Traditional customs and habits of Manchu people

Dress

History of manchu has a long history and developed culture. Its elegant and gorgeous costumes are unique in China's national costume culture, which has a great influence on the development of China's costume culture.

Due to the cold living environment and the need of hunting life, Manchu people used to wear "horseshoe sleeves" robes regardless of gender. After Nurhachi established the Eight Banners System, the clothes of the "flag bearer" became "cheongsam" (called "clothing interface" in Manchu).

The styles of cheongsam in the early Qing Dynasty were generally collarless, broad-chested, waist-tied, left-slit and four-slit. It not only fits well, but also helps to ride and shoot. When hunting, you can also put dry food in front. This kind of cheongsam has two outstanding characteristics, one is collarless. In order to unify the clothing, Nurhachi once set a clothing system, which stipulated that "shawls and collars should be used for all court clothes, and only robes should be used for flat clothes." That is, uniforms can't have collars, and only royal dresses worn when entering the DPRK can add large collars shaped like shawls; Second, there is also a half-moon sleeve head with a long top and a short bottom at the narrow cuff, which looks like a horseshoe, commonly known as "horseshoe sleeve". It is also called "Arrow Sleeve" (called "Wow-ha" in Manchu) because it is put down to cover the back of the hand when hunting or fighting in winter, which not only keeps warm like gloves, but also does not affect archery. After the Manchu entered the Central Plains, "letting go of wow-ha" became a prescribed action in the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty. When officials enter the court to meet the emperor or other princes and ministers, they must first open their horseshoe sleeves and then bow down with their hands on their knees.

Cheongsam is also used to wearing a short gown, round neck, umbilical length, sleeve length and elbow length. Because this short jacket was originally worn when riding and shooting, it is convenient for riding and can keep out the cold, so it is named "jacket". In the early Qing Dynasty, the mandarin jacket was the "military uniform" of the soldiers of the Eight Banners, and later it became popular among the people, with the nature of formal clothes and uniforms, and the styles and fabrics were more diverse. Manchu people also like to wear vests outside cheongsam. In order to keep warm, vests are generally divided into cotton, clip-on and leather. There are many styles, such as double lapels, pipa lapels and twist lapels.

As a fashion in Qing Dynasty, Manchu women's cheongsam developed. At the beginning, in Beijing and other places, the practice of "eighteen inlays" prevailed, that is, eighteen hems were inlaid to look good, and the style became a wide robe and big sleeves; After the Revolution of 1911, the style of cheongsam changed from fat to thin. In the early 1930s, influenced by western short skirts, the length was shortened, close to the knees, and the cuffs were narrowed. In the mid-1930s, it was lengthened, with high forks on both sides, highlighting the beauty of curves; In the 1940s, it was shortened, and short-sleeved or sleeveless cheongsam appeared, with a streamlined appearance. After that, separate the pieces, including the shoulder seam and the sleeveless cheongsam skirt. Wide range of materials, cotton, wool, silk, hemp and various chemical fiber clothing materials can be used. In addition to long sleeves and short sleeves, cheongsam is also divided into leather, cotton, singles and clips, which is convenient for wearing in different seasons. After continuous improvement, the general styles of cheongsam are as follows: straight collar, narrow sleeves, big chest on the right, tripping, waist-binding, length below the knee, split on both sides; Pay attention to workmanship and color matching. The neckline, cuffs and hem are mostly embroidered with various patterns of lace. This not only sets off the beauty of women's figure, but also looks elegant and generous. Cheongsam with oriental colors has now become a popular Chinese dress for women in China.

Cheongsam, flag head and flag shoes together constitute the typical traditional dress of Manchu women.

"Flag head" refers to a hairstyle, also known as a crown. Fan-shaped, with iron wire or bamboo rattan as the hat frame and green satin, green velvet or green yarn as the surface, wrapped in a fan-shaped crown about 30 cm long and about 10 cm wide. It can be fixed on a bun when worn. Often embroidered with patterns, inlaid with jewels or decorated with various flowers, decorated with long tassels. The "flag head" is mostly used by Manchu upper-class women, and most women will think of it when they get married. Wearing this wide and long hair crown limits the twisting of the neck, makes the body straight and looks particularly dignified and steady, suitable for grand occasions.

