Brief introduction of Yao Lao nationality

Brief introduction of the Molao nationality

The Molao nationality has 159,328 people, mainly distributed in the northern mountainous areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and 9% of them live in Luocheng Molao Autonomous County. The word "Yao Lao" means "mother" in the national language.

The Molao language belongs to the Dong Shui branch of the Zhuang Dong language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family, which is very close to the Mao Nan language and Dong language. Due to the close contacts between the people of the Molao nationality and the people of the Han and Zhuang nationalities, the Molao language has absorbed a lot of Chinese and Zhuang vocabulary, most of them are fluent in Chinese, and some of them can speak Zhuang dialect.

The Molao people are mainly engaged in agriculture, mainly rice and corn. Farming techniques, crop varieties and production tools are basically the same as those of the nearby Han and Zhuang nationalities. The mountain township of the Molao nationality is known as the "coal township", and coal mining has become an important part of production and life.

Molaoshan Township is a landscape gallery with charming scenery, with mountains like swords and water like silks and satins, and is known as "Small Guilin".

The history of the Molao ethnic group

The Molao ethnic group is an ancient ethnic group in China. Since Wei and Jin Dynasties, it has been called "Mulao" and "Mulao" in the history books, which is included in the general names of Liao and Ling. According to historical records and legends, at the latest, the Molao people lived in Luocheng, Guangxi in the Yuan Dynasty or early Ming Dynasty. Their nationalities call themselves "Ling" and "Jin", while Zhuang people call them "Bu Jin" and Han people call them "Mulao". After the founding of New China, it was collectively called Yao Lao according to the wishes of the nation. The area where the Molao people live belongs to the rocky mountain zone, where the mountains are stacked, the peaks are like forests, and the valleys are densely covered, and the soil is barren, so it is extremely inconvenient for farmland irrigation and transportation, and it is difficult to develop the economy. In recent decades, with the continuous construction of water conservancy projects, the irrigation area is getting bigger and bigger, and the grain output is increasing. The mountains where the Yao people live are rich in coal, which is known as the coal town, and coal mining is their important economic pillar.

music of the Molao people

The Molao people have a population of more than 94,, and most of them live in the Molao Autonomous County of Luocheng, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Most people are fluent in Chinese and believe in Buddhism and Taoism, heaven and earth, all kinds of ghosts and gods with real names. Almost every family of the Yao nationality has a songbook, and every village has a singer in various forms, such as impromptu folk songs, story-based, sarcastic and mocking ballads.

This is a famous folk song of the Molao nationality. Its tune range is not wide, almost colloquial, simple and natural.

etiquette of the Molao people

celebration of the Molao people

? Yao Lao people used to believe in polytheism and have more festivals. There are festivals almost every month of the year except October and November. The triennial "Yi Fan" Festival, also known as "Joy Thick", is more grand. The Yifan Festival is held on the auspicious day after beginning of winter. The main purpose of "depending on food" is to make a vow to our ancestors and pray for the safety of people and animals and a bumper harvest of grain. The whole village danced lions and dragons, sang and sang operas for three days in a row, but it is rare now because of the impact on production. Every holiday, in addition to various celebration activities, every family should buy rich food. Such as: chicken, duck, fish, meat and glutinous rice food, but also according to the seasonal production of different seasonal meals. Glutinous rice products are the main food in various festivals and festive days. Marriage, children's full moon, etc. should be made? Besides, we have to make tofu and hold a banquet.

　? Most of the sacrificial activities of the Yao Lao people are held in festivals. In the past, whenever there was a major festival, the whole village or several villages jointly held a collective worship ceremony, and the sacrifices to the gods were different according to different festivals. Every time the gods were sacrificed, the expenses of the sacrifices used were shared equally. After the sacrificial activities, the sacrifices were shared equally by households, which was called "share-drawing". Personal income can be used to sacrifice ancestors after returning home, and then used as holiday food. On April 8th, the "Cow's Birthday", let the cows rest, prepare chicken, duck, wine and meat, steam glutinous rice to worship the "Cow-pen God" and give them a ball of glutinous rice.

marriage customs of the Molao nationality

Young men and women of the Molao nationality have always practiced free love. Apart from festivals, * * * and acquaintances at fairs, the main way of love is to spread songs and answer each other's questions and make friends. The season of "walking on the slope" is spring March and autumn in August. Young people are dressed in costumes, and men and women go together to the market to find partners to sing songs. After finding a satisfactory opponent, we invited them to the beautiful hillside lawn to start singing duets, asking and answering questions with songs as the medium, satisfying each other and giving each other tokens. Finally, the matchmaker was asked to inform the parents to determine the wedding date.

The matchmaker is asked by the man first. If the woman's family agrees, she will give her daughter's birthdates to the matchmaker and forward it to the man. After the man's parents received the woman's eight characters, they thought that it was consistent with their son's eight characters, and this marriage was basically completed.

There are some differences in the ways of picking up relatives, and the most interesting one is "sending ten sisters to marry". One month after the bride passed the door, girls of the same age in the same village volunteered to form ten bridesmaids to be sisters at the unmarried bride's house, and stayed with the bride day and night to help her make new shoes, sew wedding clothes and prepare makeup. On the wedding day, the ten sisters and the bride were dressed exactly the same, wearing the same "lover's shoes" and "wedding clothes", holding the same "sister umbrella", cutting the same hairstyle, tying the same braid, and even behaving in a similar way. If it weren't for relatives and friends, I really don't know who is the bride and the best man. When we arrived at the groom's house, eleven girls entered the room together, which was very lively.

