bed. Show Miao Zupo three egg hexagrams and call Miao Zupo a flower pole (zhangtnjexbangx). Because of stepping on Huashan Mountain, the "NzuxNyongsLous" god made Miao Gongzu and Miao Zupo have children, which made them prosperous, so they had to step on Huashan Mountain if they wanted children. After climbing the mountain, the priest will make twelve mud eggs and send them to the next organizer's house with pedicels. This is because in ancient times, brothers and sisters got married and gave birth to twelve eggs before they could reproduce the ancestors of all ethnic groups. The above legends or rituals fully illustrate the ancient nature of stepping on mountains and the role of reproductive worship. Now, it has developed into a large-scale mass cultural exchange and entertainment activity.

On the morning of the first day of climbing Huashan Mountain, a flower pole ceremony was held, marking the beginning of climbing. On this day, people dressed in the most exquisite costumes went up the mountain to sing and dance, which was very lively. On the last day, a flower pole handstand ceremony was held, ending the mountain climbing.

Walking in Huashan Mountain is a collective spring outing for Miao people. People will visit relatives and friends, communicate with each other and carry out various entertainment and sports activities. Young men and women can speak freely and sing, which is an excellent opportunity to make friends and fall in love. This is in sharp contrast to the so-called "men and women don't give and receive" in feudal society, which opened the precedent of free love.

There are two seasons to catch up with the nation, namely spring and autumn, which are limited to Lehe, Zhendong, Macheng and Mani. Only one day at a time, and the time varies from place to place. Lehe venue is June 23rd of the lunar calendar, Town East and Macheng venues are February 2nd and July 2nd, and Mani venue is February 3rd and July 3rd. On the day of the fair, people gathered around the venue early, dressed up for each other and put on the latest and most beautiful dresses. Men, women and children, in groups of three or five, played lusheng on the venue, holding hands, talking and laughing, kissing and playing. Some chat at home, some exchange production information and life experience, while unmarried young people pay attention to the special Mr. Right, or talk with Mr. Right to express their love. The Miao costumes in Lehe Miao Township are mostly women's dresses, which mainly include the following four types. Class I clothing: mainly distributed in Fenshui, Huangni, Lianghe, Gao Feng, Bai La, Longfeng, Xuyong Town, Luobu, Houshan, Yingshan, Guanxing, Cao Feng, Shiba Inu, Shuiliao and other towns 14. Women in this kind of clothing wear green wool, wrapped in green handkerchief or supporting ring, white handkerchief wrapped in green wool, embroidered shoulder pads, flower sleeves, flower cards, right back shorts, batik embroidered pleated skirt, flower waist, flower ribbon and white leg wrap. Class II clothing: mainly distributed in Mani, Chishui and Macheng. This kind of clothing is blue cloth with yellow as the keynote. The men wore white handkerchiefs and linen robes with lapels and ribbons. The woman wore a white handkerchief, a right-lapped blouse with a big collar, a fat waist and a batik pleated skirt. Three types of clothing: mainly distributed in Hedong and Zhendong towns. Men's white handkerchief, right hand flower tie card, blouse, embroidered belt; The woman wears a blue wool board, a blouse with a right collar, a small waist, a pleated skirt and leggings. The color of this dress is based on blue cloth and yellow pattern. Ⅳ Clothing: mainly distributed in Xinglong Township. Women wear white handkerchiefs, embroidered shoulder pads, flower sleeves, flower cards, right-lapped blouse, short waist and trousers.

The batik embroidery technology used in Miao costumes is unique. Miao girls or women use flowers, birds, insects and fish as patterns, and with rich imagination and skillful technology, they draw various beautiful patterns with vivid shapes and smooth lines on cotton or linen with wax knives. After the batik pattern is boiled and washed to remove the wax, it is decorated with color embroidery, and the batik art and embroidery art are skillfully combined to make beautiful clothes. The marriage of Miao nationality has always been free and independent, and both men and women decide for life. There are two forms: one is to hire a singer to change tapes before marriage; The second is to discuss employment through the media. Generally speaking, Miao young men and women are more casual in communication, but they are more careful in making friends, falling in love and getting married. Unmarried men and women get to know each other and fall in love in hiking, fairs or other places (including the introduction of matchmakers). After the two sides have feelings, they can get engaged and hold a wedding with the permission of their parents. Before marriage, the man must give the woman's mother a certain amount of nanny money or nanny cloth, which is called "njaot". There are simple and complicated marriages of Miao people, which generally go through five processes: proposing relatives, watching people, eating meat and holding a wedding. When eating meat and holding a wedding, uncles of both men and women must be present; Rich. If you eat meat and have a wedding, your uncle must be present. When picking up relatives, both parties should have a married couple to pick them up; During the wedding, the bride is accompanied by the bride's family, and the newlyweds are not allowed to share room and board. They must "return home" to their parents' home before they can be together.

