What are the customs of Quzhou?

Men don't shoulder the water, women don't hold the plow Most of the She people live in the mountainous areas, planting rice and sweet potatoes as their main crops, as well as forestry, tea and hunting. She women do not have the custom of foot-binding, and go to the fields and mountains as men do. However, it is common practice for men not to carry water or plant vegetables, and for women not to hold the plow or step on the harrow. The women do not have to do this now.

Niu San Dan The third day after the calf was born, the cow main hosted a banquet for the family, the village neighbors, and distributed hemp nuclei to all the children in the village. On this day, the cow should eat rice mixed with brown sugar and drink yellow wine mixed with eggs and brown sugar. The custom has disappeared.

Lace Clothing Women's clothing collar, sleeves, right lapel, pants set lace, sleeves, pants large and short. Bride with bracelets, collars, earrings and other silver jewelry, wearing a hat shaped like a dog's head. Men wear lapel coat, large tube straight pants. The bride weaves colored ribbons around her waist at weddings. Both men and women use blue cloth to tie their legs. There are not many people who wear national costumes now.

Tasting the New Rice When the new grains come on the stage, the elders are invited to taste the new grains. By the oldest to eat the first mouth of new rice, with chopsticks to the bowl of rice to pick a little table, to show that year after year, and then everyone into the table **** meal. Prior to this, it is not allowed to put the newly harvested rice in the mouth, or even touch it with the lips. When the opening of the sickle, to cut a few rice head, rice stalks to feed cattle, so that cattle to taste the new. This custom still exists today.

Straw case In the past, most people lived in the thatched store, building mud for the wall, covered with straw, thatched, called "draft". It is divided into three rooms: the center room, where the ancestors' incense burner is placed against the wall; the kitchen on the right; and the bedroom on the left. The upper part of the bedroom is made of bamboo as a tendon and mud is smeared to form a mud building, which is called "Tulku". Now there is no draft dweller.

The fireplace pond in front of the stove dug a long pit, called the fireplace pond, for roasting fire, large / J ship family population and social needs. When it is cold, guests, meals, songs are sitting around the fireplace pond, so the guests have to wait until they enter the kitchen to salute. New Year's Eve, to bury a large piece of burning firewood root in the hot ashes of the fireplace pond overnight, called "cooking the New Year's Eve pig", firewood root fire can not be extinguished. This custom is now abolished.

The Zutan is a series of two bamboo boxes, one loaded with the ancestor's incense burner and artifacts, and the other loaded with a set of cloth-painted Zutu; the map is more than 20 meters long and 0.5 meters wide, and more than 20 panels of the history of the She tribe are painted. The Zutu is the public property of the She tribe and may not be occupied by private individuals. The ancestor map must be hung up when the sacrificial ceremony is held.

Intermarriage of the same family name The Greedy people did not intermarry with other people in the old days, and all those who have the same family name and different branches can intermarry within the same family name; and now those who have the same branch can get married after five generations. Men are not discriminated against when they join a family. In addition to child brides in the old days, there were also "child adopted sons". In the Republic of China, local Han Chinese occasionally took She women as wives, but there was no such thing as a woman marrying a She, and there is no longer a taboo on intermarriage.

Songs are sung all night long on festive and celebratory occasions, and they are part of the ceremonial activities. To marry a daughter, female singers are hired to sing with the male party to send "Chilang" to sing, there are songs to persuade the wine, marriage songs, marriage songs, etc. If the guests come to sing, the liner notes will be sung. If the guests come to sing good songs, the young people of different genders of the lining and the guests should sing songs. Before the song, everyone should put together some money to the singer among the guests, and the host entertains everyone with night snacks. The contents of the songs include fixed historical songs and story songs, as well as traditional songs used to question each other, and more improvised songs. Young men and women also sing to each other when they are working or on the way out, and they make up songs as they go along, which is called 'singing mountain songs'. Some of them fall in love with each other because of this. The She people still like to sing, but they do not sing to each other. Nowadays, the She people still like to sing, but pair singing is no longer popular among the youth.