On the wedding day, many places have the custom of setting up "song cards". When the man and his party go to the woman's village to meet their relatives, they have to sing and answer questions before they can enter the bride's house through the "song card" Similarly, the woman has to answer a question song before she can enter the groom's house when she sends the wedding procession to the male village. Sometimes people who sing from morning till night are crowded around watching the excitement. If you can't answer in the end, ask yourself and answer yourself, or parents will come forward to sing the "reconciliation song" and announce the end of the "hurdle song". In the long-term dialogue, the host should provide delicious food and drinks to the guests to ensure that they are energetic and full of emotions.

After the bride enters the room, many places will have a "noisy singing hall", that is, a contest song will be put up inside and outside the bridal chamber, and men and women will sing and answer. When * * *, cheers and laughter became one, which became an excellent place for young people to show their talents.

costumes of the Molao ethnic group

The costumes of the Molao ethnic group all have their own characteristics, but in some respects, they are basically the same as those of the nearby Han and Zhuang ethnic groups because of their long-term mixed residence and mutual influence.

The costumes of the Molao nationality kept the characteristics of ancient courtiers 6 or 7 years ago. For example, women's blouses are very short, only reaching the waist, and all the sleeves are embroidered with scaly patterns. Wearing a pleated skirt and hooked shoes on her feet. Men wear double-breasted clothes, and both men and women use long handkerchief to cover their heads. The clothes of the Yao nationality are generally dark blue. In the past, most of them were self-spinning, self-weaving and self-sewing. In modern times, they have been modified, which is not much different from the clothes of the local Han and Zhuang nationalities. Men wear double-breasted jackets and trousers, while the elderly wear pipa-breasted jackets; Generally wear straw sandals, and there are not many feet. In the past, girls used to braid their hair and tie it in a bun after marriage, but now most of them have their hair cut. Ornaments include silver earrings, bracelets and rings.

Molao people's diet

Most Molao people are used to eating three meals by solar eclipse, with porridge for breakfast, porridge left over from breakfast for lunch, rice and rich dishes for dinner. In the busy farming season, porridge is usually eaten for breakfast, and lunch and dinner are meals. Is sweet potato one of the main supplementary grains of Lao people? Soybeans are usually fried and boiled before eating, and are used to make tofu during festivals and weddings and funerals. Every autumn, every family makes 2 to 3 Jin of bean paste to accompany porridge.

The Molao people always like cold food. After the food is cooked, it should be cooled before eating. If you can't finish one meal, you don't need to heat it again after the next meal. Usually drink raw water. The Molao people are used to cooking meat "white?" That is, put large pieces of pork or slaughtered whole chickens and ducks in water and boil them in white, then cut them into small pieces and add salt or dip them in salt water when eating. Fish are often fried in oil, and beef is often fried alone.

The Molao people like to eat sour and spicy food. Every family has an acid jar to pickle all kinds of pickled vegetables, such as pickled beans and garlic. Folk breakfast and lunch are only served with hot and sour dishes. Vegetables are used to boiling in water first, and then adding salt. Is the local specialty coal sand jar a unique drinking utensil for cooking rice, vegetables and tea?

The typical foods of the Molao people are: tofu dishes; White steamed buns, a traditional snack of the Molao people, are made of cooked glutinous rice.

Molao architecture

In the Molao inhabited area, the mountains are rolling, and Wuyang River and Longjiang River flow through them. In the crisscross of Dashishan and Tushan hills, there are canyon flat dams with different vertical and horizontal dimensions. Most of the Molao people live in mountainous areas or semi-mountainous areas, and build villages by mountains and rivers. ? Lao dwellings are mostly brick walls, tile roofs and low-rise buildings. Whether on the flat or on the slope, the foundation should be built into a platform 3 to 6 cm above the ground. The foundation of the wall is made of fire bricks. People live on the ground floor, and upstairs is the barn. The most prominent feature of folk houses is that they are heated and cooked by ground stoves, which has a history of more than 4 years.

the ground stove is built on both sides of the gate in the hall or in the kitchen. First, dig a pit in the ground, build a good stove with bricks in the pit, and put a big water altar next to the stove. The mouth of the altar and the mouth of the underground stove are slightly higher than the ground to avoid the inflow of sewage. Build a coal pit in front of the furnace and cover it with a movable board. Except for the dusted oven door, the stove and the periphery of the jar are all filled with mud, and the surface has to be plastered with concrete. The ground stove never goes out all day, and there is always hot water in the water jar. In addition to cooking in a pot at any time, winter is like earth heating equipment, making the room comfortable and warm. Especially in the wet and rainy season, the food and clothes in the house will not be moldy. On holidays, it is very convenient for family and friends to eat "hot pot" around the ground stove. Because? The Lao nationality produces anthracite, so it is very common to use ground stoves.

customs of the Molao people

Molao people-taboos

The taboos of the Molao people are: no unlucky words when digging coal; Do not step on the threshold when entering the door; Don't eat cat meat, snake meat, and in some places, don't eat dog meat and pig heart.

religion of the Molao people

The Molao people mainly believe in Taoism. I also believe in Buddhism. Yao Lao people used to believe in polytheism and have more festivals. Most of the sacrificial activities of the Yao Lao people are held in festivals. In the past, whenever there was a major festival, the whole village or several villages jointly held a collective worship ceremony, and the sacrifices to the gods were different according to different festivals. Every time the gods were sacrificed, the expenses of the sacrifices used were shared equally. After the sacrificial activities, the sacrifices were shared equally by households, which was called "share-drawing". Personal income can be used to sacrifice ancestors after returning home, and then used as holiday food. On April 8th, the "Cow's Birthday", let the cows rest, prepare chicken, duck, wine and meat, steam glutinous rice to worship the "Cow-pen God" and give them a ball of glutinous rice.