Customs and feelings of Huashan Festival of Miao nationality

The Customs and Emotions of Huashan Festival of Miao Nationality;

The Miao Huashan Festival is held around May 1, which is an annual "stepping on Huashan" festival for Miao people in southern Sichuan, Xingwen, Hekou and Wenshan. At this time, the Miao people in one village came from the open space between several Miao villages in all directions. "Flower pole" is an important symbol of stepping on Huashan Festival. Generally, tall pine or cypress trees are chosen, and flowers and colorful flags are tied. The people in Dinghua Village (also called Flower Head) are recognized as "good people". On the first morning of the festival, men must erect their style before the sun rises.

Huashan Festival, also known as stepping on Huashan Mountain. This is a grand program for Miao people living in southern Sichuan.

Huashan Festival is generally held in relatively flat areas. A bamboo pole or tree pole with a height of five or six feet is erected in the flower field, which is a flower pole, and two pieces of red and black cloth are hung on the flower pole respectively for Lusheng performance. Every year, the owner of Huashan will erect a style to let people know that there is a flower field here. The first day of the first month begins to step on Huashan Mountain, and the more grand Huashan Festival can last until the eighth day of the eighth month. There are two different versions of the origin of stepping on Huashan Mountain, one is to represent children, and the other is to commemorate this day. About the origin of Huashan Festival, there is a story among Miao people: Once upon a time, Miao ancestors lived in a plain with fertile land and flocks of cattle and sheep. The cruel emperor wanted to occupy the territory of the Miao nationality, so he sent imperial soldiers to attack the Miao tribe. Meng Ziyou, the Miao king, led his nine sons, eight girls and Miao people to fight against imperial soldiers, and finally the Miao people were outnumbered. The Miao nationality failed, and Meng Ziyou's nine sons and eight daughters died in battle, so the ancestors of the Miao nationality had to migrate to the southwest mountainous area. Meng Ziyou erected a flower pole on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, held a memorial ceremony on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day of the first month to commemorate his son and daughter who died defending their hometown, and also performed a martial arts performance, which was handed down from generation to generation. Walking in Huashan Mountain is a Miao sports activity, an exchange of Miao life experience and an entertainment activity for Miao young men and women. During the Huashan Festival, there are sports and cultural programs such as Lusheng dance and martial arts (that is, sticks, knives, spears, hooks, three-section sticks, chain armour, etc.). ), pole climbing, bullfighting, horse racing and so on.

On the day he set foot on Huashan Mountain, Yingduo (Miao language, young man) was dressed in Miao costumes, with lusheng on his shoulder and his beloved flute in his pants. Cai Ying (Miao language, little girl) is wearing her own hand-embroidered floral clothes and hand-lit wax pleated skirts, singing folk songs from Miaoshan to Huashan. The whole Huashan Mountain is a sea of people, full of happy atmosphere. Outside the flower garden, there are sugar cane everywhere. Miao Yingduo, who wants to sing this song, will choose thick and big sugar cane and give it to Cai Ying after singing the song. If you want to sing a song, Yingduo will cover Cai Ying with a flower umbrella and say, "A-mei in the distance, if you don't dislike it, then sing a song." If Cai Ying likes it, she will say, "Then sing!" If she doesn't like it, she will say, "thank you, brother, I can't sing." Then, Yingduo will have to find someone else. If young men and women are congenial, they will give each other gifts as souvenirs. After Huashan Festival, Yingying will follow Yingying. Then we'll have to wait for the wedding reception.

Ancient legend:

The Miao people in northeastern Yunnan and southern Yunnan celebrate the "Huashan Festival" on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month every year. Legend has it that in ancient times, the Miao people were defeated and exiled in a foreign land, and they wept when they remembered the sufferings of their ancestors who fled east and scattered west. One year on the sixth day of June, our ancestors appeared and advised them not to be too sad. They should play lusheng and sing and dance for us at the top of the mountain. After that, a flower fell from the sky and hung on a tree. Everyone sang and danced around the tree. The crops grew very well this year. From then on, on June 6th every year, the Miao family put on their holiday costumes, planted a flower tree on the high mountain, and held duets, lusheng dances, bullfights, lion dances, flower pole climbing and other activities. Among them, the most striking thing is the flower climbing pole. Whoever climbs high will be given a pig's head and a good wine prize

The process of "stepping on Huashan Mountain":

On the day of "Walking on the Flower Mountain", first, people who participated in "Walking on the Flower Mountain" were toasted and blessed by "Huahuitou", and then the "Walking on the Flower Mountain" festival was announced. At this time, gongs and drums were loud inside and outside Huashan Stadium, firecrackers were ringing, bronze guns were ringing one after another, flowers and colorful flags were flying in the wind, and various celebrations began one after another. Some young men and women sang folk songs, some danced three-step and pedal dances, some played "Lusheng Rack" (upside down with Lusheng), some danced lions and some bullfights, and the whole Huashan field was filled with joy. The annual "Flower Mountain Tour" Festival is also a good opportunity for Miao young men and women to pour out their love and make friends. Once young men and women fall in love, men should wrap their feet with flowers and give them to girls with flower belts, and women should also give them back with their embroidered flower handkerchiefs and Baotou.