Why do women in Yunnan get tattoos?

Yunnan is a large province of ethnic minorities, so Yunnan tattoos also appear colorful with the diversity of ethnic minorities. The following is a more representative of Yunnan tattoos - Dai tattoos. The Dai's ancestors, the Baiyue ethnic group in ancient times with the custom of tattooing, this tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and inherited to this day. Since tattooing is a cruel art and the process of tattooing involves great pain, the Dai tattoos are combined with religious sorcery, giving rise to a wide variety of tattooing methods. For example, tattooing, slicing, tattooing and inking are the main methods, i.e., slicing and tattooing on the top of the skin, leaving marks or patterns; inlaying and embedding, embedding precious stones in the flesh and letting the skin heal and seal the wounds until it is long and closed. Dai tattoo parts of the whole and part of the tattoo two kinds. The whole tattoo from head to toe; part of the tattoo only in the two arms, wrists and calves, etc. Some simple thick stripes, thin stripes or symbols, incantations, birthdays, names, etc., or tattoo some playful patterns. As the Dai people in Xishuangbanna believe in both Theravada Buddhism and primitive religion, tattoos have strong regional and national characteristics: tattoos are an important feature of the Dai men, one of the symbols of the Dai men's beauty. According to the traditional custom, Dai men have to be tattooed at a certain age, otherwise they are regarded as betraying the Dai, not recognizing that he is a descendant of the Dai, and are discriminated against by the society, especially by the women. Proverbs say, "The legs of mussels and frogs are flowery, but if the legs of a brother are not flowery, he is not a man." "A man with flowers is a man, a woman without flowers. A man with flowers is a good man, but without flowers he is a white buffalo." Men tattoo appear brave and heroic, favored by the girls; not tattoo, is regarded as "can not distinguish between male and female white buffalo", and even can not marry. Therefore, all Dai men get tattoos, usually between the ages of 12 and 30. The Dai tattoos have become a way of mutual dependence and development of the primitive religion and Southern Theravada Buddhism. Tattooing is not only the method of original witchcraft and incantation to protect the body, but also the method of worshiping Buddha Sakyamuni, implementing Buddhist studies, Buddhist rituals, utilizing Buddhist rituals and symbols to record the token to protect the body. As the Dai people in Xishuangbanna believe in both primitive religion and Southern Theravada Buddhism, with the characteristics of dualistic religious culture, therefore, not only more types of tattoos, but also reveals the tattoo content of the expression of colorful. There are mainly the following kinds: 1, line pattern. There are straight lines, curved lines, water ripple lines, etc.; 2, pattern pattern. There are round, oval, cloud-shaped, triangular and square and other graphics; 3, animal patterns. There are tigers, leopards, deer, elephants, lions, dragons, snakes, cats, rabbits, peacocks, golden pheasants, phoenixes, and leaves of trees or grasses, flowers, etc.; 4, text. There are Pali, Dai, Burmese, Siamese letters or sentences of the scriptures, and mantras, talismans and so on.