Folk Culture Daur Ethnic Group Goodwill Festival

Sacrifice is a worship activity of faith that has existed since the primitive society of China, and it is a culture that has its own style regardless of borders, nationalities, or objects. The national culture of each ethnic group shown in the ritual is also a valuable spiritual wealth left to us.

As a festival of the Daur ethnic minority, the Goodbaugh Festival will present us with a different Daur culture.

The Good Offices Festival of the Daur ethnic group has a history of more than three hundred years, and the meaning of good offices in the Daur ethnic group is that it is used to sacrifice to the heavens and the earth, mountains and rivers, and the gods and goddesses of the altar. Good offices package facing south, with stone base, it is on June 8 every year, as long as the Daur people live in a more concentrated place, will hold a grand good offices package festival. This is a Daur ethnic annual most grand folk festival.

In order to pray for the coming year's good weather, good luck and peace, the general process of the Good Offices Festival, that is, when people come to the altar early in the morning around the place to take a stone, placed next to the altar, which is as a way to report, belonging to the clan counting the number of moves, if for some reason you can not go to the person, can be put by the family or friends on behalf of the family.

The location of the good offices package selected must also be in the water and grass, forested high ground, it is piled up the higher the larger, heralding the close unity of the nation and prosperity. In the middle of the bag of good offices at the top, inserted with pine or willow branches, branches tied with colorful cloth on behalf of the tribes. On the altar on the west side of the bag, the heads of slaughtered cows and goats, all kinds of food and three cups of wine are placed on the altar.

After the official start of the event, the first is the ceremony of toast: the chief raised the first cup of wine, with the tribe towards the east kneeling down, the wine sprinkled on the ground, kowtow three times, in order to pay homage to ancestors; the chief raised the second cup of wine, gently sprinkled on the good offices package, in order to consolation to the souls of the deceased in heaven; the chief raised the third cup of wine, sprinkled upside down by the air to the good offices package, and prayed for the living the next year of peace and good luck.

Immediately after, the people are around the goodwill package around three times. First, the chief shouted "live Nuo", "live Nuo" (meaning blessing), while throwing grain porridge to the bag of good offices, and then by everyone together to do the same action, praying for the blessing of the gods.

After the sacrifice, it is an important gathering. It mainly consists of three aspects: first, the chief told the history of the westward movement of the Tunchen garrison, and asked everyone to carry forward the fine tradition of loyalty and patriotism of our forefathers, and unite our efforts to revitalize the nation. Secondly, to arrange for the future production and life of the clan and to solve the disputes of right and wrong among the neighbors of the clan. Third, donate money and goods for the old, sick, disabled, orphans and widows, and encourage everyone to be in the same boat ****.

After the assembly, there are lively horse racing, wrestling, archery, hockey and other traditional sports activities. In the late afternoon, the crowd sat around the grassy forest and savored delicious food. The sound of the zither is played, and men, women and children sing and dance to their heart's content until late in the evening.

The Good Offices Festival, with the development of the times, while retaining the function of the traditional sacrificial customs, incorporates new contents arising from special historical conditions and special living environment, especially the contents of commemorating the Western Expedition for Reclamation and garrisoning of the border, in order to achieve the effect of passing on the national culture and cohesion of the spirit of the nation.

Therefore, now the Good Offices Festival is also known as the Western Expedition Festival. The Daur ethnic group has its own language, but there is no text, once a year, the good offices package festival is an important place and opportunity for oral history, whether adults, children, talk about their own national origin are as good as a few. It is precisely because of this, the pioneers of the westward march to garrison the tragic and brilliant performance, education and inspired generation after generation of Daur people, Daur and the people of all ethnic groups **** with the valuable spiritual wealth.