Traditional Festivals of the Bai Ethnic Minority

1, the Green Girl Festival: the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar

This day in Jianchuan County, Diannan, Yangcen and other places of the Bai women to participate in the activities, they have to donate money to meet together, specially asked to tie a Green Girl idol, dress her up in a green girl, and the people will be able to see the girl's face, the girl's face, the girl's face, the girl's face, the girl's face. The idol of a green girl, dress her in white dress, carry her to the swing set on the swing, the crowd around her while dancing and singing, entertainment, and then to the Haiwei River to hold a memorial ceremony. In the evening, one person held up the Green Girl? In the evening, a man holds an idol and the women walk around the village, singing a long narrative song called "Aoi Maiden". Afterwards, they return to the village grounds and sing a long narrative song called "Green Girl" with the idol. Green Girl? swinging until late at night. At the end of the day, the girls will be taken back to the village grounds and swung on the swings. Green Girl into the Haiwei River.

Legend has it that the Green Girl Festival of the Jianchuan Bai women is in honor of the ancient Green Girl. The green girl is smart and beautiful, since childhood, both parents died, forced to be a child bride, in-laws burdened with heavy domestic labor, but also by the mother-in-law's abuse. One day, the little aunt instigated her husband to beat the green girl, she was forced to desperate, so she jumped into the Haiwei River to kill herself. This day happens to be the 15th day of the first month, the white women to this day to gather to commemorate her, so as to oppose the feudal rites and the memory of the green girl.

2, the Bai people to receive the three Princess: every year on the thirteenth day of the second month of the lunar calendar

The Bai people to receive the three Princess time is every year on the thirteenth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, began in the period of Nanzhao. According to historical records, the Nanzhao period, the Bai Zi State Chief Zhang Lejin seek to cede the throne to the U barbarians fine Nu Luo, in order to maintain friendly relations with the U barbarians Meng clan, while the white barbarians to the fine Nu Luo female three girls as a wife, and every year to the Meng She Chuan (now Wei Chuan to pick up the three princes back to the festival of the Dali. Later, after the death of the three princes, the Dali Bai people in the good mountain to build the three princes Hall, in the lunar calendar every year to the 13th of February to this place to hold cleaning activities, and according to the custom of the three princes back to Dali festival.

Every year on the 11th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the Dali region of the Bai people dressed in Bai dress, on time to Long Yu Mountain to hold the chanting and pilgrimage to worship the three princes of the commemoration of the activities, and the local Yi people to hold a joint celebration, playing the bully whip, singing songs and singing tunes, in the early morning of the thirteenth day of the white horse carrying from the three princes of the Bai people to change the dress (said to receive the three princes), to receive the three princes of the three princes of the three princes of the three Spirit of the circle to participate in the festivals around the Dali. activities. They played the red flag, blowing the spray na, beating gongs and drums, while walking and drinking the white tune, excitedly and colorfully left Weishan to return to Dali. If it rains on the day of the three princesses, they are more joyful, that this year Dali dam on the wind and rain, abundant harvest. After circling the three spirits, they send the Three Princesses back to Weishan. This traditional folk festival, from the Nanzhao to the present, year after year, never failing. 1978 years later, due to the conditions of the limitations of the three princesses have not used the white horse, changed to use the human back of the three princesses of the clothes instead of the white horse, the festival ceremonies and solemnity of the situation is still the same.

3, the tree will be: the 15th day of the second month of the lunar calendar

February 15 Bai Nongjia will be, also known as the white tree will be. There is such a legend.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, the self-reliant strong soldiers will be brave, Mengshezhao Lord Pi Luoguo deployed troops to invade the wave dome Zhao. Wave dome edict Lord ordered tens of thousands of generals, from the mountain flowers of the Ling Ying mountain folded a lot of branches of flowers, planted in the vast three camps dam, and sprinkled a lot of honey water on the branches of flowers. The strong smell of honey and the fragrance of various flowers makes the bees and colorful butterflies from near and far smell the fragrance.

A few days later, tens of thousands of Mengshezhao generals and soldiers opened into the three camps dam. In the face of the face in front of the boundless? The sea of flowers? Be alarmed, angry swarms of bees, stung the intruders. One by one was stung to the nose and face, screaming. Thousands and thousands of butterflies also flew around in front of the eyes of the generals of Mengshezhao, making them unable to recognize the south-east and north-west. Amidst the earth-shattering sound of war drums, the Langdaozhao generals ambushed in the dam took advantage of the situation to chase down the enemy. There was a battle with? Bee soldiers and butterfly generals? assisted by the ambush battle, was soon over.