Secret Words For strangers of the same ethnicity who come to visit, they have to use secret words to investigate; for example, they ask, "How many times do I play a line of moso bamboo (how many slices of moso bamboo do I dissect?)?" Guests surnamed blue, should answer "six to". Such as surname Lei, surname Zhong. Then answer "five to". Guests can answer, they will be treated as a guest. Those who go out to learn the secret language, and keep it secret: now some old people still know some secret language.

Ask the mouth cake The matchmaker goes to the woman's side to make a match, and brings two packages of cakes called "ask the mouth cake". The woman accepts a packet, indicating that she is willing to consider the marriage; the woman to the male side of the match after returning the ask mouth cake, that is not agreed to the marriage; not the ask mouth spelling returned, it is basically finalized.

Longyou Muduan She basic customs of the marriage process

Male and female youth free love (in the past by the adults to make the decision) to determine, to choose an auspicious day and good time to marry (generally male marriage female marriage).

(A), the woman's wedding

The day of marriage, the man to the woman to marry. There are matchmakers, in-laws, Chilang two people (when the door Chilang and Chilang son), two young girls (to receive the bride), carry sedan chair four people. Chilang with a small basket pick on the new set when the gift list on the provisions of the gift: pork, chicken, fish, incense gift - hoof fat, candles, candies, firecrackers, cigarettes, noodles 2-4 pounds, two sugar cane, a piece of fabric (called the rat tail, to the mother of the bride), and so on. When the marriage personnel almost to the bride's home, to firecrackers to indicate that the marriage of the new personnel that is to arrive, the woman's family also firecrackers received.

Blocking the door: when the male marrying personnel to enter the bride's home, the female male and female youth will be the door half valves closed, do not allow to go in, singing the blocking of the door of the song: "Chilang Tantan Tantan door stand, blocking the door are my ten wives-in-law, a pair of red packets to take my hand, red packets to bring to open you. The door is good to open and not open, cigarettes and candies should be brought, cigarettes and candies take my hand, candies and cigarettes will be brought to open. Red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets, red packets." The male party will be ready to red packets of candy, cigarettes one by one, and finally sent five bundled together red packets (called five generations of male), before opening the door, so that the marriage personnel into the house.

Catching mealybugs (called catching frogs): female teenagers on the warm water to let the marriage personnel wash their faces, each after washing their faces, face cloth spread across the face plate, put a red packet.

Presentation of gifts: the matchmaker and in-laws to the woman's father, maternal uncle and other first cousins one by one to account for the gifts specified in the gift list, less one or reduce the number must be made up by the in-laws.

Borrow (钅隹又): the female girl to the kitchen all utensils are collected, by the male side when the door Chilang to the East to borrow, borrowing utensils when Chilang to read the borrow (钅隹又)口白, "on the parent in-laws in-laws mother, grandparents, uncle uncle, aunts auntie, the next door neighbor, to borrow you four square a wall (stove), to borrow you two (iron pot), pot cover a pair of Xieng Khouang. ), and a pair of pot lids. Lend you aunt, aunt as good treasure, fire knife fire stone (matches or lighters) lend out, lend you gold water pole, silver water tank, gold pole running water silver tank loaded,...... thank aunt aunt help me busy, early cooking and eating, the bride and groom early worship."

Chirang water picking: the female party prepared dumplings clothes, hats and hats for Chirang son to wear, accompanied by a young girl Chirang son picking water, to be Chirang water picking to a certain distance, the girl intentionally threw sediment in the bucket, the water is not clean, drag Chirang re-picked. Intercept Chilang repeated many times to enhance the lively scene of the degree of pro.

Hypnosis: banquet banquet on the table about half of the food, in-laws with small firecrackers to urge the bride three times (hypnosis is to urge the bride out of the door in the morning sedan chair), the first time in the door outside the firecrackers, the second time in the middle of the hall outside the door, the third time from the bride's room to the door. Matchmakers and in-laws every firecrackers, have to be in front of the director of the series (meaning that the director of the bride out of the bride's door early cooking).