"Flag shoes" have a unique style and are embroidered shoes with high wooden soles, also known as "high-top shoes", "flowerpot shoes" and "horseshoe shoes". Its wooden heel is generally about 5- 10 cm high, some can reach 14- 16 cm, and the highest can reach about 25 cm. Usually wrapped in white cloth, and then embedded in the middle of the soles of the feet. The heel bottom usually has two shapes, one is that the top is open and the bottom is convergent, showing the shape of an inverted trapezoidal flowerpot. The other is thin at the top and wide at the bottom, flat at the front and round at the back, with the appearance and landing marks like horseshoes. "Flower pot bottom" and "horseshoe bottom" shoes are named after this. In addition to embroidered patterns or decorative pieces such as cicada butterflies on the vamp, there are often embroidery or beading on the parts of wood that cannot follow the ground. Some toes are decorated with ears made of silk thread, which is as long as the ground. The high-heeled wooden sole of this kind of shoes is extremely strong, and the upper is often broken, while the sole is still intact and can be reused. High-grade flag shoes are mostly worn by aristocratic young and middle-aged women over the age of thirteen or fourteen. You walk gracefully in these platform shoes. Older women's flag shoes are mostly made of flat wood, which is called "flat shoes". The front end of the flag shoe is slightly cut to facilitate walking.

There are many kinds of Manchu hats, mainly divided into cool hats and warm hats. In the past, Manchu people often wore a small hat called "Guapi hat". Guapi hat, also known as "hat head", is made up of six petals, with a sharp top and a wide bottom. The bottom edge is inlaid with a small eaves about 3 cm wide, and some even have no eaves, only wrapped in a piece of brocade. Generally, melanin satin is used to make noodles in winter and spring, and black solid yarn is used to make noodles in summer and autumn. The top of the hat is decorated with a velvet knot, which is different from black and red. It is commonly known as the "pearl knot" and there is a "sign" nailed in the middle below the brim, which is called "hat". There are pearls, agates, small pieces of silver and glass. According to legend, this kind of hat first began in the early Ming Dynasty. Because it is a six-petal suture, it means "six in one", that is, the four sides of heaven and earth are "one", so it is popular. After the Manchu entered the customs, influenced by the culture of the Central Plains, they also took the meaning of "Liuhe unification" and began to wear this kind of hat, which was quite popular. Now, we can still often see its shadow in TV and TV dramas about the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

Early Manchu men wore a kind of double-ridged loafers called "big stupid shoes". The vamp is mostly green cloth and green satin. The front of the shoe is inlaid with double or single black thong. The toe is convex and upturned, and the side view is like a boat. In addition to "flag shoes" and flat shoes (the upper of flat shoes is embroidered with floral patterns and the front of shoes is embroidered with "cloud head"), there is also a kind of "thousand-layer shoes". "Thousand-layer shoes" are named after using multi-layer shoes as soles. The vamp is mostly made of cloth, generally not embroidered and other patterns, and is mostly worn in labor.

There is also a very distinctive kind of shoes, called Ura (simple) shoes, which are mostly worn by Manchu people in winter. Sewing with cowhide or pigskin, with grass as wadding, light and warm, suitable for winter hunting and ice running.

Housing and transportation

In the early days, Manchu people lived by mountains and rivers to facilitate and adapt to their production and living habits. The main rooms of Manchu farmhouses are generally three or five rooms, which face south and are convenient for lighting, and they are all at the east end and south, shaped like pockets, commonly known as "pocket rooms", which are convenient for gathering warmth. The east and west have their own wing rooms, equipped with concierges, which constitute the so-called quadrangles. Most houses are ridged brick houses, commonly known as "Christina House". The column is inserted into the ground, the door faces south, and it is tall and spacious. Opposite the room is a hall, also called an outhouse, with a kitchen stove, a pot and a water tank. The stove is connected with the fire resistance in the west room, and it is called "tile" in Manchu. Opening the door from the west wall of the hall is the back room, and the south, north and west sides form a "word line" or "full health" Manchu is still right, and the Western Wall is for ancestral tablets. Xikang is a narrow kang, so people can't live there. It goes through the flue. Kang faces north and south. Shop kang mat, or paste kang paper to brush oil. There is a wardrobe on the kang, with clothes in it and bedding and toiletries stacked on it. At night, the elders live in the south kang of Westinghouse, and the north kang is separated from their brothers and children. When sleeping, your head is facing outside the kang and your feet are against the wall, which is quite suitable for cold protection and breathing fresh air. There are many paper paintings on the wall. In order to keep out the cold in the north, some have built fire sites. There is a circular chimney (called Hulan in Manchu) on the wall of Xishan outside the house, which is several feet higher than the eaves. There is a wind nest at the bottom of the chimney, which can block the headwind. There are windows on the north and south walls, and enough paper is pasted outside the window lattice, mostly "Korean paper", and the paper is coated with oil or salt water to avoid getting wet and falling off due to rain and snow. The window lattice and the Liangzi window lattice on the door form various patterns, which are beautiful and firm. Windows are divided into upper and lower windows, and the upper window can be ventilated with wooden sticks. There is always a stroller hanging on the beam, and there is a baby in the stroller. There is a rectangular kang table on the kang. It is warm and convenient to sit cross-legged around the table when eating. The left and right sides of the table are covered with felt mattresses for guests. There are many carved paintings in rooms, rafters and buildings. There are mills and warehouses in the wing (called Hash in Manchu). The house is surrounded by a wall. There is a "Soren pole" in the southeast of the courtyard. There is a tin bucket and three stones under the pole, which are called "sacred stones". Behind the telephone pole is a brick wall, and there is rain on the wall.

