What are the special festival customs in Yongzhou?

Time: The fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar

Place: Ningyuan, Lanshan, Daoxian, Xintian and other counties

Introduction: The Yao people in Ningyuan, Lanshan, Daoxian, Xintian and other places take the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar as the "Small Lantern Festival". On this day, each family will put out the New Year's good wine and good food (meat dishes), open and drink. In the evening, villages that have the conditions to do so will also hold songs and dragon dances. The big Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month is still lively. After the small Lantern Festival, they are put into labor production.

Bird Catching Festival

Time: The first day of the second month of the lunar calendar

Place: Jianghua County

Introduction: The Yao people live in the mountains (there is a so-called "no mountain is not Yao"). The mountains in the south of China are full of trees and birds, therefore, the Yao people have a close relationship and deep feelings with birds. Therefore, Yao Mountain has inherited more bird-related customs and legends. On the first day of February in the lunar calendar, the busy spring plowing has not yet begun. On this day, the Yao people in Jianghua put on the festive costumes of their own ethnic group and happily carry out activities such as feeding birds, comparing birds and singing birds to celebrate the Bird Respecting Festival. After the breakfast, men, women and children in groups happily go to the "Bird Festival", reciting the traditional "blessing".

Traditional bird festivals are rich in content, diverse in form, and full of peculiar charm. Generally there are two activities than the bird, song bird. "Than the bird", is a, B two parties to hang their respective birdcages together, the two sides of the bird will fight, the more fight the more ferocious, the more fight the more exciting to watch the people continue to applaud, fight to win a party of the bird owner is naturally more happy, the bird to get the praise is also more.

"Singing birds" is more interesting. The main purpose is to take birds as the reason and songs as the matchmaker. Young men and women sing Yao songs to choose their partners, fall in love freely, and conclude a good relationship.

Bullfighting Festival

Time: the eighth day of the fourth lunar month

Place: Jiangyong County

Introduction: Every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, is the Jiangyong County Yao girls circulated "Bullfighting Festival". The name "bullfighting", the actual girl will be friends, to participate in the unmarried adult girls, also known as "Sisters Festival", "Daughter Festival". On this day, Yao girls put on beautiful costumes, invite their friends, form groups, and choose the local beautiful scenery of the mountains or streams and springs. In the "bullfighting" assembly, each person's "three flowers" food, tasting each other, commenting on whose pattern is exquisite, novel and beautiful, will be praised and respected. In the "bullfighting" assembly, in addition to singing songs, legends and stories and fun and games, but also talk about personal life interests, marriage plans and so on. "The main game of the festival is "jumping through hoops".

Taste the New Festival

Time: the sixth day of the sixth lunar month

Place: Jianghua County

Introduction: Every year, on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, before the harvesting of the early rice harvest, families in the Yao Mountains of Jianghua first hit the new grain this year, made into a new rice, set up a feast, and celebrated the traditional Yao "taste the new festival! "

The feast of the Taste of the New Festival, wine, meat, new rice to honor the ancestors first, and then some meat and rice to feed the dog, please dog "taste the new", and then the family can eat and drink casually. Why should we feed some meat and rice to the dog before tasting the new? According to legend, there was no rice on earth in the early days, so the ancestors of Yao people sent their dogs up to the sky to fetch grain seeds. The dog rolled around in the Jade Emperor's barn and got covered with grain seeds before returning to earth. Unexpectedly, when crossing the heavenly river, all the grain seeds on the dog were washed away by the river, leaving only a few grains on the dog's tail. It was these few grains of grain seed that made the earth have rice, and the ears of rice grew into the shape of the dog's tail. In order to thank the dog's achievements, Yao compatriots will be in the new harvest every year on the sixth day of the sixth month, the first bowl of new rice for the dog to "taste the new".

Send Lazy Festival

Time: the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar

Location: Ningyuan North, Xintian and other counties

Introduction: The third day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the "Send Lazy" festival of the Yao family in the mountainous areas of Ningyuan North, Xintian and other areas, and on this day, each family should put the melon-shells, peels, firecrackers, miscellaneous garbage, cleaners, and other materials thrown indoors during the Spring Festival. Paper quietly, miscellaneous garbage, clean up, pick to the village outside the burning, along the way to firecrackers, called "send lazy". Before burning, to point the candle to paper, burn incense and worship, meaning that the beginning of the new year, every family should be clean, to discuss a year of auspicious omen. This custom is now less inherited.

Panwang Festival

Time: 16th day of the 10th lunar month

Place: Jianghua, Lanshan, Ningyuan, Jiangyong and other counties

Introduction: Panwang Festival is a major festival for the Yao people to worship their ancestor, Panzou, and Yao people at home and abroad attach great importance to this national ritual. The festival is also known as "Jumping Panwang" or "Tuning Panwang". In Jianghua, Lanshan, Ningyuan, Jiangyong and other counties in southern and southwestern Hunan, on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month every year, Yao men, women and children dress up in their own festive costumes and gather together to sing, dance and celebrate the Panwang Festival. The song they sing is "Panwang Song" as the main music God song; dance is each person holding a long drum about 80 centimeters long group dance, usually for two or four people dance.