Mother crying: director (female care of the bride to do some specific things) put the rice sieve on the floor of the nave, sieve padded with red paper, put a mirror, ruler, scissors, by the maternal uncle to carry the bride to the rice sieve, the director of the bride stood next to the parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, sisters and first cousins stood around. First of all, the mother took the bride's hand and sang a mountain song while crying for the bride, "This feeds the daughter to marry the mother's heartache, when sleeping in the mother's bed, when bringing the daughter shall not be big, and big to be tied up in pairs. The mother's heart aches when she marries her daughter. She sleeps in her mother's bed when she's young, but when she grows up, she marries far away from her mother. As a daughter-in-law, don't talk too much, don't talk too much about nothing, think about the good and the bad, and do more work at home. As a daughter-in-law, you should be sincere and courteous to others. Sister-in-laws and aunts-in-law are all in harmony, and the family is united." Then, the director of the board of directors, so that the bride called parents, maternal uncles, brother and sister-in-law, sisters, first relatives to her home to play, called one to the bride a red envelope. (to show congratulations)

The bride on the sedan chair: the maternal uncle to carry the bride to the sedan chair, start lifting the bride in the door rolled out two red eggs to show that leave the bride's home. Matchmakers and relatives should be a bride's parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, brothers and sisters, and other first cousins to thank and say goodbye.

Take uncle: after the bride's sedan chair, the matchmaker and in-laws to take uncle to the men's side of the banquet, and will be uncle loaded cake package, cigarettes, red envelope bags to help carry to the men's side of the guest staff.

(2), the men's wedding

The bride carried to the road, encountered some people stopping to ask for sugar, matchmakers or in-laws must be a good thing into a pair of sugar, cigarettes to all. (Road blocking song slightly)

The bride sedan chair will be carried to the groom's home, the two sides set off firecrackers to receive.

Drinking brown sugar tea: the sedan chair into the husband's home, just to the door, the bride rolled into the two red eggs (said the bride from her mother's home to marry the husband's home), then, by the male director of the end of the brown sugar tea to the bride to drink, will sing the song, "the bride dressed up on the sedan chair to carry the sedan chair to carry the groom over the sedan carries the groom to carry the sedan chair to carry the sedan car careful to rest down. Sedan chair carefully rest down, brown sugar tea on the end of the sugar tea served to the bride to eat, eat the sugar tea off the sedan chair. Eat the sugar tea to the hall, the groom dressed up and so on worship hall, hall if worship good and so on the generation, the maobu bag spread down. Maibu bag spread down, generations to the Lang room, generations to the groom room, the bride knot ten million years old".

The director invited the bride to get off the sedan chair, helped the bride to stand in the center hall, another director accompanied the groom to the center hall, held a ceremony to pay homage. (Now the form is the bride to the husband's home, before entering the door by the councilor to help the bride to sit on the bench to change into the new shoes of the husband's family, and then enter the door to hold worship. (Now the form is the bride to the husband's home, but not in the door by the council members to help the bride sit on the bench to change into the husband's new shoes, and then enter the door to hold worship. worship, the male parents and the female great-uncle are shunned)

Transmission: the children on the candles on the fire, according to the bride and groom to pass on the two council members of the bag spread on the ground, so that the bride bride and groom stepped on into the room, a few bags of rotating, have been slow to the side of the bed. Bride and groom both stand by the bedside, the director of the two boiled eggs, to the bride and groom each ate a mouthful (said the same food and living together).

Toast: When the feast reaches a certain point, the bride and groom both toast to the guests two compotes. (Meaning one is to meet the guests, the second is to express gratitude)

The same room: after the banquet, the general guests to be a little retired, bowls and jandals put away, and then by the two councilors to invite the parents of the male party, grandparents stood in the middle of the hall, the bride, the bridegroom stood in the lower, to the elders smile and bow as a series (expressed filial piety to the elders), and then by the councilors will be the bride and groom sent to the bridal chamber, close the door to the room, the side of the room from the small firecrackers to the door.

Send shoes: the next morning the bride to the guests present to make a cup of sugar tea, to the parents of the husband's family, each honored with a pair of new shoes (to show that the new daughter-in-law smart and handy), at the same time, each of the parents to return the gift with a red envelope.

Sending the great uncle: the groom and the bride to the bride's home to return to the door, first by the groom to send the great uncle to go first, straight to the great uncle to be given to the red packet, the groom went home with the bride to the bride's home to return to the door.