In the past, the rich in the city lived in quadrangles. Most of the gates are three-room buildings, with three to five main rooms and three to five east and west wing rooms, surrounded by brick walls, and stone piers on both sides of the concierge, which are called Shangmashi. Some quadrangles are divided into front and back rooms. Most of these Manchu residential styles are preserved in the northeast Manchu inhabited areas. However, since 1980s, except for a few people who still keep the traditional architectural style, most of them have been built into more spacious and bright modern houses.

In order to adapt to the living environment in mountainous areas and snowy forests, the traditional means of transportation in Manchu inhabited areas mainly include carriages, sledges, canoes and birch boats. Sleigh (called Farah in Manchu) is a means of transportation on snow. After baking the two tree trunks with fire, they are bent into an arch shape, with the upper ends inclined, and the touching part is about1.5m wide. It is paved or made into a box, driven by cattle and horses, carrying people and goods lightly. At present, it is only used occasionally in the cold northern mountainous areas. The earliest means of water transportation for Manchu was canoe (called Hu Wei in Manchu), which was hollowed out by thick logs and could accommodate several people. There is also a birch bark boat, which is more troublesome to do. Make the keel first, stick birch bark inside and outside, and carry it alone. Quite light. It is rare now and has been replaced by modern ships.

well-behaved

Manchu is a nation that pays great attention to etiquette. Manchu people have various manners when meeting or visiting guests, including saluting with a thousand hands, touching temples, holding hands, holding hands, kneeling down, kowtowing and so on. Among them, thousands of gifts, hugs and kowtows are mainly used by men, while others are used by women. The younger generation is used to treat the elders and subordinates of the officers. The form is to play the arrow sleeve, the left knee bends forward, the right leg bends slightly, the left hand is placed on the left knee, and the right hand hangs down to say hello. Hugging ceremony is for peers, and the younger generation can also give it to the elders, but the younger generation should hold the waist of the elder, and the elder should caress the back of the younger generation, and so on. Now, some complicated manners have been simplified.

The Manchu tradition of respecting the elderly is more obvious. The younger generation should greet their parents and ancestors every morning and evening, and make way for their elders on the way. When eating, the elders should sit first and eat first. Manchu attaches great importance to feelings and righteousness, treats people sincerely, holds banquets for guests, and keeps his word.

The traditional wedding ceremony of Manchu is complicated, which generally goes through the procedures of media, release, drawing lots, delivering boxes, welcoming relatives, visiting the church, offering sacrifices to ancestors, dividing the size and returning to the door.

Through the media, the man's family asked the matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman's family. After the families of both parties agree, they will make a small decision, that is, the man's family will send Ruyi or hairpin as a gift. Then there is engagement, that is, choosing an auspicious day. Relatives in the husband's family asked the name of the woman's family, and the woman's family hosted a banquet. The man's parents spoke to propose marriage, and the woman's family repeatedly thanked him. The husband's family insisted on proposing marriage, and the woman's family agreed to get married. At this time, the man should worship the woman's family and her elders. It is also a good day for wedding gifts, such as clothes, silks, satins, sheep and geese. The man's family will also give money. It's time to set a wedding date. At the wedding reception stage, the bride's family will accompany the dowry on the day before the wedding, commonly known as "passing the box", and the groom will thank her family. In the wedding ceremony, the groom is accompanied by the wedding procession. When two cars go wrong on the way, the bride's brother carries the bride on the groom's float, commonly known as "jumping off the car" (due to the different Manchu customs in different regions, the groom and the wedding procession also go directly to the bride's house to celebrate the wedding. In other places, there is a saying that "the flag custom does not greet relatives." When the bride arrives at the groom's house, she changes cars and takes a sedan chair. When the sedan chair lands, the groom will shoot three arrows for nothing. The bride got off the sedan chair with a red hijab, stood with the groom in front of the heaven and earth table placed in the yard in advance, and bowed to the north three times, commonly known as worshipping Beidou, that is, worshiping heaven and earth. After the worship, the bride retreated to the table of heaven and earth and entered the makeshift tent. This is called paying the bill. When sitting on the bill, "open your face" and change your head. After sitting the bill, the bride stepped over the saddle and entered the bridal chamber. The groom took off the hijab with a scale and threw it on the eaves. Couples toast, eat happy noodles and children's cakes, and everyone makes trouble in the bridal chamber. On the night of the wedding day, the bride and groom will worship their ancestors. On the first day after marriage, the bride gives cigarettes and tea to relatives in her husband's family, worships the clan and recognizes the generation, which is called size. Generally, after three days of marriage, the husband and wife go back to the woman's house to visit their parents and worship their ancestors. A month after marriage, the bride went back to her parents' home to live for a month, and stopped for a month. By this time, the wedding was over.