The white villagers of Longqiongzhao cooked donkey soup pots and brought white bread and barley wine to reward the generals. This day is the 15th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, in order to commemorate this unusual day, every year on the 15th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, people come to this ancient battlefield site to catch the session to do business. A few days before the session, the white villages in the big girls and small daughters-in-law, buy white cloth and colorful thread, invite each other, together with the pick flower embroidery doo, rushed to do embroidered scarf. The Bai embroidered scarf is square, with a side length of about two feet. A colorful butterfly is embroidered at each corner of the scarf, and green leaves, red flowers and bees are embroidered in the center of the scarf. People use this to express their gratitude to the bees and butterflies.

Before and after the Tree Flower Festival, Bai villagers always plant a few trees in front of and behind their houses. Butterflies The first time I saw this is when I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night. The white villagers always plant a few bee trees in front of their houses and plant a few butterfly flowers to express their nostalgia for their ancestors. The Sanying Dam has a "Flower and Fruit Dam". The name of "Flower and Fruit Dam" is, to some extent, related to the legend of the Tree Flower Festival. The beauty of the name, to a certain extent, is and tree flowers will be the legend and customs are inseparable.

4, March Street: March 15 to 20 of the lunar calendar

March Street, also known as? Guanyin City? , is a grand festival of the Bai people and the street period, so far there have been more than a thousand years of history, in every summer calendar March 15 to 20 in the old city of Dali west of the foothills of the point of the Cangshan held. Legend? Guanyin Daishi? Opened up the Dali area, the people of all ethnic groups in order to commemorate him, every session of this period, have to come from far and wide to meet, perform a variety of dances and horse races and so on. Later March Street and gradually become a grand exchange of materials. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Gan, Qing, Sichuan, Tibet, Jiangnan provinces have merchants to this trade, to mules and horses, mountain goods, medicinal herbs for the bulk of the trade, farmers are also in the meeting period to purchase farm animals, farm equipment, in preparation for the spring plowing.

5, around the three spirit: the lunar calendar April 23rd to 25th, ***3 days

around the three spirit, tracing the roots of the evolution of the activities from the rain. According to legend, in the past, Dali often due to drought and no rain and can not plant seedlings, the Bai ancestors had to pray to the sky. So every year from April 23rd to 25th of the lunar calendar before the arrival of the rice-planting season, we have to organize large-scale activities to pray for rain. And pray for rain during the people is a good time to get together, so it is derived from the grand Nongjiale - around the three spirit of the folklore event.

Around the three spirit, also known as around the mountain spirit, around the three forest. The white language is called? The first time I saw this, it was a very good time for me. The first thing you need to do is to go out and have a good time. or? "Tour" means to visit. The meaning of the word is "tour". Sanling refers to three places: Chongsheng Temple, the capital of Buddhism, located in the west of the ancient city of Dali, Yunnan Province, next to the Three Pagodas Temple; Shengyuan Temple, the capital of Immortality, located in the village of Qingdong at the foot of Cangshan Mountain; and Jingui Temple, the capital of the gods, located in the northwestern shore of the Erhai Sea. -Jingui Temple.

6, Butterfly Festival: Every year on the 15th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar

Legend has it that it is a kind of folk festival to commemorate the steadfast love of the Bai young men and women, Xialang and Wengu. Legend has it that in ancient times, in the Dali Cangshan Yunlang peak foothills of the Butterfly Spring side of the residence of a Bai family, parents and daughters of three, the daughter's name is Wen Gu, the family rely on firewood to make a living. The daughter, Wen Gu, met and fell in love with Xia Lang, a young Bai hunter from Yubing Peak. Later, the hereditary lord of Yucheng, the king of Yucheng, admired the beauty of Wen Gu, killed both parents of Wen Gu, and snatched her into the palace as a concubine, and Wen Gu resisted and was locked up in the palace. Xia Lang risked his life and entered the palace in the middle of the night to rescue Wen Gu, and then escaped to the Butterfly Spring on the back of a young deer, and then the Elm King's fighters chased him to the Butterfly Spring, so Xia Lang and Wen Gu had no way to escape, and jumped into the spring with their arms around each other. After a pair of colorful butterflies flew out from the spring, perched on the Acacia tree by the Butterfly Spring, colorful butterflies from all directions flew to congratulate, head and tail, from the tree straight down to the spring, forming a spectacle. This day is the 15th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the surrounding Bai people have come to watch, so there is an annual butterfly will.