Worship

In the old days, opera artists in order to have a successor, most of them have to accept disciples. At the same time, generally only one apprentice was born to a master. Before the master must have "recommended head" (introducer) recommended, the first meeting must be sent to meet the gift. Gift size, but at least two bottles of wine, a pig's head, two packages (cakes and candies), a red envelope. If the master accepts the gift, said he would like to accept the disciple; if the return of the gift, said he refused to accept. Formal worship, to enter into a cast about the master (i.e., the text of the deed, also known as the contract, off the book, the contents of the general time for the apprenticeship, rules, etc.). Cast about the teacher must specify "recommended head" (introducer), "central person" (witness), "guarantor" (guarantor), there are also three by the "recommended head There is also the "head of recommendation" ("荐头") which is a combination of all three. The parents have to sign and seal the contract before it can take effect. Then choose a good day, red candles burning, held a ceremony to pay homage to the master, first worship "heaven and earth, the king and the parents of the teacher", and then kowtow to the master. Before kowtowing to speak: "disciple × × × ×, would like to worship the name of the master to learn the art of apprenticeship, respect for the teacher to abide by the rules, to the end of the unchanged ...... ". After reading the kowtow to the master, hand in the cast about the master. Funded by the disciple's family, set up the casting wine, to thank the master and all those who participated in the ceremony. After the liberation, artists worship simplified, but also to hold a certain worship ceremony, such as the disciple's home to set a table to honor the master wine, invited to the master and local cadres and elders, before the table, write a good worship cast about the master, and pay the cost of learning the art, and then take the food rations and daily necessities, change of clothes to the master's home to start learning the art of career.

The time for learning the art is generally three years (there are fast learners, you can also shorten the time, but the official master for three years). Three years before the end of the ability to perform the apprentice, income to the master (some masters also give the apprentice pocket money). During the period of worship, may not be transferred, the daytime apprentice must help the master to the field labor, back to help the master's wife to do housework, bring up children. Most of them work during the day and learn the art at night. When the master goes out to sell his art, the apprentice carries the luggage and props. When the master sang, the apprentice listened and memorized. In the summer, the apprentice has to fan the master, in the winter, the apprentice has to send hot tea to the master, and in the day-to-day life, the apprentice has to light cigarettes for the master and wash clothes. Apprentice and the master together with the meal is not allowed to make a sound, than the master to eat first, that is, as the proverb says, "the master first meal, the apprentice first put the bowl". Apprentice can only eat vegetarian dishes, even if the owner of the meal openings please eat meat, the apprentice can not eat, only the master openings can eat a piece of fat. Close, the apprentice to clean up the props, etc., to the master to hold the wash water, make a good bed and do other trivial chores. Three years after the full division, some shall help the master (commonly known as "half work") for three years. Help the master for three years is unpaid to the master to sell art to earn money, all the money earned to the master, and then by the master to pay the apprentice pocket money, up to half of the money earned can not exceed. "Half as" period expired, the apprentice can work alone to earn a living selling art. There are also apprenticeship period, for the master to sell art for free for a month, the money earned by the pennies do not stay all to the master, even if the master. Once upon a time, most of the artists can not read and write, learning the art of listening to the heart to remember, until the master's belly singing book are learned.

The master to set up a "full master wine", a feast to thank the master's teachings. There are also by the master to get money to set up wine, feast peers or local people with prestige, please give them to the apprentice to pull relations, pave the way for future performances have a care.

Performances

Daoxiang rap, generally do not hold ceremonies, no custom like opera performances, but also not subject to the occasion and stage restrictions, as long as a table, a few benches or a door board, a hitch at the two ends, the artist will be mounted to sit down, a little more than the audience can be higher than a head. Waiting for the audience to be seated, and even hit a few fishing drums, to be quiet in the arena, that is, began to sing. The show began by the artist to introduce themselves, make a brief introduction, and say some please listen to a large number of connotations and such polite language, and then in the beginning part of a brief introduction to the content of this session of the repertoire, the introduction of the artist is also expressed in the form of lyrics, commonly known as the "song hat". Plot introduction is mainly to enable the audience to grasp the plot, in the singing process can understand; in addition, it is also the artists in order to seize the audience's attention, whetting everyone's appetite for the usual methods.