These complicated marriage procedures have been simplified in today's Manchu inhabited areas and integrated with modern forms. For example, plugging in a car has evolved into a young man and woman riding bicycles or motorcycles. Accompanied by a free wedding team, they set off from their own homes and met halfway. They exchanged bicycles or motorcycles and then went to the groom's house together. There are ancestors, and some places have evolved into newcomers to worship their parents. Although it has changed, it still has strong national characteristics. In addition, the wedding ceremony of Manchu people varies slightly due to different living areas, but the main procedures are roughly the same.

The parenting customs of Manchu are quite special. Boys hang bows and arrows on the left side of the door, girls hang colored strips on the right side of the door, and parents send recreational vehicles. Three days after giving birth, relatives and friends send gifts, commonly known as "milk delivery". And held a baptism, called "washing three." At the full moon, please "make a full moon", take down the bow and arrow or cloth and hang it on the "descendants rope". In one hundred days, we should weave a lock with colored strips of cloth from each family, which is called a padlock. At the age of one, a more solemn ceremony should be held to let the children "catch up with the week". General 16 years old, boys have shaved their heads and girls have bun. Today, traditional customs such as "giving milk", "washing three dishes", "making a full moon" and "grasping the week" still exist in Manchu inhabited areas in Northeast China.

Funeral custom

Burial and cremation are the main forms of Manchu funeral with a long history. Before Manchu entered the customs, cremation was the main reason, mainly because they migrated frequently. Coupled with the death of soldiers in the Eight Banners in the early Qing Dynasty, it was inconvenient to send the bones back to their hometown, so cremation was adopted. After the Manchu entered the customs, it gradually changed, from cremation to burial. The funeral ceremony is the shroud worn by the deceased before his death, mostly robes and jackets, which are single. The spirit stays in the house, usually within 7 days. Make a Zhang Ling bed with wooden boards, with the head facing west and feet facing east. The coffin was made of red cloth about 3 feet long, decorated with black spikes, and hung on a high pole in the yard. The coffin used by Manchu people has a special shape, which is upturned, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and is called "flag material".

During the mourning period, the family members observed a moment of silence and held a memorial service. At the time of burial, gold and silver were put in the coffin, and the poor people used gold and silver foil ingots instead, with copper coins or jade articles in their mouths, and the coffin was placed in the Peng Ling in the courtyard. There are 16 bars, 32 bars, and 64 bars in the lunar funeral. After the funeral, thank the people who helped and invite them to dinner. After burial, burn paper in front of the grave every 7 days for 7 times in a row. Burn for a hundred days, burn for the anniversary. Manchu burning paper is to fold paper into pockets, commonly known as burning pockets. Tomb-Sweeping Day wants to go to the grave, burn his pocket and stick a Buddha in it. In the past 30 years, the funeral of Manchu has been changed to cremation. However, there are still many ancient traditions in the ceremony of paying homage to relatives, such as burning pockets, offering sacrifices by inserting Buddha, burning for seven days, burning for a hundred days, burning for the anniversary and so on in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

taboo

Manchu people have many taboos. Blasphemy against gods and ancestors is not allowed. For example, in Xigui of Manchu, ancestors' boxes are placed on Xikang, and people and sundries are not allowed to live there, and there can be no disrespect. It is forbidden to beat dogs, kill dogs, eat dog meat and wear dog fur hats, and foreigners are not allowed to wear dog fur hats into their homes. Legend has it that Nurhachi once said to his people, "There are many wild animals in the mountains, and you can eat as much as you want, but you are not allowed to eat dog meat or wear dog skin in the future. The dog is dead, you should bury it, because it is an upright dog. " Since then, it has become the habit of Manchu to love and respect dogs. In addition, Manchu people not only don't eat the meat of crows, but also feed crows and offer sacrifices to crows.

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