Monogamy in Miao families has a long history. Before liberation, due to special circumstances, some individuals practiced polygamy. If the wife can't have children, she can take concubinage with consent, or if her family is rich, she can take concubinage. Within the Miao family, husband and wife have equal status, and major events or property should be discussed before they are dealt with. Only sons have the right to inherit property, and no sons can adopt or recruit people. In the long river of historical development, Miao's literary works are as bright as stars. These works are closely related to the production and life of the Miao people, reflecting their history, customs, psychological state, aesthetic concept and artistic taste, with distinctive national characteristics and strong local flavor. Because Miao people didn't have written language in the past, these literary works are mainly oral literature with rich and colorful contents, such as songs of heaven and earth, sacrificial songs and love songs. These ancient songs describe the myths and legends of Miao people's creation, people's prosperity, the struggle between heaven and earth, and the migration and other historical development scenes. They have been passed down from mouth to mouth so far, which can be described as the living history of the Miao nationality.

Modern research records the works of Xuyong Miao people, such as Cocktail Wedding and Funeral Etiquette in South Sichuan (published by Taiwan Province Publishing House 1962), which is a rare work to systematically study Xuyong Miao people. In addition, Sichuan Miao Custom written by Ge, a foreign professor at Sichuan University, also records the Miao nationality in Xuyong. The Ancient Songs of Miao Nationality in Sichuan, co-edited by Yibin and Luzhou, recorded the oral ballads of Miao nationality in southern Sichuan comprehensively with Miao Wen, which filled the blank that there was no Miao Wen to compile and record the history of Miao nationality in southern Sichuan. Its contents include the formation and changes of the heavens, the earth, the sun and the moon, the origin and development of human species, the forms and processes of weddings and funerals, and so on. It reflects the rich ideas and viewpoints of Miao people in philosophy, history, literature, politics, economic folklore and other aspects from different aspects, and is an important national ancient book document. Because the Miao people in southern Sichuan have the same language and similar customs, the book is also included in some Miao ancient songs collected by Xu Yong, such as "On Yang Lou You" (that is, On Yang Lou You). There are many ceremonies in the funeral of Miao people in Lehe Miao Township, which are similar. After death, people usually stop at the west side of the mourning hall, while people in Lehe, Macheng, Mani, Chishui and other places stop at the room of the deceased, and ask the priest to "lead the way" for the deceased with a castrated rooster, a bow and a pair of bamboo sticks to guide the deceased back to the Yellow River, his hometown in the East, and meet his ancestors. Then cover the dead with a shroud, move the body into the mourning hall and put it in a coffin, which is placed horizontally above the mourning hall. Set up a tree in the middle of the hall (the tree needs to be cut down newly, leaving a branch at the top), hang a big drum, and beat the drum together to drive away the mourning. Sons, nephews and sisters-in-law should take turns holding torches all night to illuminate the dead, and priests, family members and relatives should sing lamentations to mourn the dead. Children, relatives and friends want to kill pigs, cows, chickens or sheep as a memorial, which is called animal-building. Finally buried on an auspicious day. Before liberation, most of them were buried horizontally, that is, their heads were facing east and their feet were facing west. There are many tombs of Miao nationality, thousands of which are buried together, ranging from hundreds. This unique burial method is adopted because Miao ancestors migrated from the East, so that the deceased can return to their native land in the East to meet their ancestors. Later, influenced by the customs of the Han nationality, it was gradually changed to burial along the way. More people believed in Feng Shui and had to choose a place to bury instead of gathering.

A few years later, the children's relatives will pay tribute to the dead again "uatvanhb" (fasting). Relieve the souls of the dead. "uatvanhb" completely sent the souls of the deceased home, and the funeral was basically over.