The artists sing the original before singing "Tantou opera", singing well, listen to the "Tantou" will know.

Old times, some local artists into a village, the first to meet the local gentry, the patriarch. If you meet the master or peer performance in the local, first to pay respects to the master, after worship peers, to obtain their permission to sing. The rule is "the master for the big, the first to the big". To a local performance, but also to make up their own praise of the local scenery and customs of the repertoire, before the official singing. Every year in the first month, before the first performance to worship the ancestor. The ancestor of each place is different, can be self-appointed, there are also honored master's ancestor as the ancestor of the ancestor.

Production Practices

Quzhou is located in the western border of Zhejiang, no fishing and salt profits, more agriculture-based, "food poverty is not light to change the industry", the folk proverb has a cloud: "Yamen money, a puff of smoke; business money, sixty years; planting money, ten thousand years." Most of the production customs reflect rural farming.

Marriage

Engagement In the olden days, marriage was characterized by a high degree of respect for the family, and by "the right family", and by "the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker". The two men and women had no autonomy, which was tantamount to buying and selling a marriage.

Conclusion of the marriage, the first to the matchmaker, the marriage is the male media to the female family to seek, no women seeking men. Treatment of the matchmaker must be on the guest of honor, prepared to do wine and food, commonly known as "marriage into not, wine and water hundred twenty bottles". By the two sides, and then accompany the male on the female family "blind date", the female party agreed, by parents or brothers, but also by the matchmaker or relatives accompanied by the girl to the male side of the "look forward to the family". Matchmaking is completed, the male party to choose an auspicious day to bring gifts to the female party to discuss the eight years of eight (birth year, month, day, time). After getting back the "yearly post", the man should ask a fortune-teller to "combine the eight characters". The eight characters should not collide with each other, such as "dragon and tiger", "two dragons in different pools", "chickens and rabbits do not fit in the cage" and so on are not suitable for marriage. The man also needs to send the eight characters to the woman to be matched. The eight characters match, both parents agreed to marry, that is, the male family to choose a date, the date of betrothal will be written in the dragon and phoenix red posters, please matchmakers, together with the bride price sent to the female family, known as the "betrothal". The female side returned to the scholar flower hat, sweets and cakes, etc., but also a pair of embroidered bags, two plants of Nelumbo nucifera, commonly known as "back to the love". After the betrothal of men and women are regarded as husband and wife, others may not come to the door to ask for marriage.

Marriage From betrothal to marriage, less than half a year more than three years, to marry a good period called "day", determined by the fortune-teller according to the eight signs of the genus. If the wedding day is not favorable to the woman's family, you can return to choose a new day. One or two days before the marriage, the man sent to the woman's home to receive the dowry, so-called "dowry". The dowry is similar in different places, generally there is the Acacia quilt, the pillow and cabinets, boxes, drawer tables, square stools, foot barrels, children and grandchildren barrels, dressers and other essentials. In recent years, the dowry is a combination of old and new. In the evening, the man's family hosted a banquet to "warm the room". The day of the wedding, the man sent a sedan chair to meet the bride, the bride on the sedan chair before the mother and daughter to cry, that it is difficult to part, known as the "crying marriage". Jiangshan area of the bride sedan chair on the road, the younger brother with both hands hanging on the sedan chair bar to carry a section of the road, commonly known as the "hanging sedan chair bar", is also expressed reluctance to part with the meaning of. Kaihua area "crying marriage" has "crying marriage words", such as "hope you to the male side, the water rises, footsteps on the stairs step by step; hand over the lotus flowers bloom, Tifuti wife, in-laws rejoice; Tif on the bed, grandchildren; Tif on the table, copper money all over the ground plug. Copper money all over the ground plug, ...... four seasons to get rich, Yuanbao roll in!" Sedan chair arrived at the groom's home by the Lishi woman to help the bride, stepping on the ground in turn padded red carpet or sacks and into, known as the "generation". Then worship into marriage, the evening banquet guests, banquet after the new room. Three days after the wedding, by the bridegroom and his bride back to the bride's home to see the parents-in-law, called "back to the door", return on the same day.

In 1950, after the promulgation of the Marriage Law, advocating the autonomy of marriage, free love, civilized marriage. The red tape of the old custom has been gradually reduced.