7, Torch Festival: June 24 to 26 on the lunar calendar

Torch Festival is a traditional ethnic festival of many ethnic minorities in southwestern China; the time is generally for the Lunar calendar June 24 to 26 days. On the day of the festival, all villages and cottages have to hold a large torch, on which is inserted the words "五谷丰登" and "五谷豐富登". Five grains and plentiful harvest? and "The People's Prosperity" on the top. National prosperity and people's peace? and? Good weather? After watching the big torches in auspicious language, children from each family play with small torches, and under the leadership of adults, go to the fields and gardens to expel pests with torches, and also sprinkle rosin on the torches to get rid of pests and avoid evils until the torches burn out. After playing with the torches, families gather to eat fruits and food. At night, when they go to bed, women and children have to use a kind of pounded? Forsythia root. Wrap cover fingertips, the next day that the nails are dyed red, legend has it that this is in memory of Deng fine dao Lord Pi Luo Zuo's wife, Mrs. Park Jie charity, symbolizing faithful love. Dali region has a long history of torch festival, said to have begun in the Han Dynasty, is to commemorate Mrs. Anan; said to have begun in the Tang Dynasty, is to commemorate Mrs. Charity; said to commemorate the victory of ancient wars, a multitude of different laws, each said it is.

According to historical records, the torch festival belongs to the fire worship, the torch festival ancient name ? New Fire Festival? , because fire is a symbol of light, representing the ideal and hope. Its beginning time, should be in the ancient tribal period, the ancient ancestors to take the kindling, re-born fire, the purpose is to get rid of the old and new, so that the fire will never be extinguished. Records of the Dali Torch Festival is the earliest history of the Yuan Dynasty Li Jing's "Yunnan Zhiliao", is the book "the barbarians customs" article said: ? June 24, through the night with a pole tied to the torch in the sky, the children are holding a pine fire burning each other for the play, called the body hustle.

8, play the sea will: from the lunar calendar July 23 began, generally three to five days

play the sea will also be called? About this meeting, there are two folklore stories: one is from the Dengchuan to the Xizhou area, rumored to commemorate the salvage of the Nanzhao period into the Kiwi Tho River martyrdom section of Mrs. Bo Jie; two is Dali, Xiaguan area is rumored to commemorate the salvage of the Nanzhao period in addition to the python to save the people buried at the bottom of the sea of the national hero Duan Chihsheng.

Due to the origin of the legend is different, playing the sea will be before and after the time, generally three to five days. Dengchuan, Shangguan, Xizhou area of the sea time from the beginning of the lunar calendar July 23, Dali, Xiaguan area of the sea time from the beginning of the eighth lunar month, playing the sea of the content is similar.

Dengchuan, Xizhou Bai people dressed in national costumes, gathered on both sides of the Kiwi Tho River and the shore of the Erhai Sea, held a colorful boat tour of the river and the sea, singing songs on the tune and other activities, lasting three to five days. During the period of the meeting, every household has to receive girls and invite guests, and the festival is as grand as the Chinese New Year. Dali, Xiaguan coastal Bai people in addition to holding boat play sea song activities, but also to hold a large-scale dragon boat race activities. Before the race, the participating villages have to paint the dragon boat and hang colors and flags on the boat, which dresses up the dragon boat in splendid colors. During the race, the winner is the one who is the first to turn around the mark in the center of the sea and return to the shore. Crowds of spectators and supporters converge on the seashore, waving flags and shouting, cheering for the participating dragon boats.

9, Shibaoshan Song Festival: July 26 to the first day of August in the lunar calendar

Shibaoshan Song Festival is a grand ethnic traditional festival in the Bai ethnic area, from July 26 to the first day of August in the lunar calendar. Jianchuan, Eryuan, Dali, Lijiang, Lanping and other places of the Bai people from all directions to gather here, singing songs, sightseeing tours. The sound of string song, night and day in the mountains, regardless of men and women, young and old, as long as the mountains will be lyrical show of song. Elderly people believe that the song will sing white song, you can get good luck, or weekdays at home has made a wish to the gods, to ensure the peace of Qingji, will be sure to go to Shibaoshan sing on a hundred or so tunes, so in the song will sing the tune will become a wish to move; middle-aged people through the song will be expressed feelings, performance of their own song; young men and women are most of the song as a medium for finding a soul mate. Tunes are popular in the northwestern part of Dali Prefecture, Jianchuan Bai tune, accompanied by a dragon's head three strings or blowing leaves, singing for the Bai poetry "three seven one five" of the traditional format, strict discipline, can not run out of rhyme. Therefore, the songs not only show the singing voice, but also test their own wisdom and talent. Excellent singers in the familiar mastery of traditional folk songs on the basis of the face of the scene, coupled with improvisation, often wonderful words, moving heart. Once a match is made, they will be able to answer each other and sing for days and nights without being able to distinguish between the winners and the losers.