Marriage Customs In the old days, marriage customs were more or less the same in all counties of Quzhou.

Child brides, generally for the family economy is not rich, overpopulation, raising difficult, for fear that their daughters will grow up unable to afford to buy a dowry and give people as child brides, there are also picked up or bought and raised, child brides grow up to be married when the wedding was held, if the male party died before the marriage, the child bride as a daughter of the marriage, there are also lifelong unmarried.

The family, commonly known as "marriage". Female "marriage" generally because there is no brother in the family, into the man is mostly poor, brothers, unable to marry, into the son-in-law is often discriminated against, can not be into the spectrum, there is "marriage, three years do not run away from the counting of the good guy," said. Changshan area to write the word of marriage to be placed on the lawn or stone outside the gate to indicate that the village people to supervise. If you offend the village people, you will often be driven out of the village. So, in the past, it was considered to be a dangerous thing to do, but now the custom has been changed, and the people who are in charge of the family are protected by the law.

Exchange of marriage, two families due to poverty or good relations, kissing on the marriage, each other's daughter as a daughter-in-law, can be exempt from sending gifts, commonly known as "treasure for treasure.

Remarriage, commonly known as the "second marriage pro". Widows generally have to observe three years of mourning before they can remarry, but is considered dishonorable, no freedom to choose a husband, must listen to the clan. Those who marry widows are mostly poor people who are widowed or unable to afford a wife. The man chooses an auspicious day to marry at night, and the widow rides in a "wuteng sedan chair" or "blueteng sedan chair". After the founding of the country, this custom has been abolished.

Playing for happiness, also called "rushing happiness". After the betrothal, the man was seriously ill, the two sides agreed to finish the marriage in advance, by the sister on behalf of the brother to pay homage. If the man died, the woman became a widow. In the old days, there was also the custom of not marrying people with the same surname, which has been abolished today.

Funeral rites

People are mostly buried after death. In the old days, funeral ceremonies were complicated and cumbersome, and there were strong superstitious colors. When the old man is dying, the children must stand around until the death, commonly known as "send the end". Close your eyes, burn straw shoes, umbrellas, baggage, incense paper, tin foil, called "send the tray". The body will be placed on the door plate, moved to the hall or the hall in front of the right, the head pad seven tiles, the face covered with straw paper, the mouth contains a red paper wrapped in coins, the feet of a green oil lamp. At the same time, a person with an umbrella to friends and relatives to report the funeral. To friends and relatives home, the umbrella top up, erected on the threshold, friends and relatives received the news of the murder, that is, to prepare gifts to the mourning. Son-in-law to send peaches, dumplings, pig's head, the whole chicken, the whole goose; general friends and relatives to send joss paper, longevity was, couplets, satin quilt and so on. Into the coffin, commonly known as "drop material". Before the coffin to the deceased combing and dressing, and then held by the eldest son of the head, daughter or son-in-law hold into the coffin, into the charcoal, lime packets, and then friends and relatives to send the "birthday quilt" one by one cover, and by the daughter, daughter-in-law, the name of the sender, and finally closed the coffin, called "sealing materials.

The funeral ceremony is the most solemn, rich people, before the funeral to ask the Taoist priests to do three days and nights of Taoism, superdeath, called "do merit". On the day of the funeral, we should ask those who have the status to read the text of the sacrifice, burn the statue of God, children wearing mourning, foot wearing straw shoes, in the filial piety hall to see the mourning relatives and friends. At the funeral, the son-in-law holds the umbrella over the grave and carries the bag of paper money in front of him. Friends and relatives wearing white hats, white bibs, holding incense followed. All the way to the cemetery, sounding gongs and drums, blowing suona, scattered paper money. Coffin into the ground, to brick for the outline. Evening preparation "white wine" feast funeral relatives and friends, each person back to a towel, or white cloth five or six feet, said "thank you filial piety". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, most of the feudal superstitious content of the funeral rites are abolished, the funeral ceremony from the simple, generally to send a wreath, wear a black veil, small white flowers, held a memorial service to express their condolences. 1979, the towns and cities are gradually passing the cremation of the rural areas are still mainly buried.