Cultural Practices Embodied in Bai People's Houses

The Bai people are an ethnic minority with a long history and culture on the southwest border of China. They are mainly distributed in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, and also in Lijiang, Bijiang, Baoshan, Nanhua, Yuanjiang, Kunming, Anning and other places, as well as Bijie in Guizhou, Liangshan in Sichuan and Sangzhi County in Hunan. According to the Fifth National Population Census in 2000, the population of the Bai people was 185,806,063, and they speak Bai, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The vast majority of the residents speak their own language and generalize the Chinese language. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, "Bo Wen" (Bai Wen) was used, which is known as the "White Reading of Chinese Characters". The Bai people use Chinese characters to write, but they have their own language and rich and colorful literature and art. They are good at agriculture and salting azaleas. Three-course tea is a traditional way of drinking tea when the Bai people in Yunnan Province entertain their guests.

Culture and art

The Bai people, in the course of their long-term historical development, have created a glorious and splendid culture, contributing to the civilization of the motherland. Traces of ditches have been found in Cang'er Neolithic sites. And in Jianchuan Haimen copper and stone sites found in the inhabitants have been engaged in raising livestock and the remains of farming. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze culture already appeared in the Erhai area. During the Shu Han Dynasty, the Erhai area had developed to the point where "the land had rice paddies and livestock". Tang Dynasty Bai ancestors have been able to build Cangshan "high river" water conservancy projects, irrigation tens of thousands of hectares; repair of alpine terraces, the creation of the Dengchuan Luo time river flood project. Nanzhao has its own calendar, the Ming dynasty Bai scholars Zhou Silien written by the "star table" and Li Xingwei's "odd prescription book" and so on, are summarized ancient astronomical and medical masterpieces.

The Bai people are unique in their art, and their architecture, carving and painting are famous both in ancient and modern times. The three towers of Chongsheng Temple in Dali built in the Tang Dynasty, the main tower is nearly 60 meters high, divided into sixteen levels, the work is exquisite, similar to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. Jianchuan Shibaoshan Grottoes, skillful and exquisite technology, lifelike figures. It has China's grottoes statues of **** the same point and a strong national style, in China's history of stone art occupies a high position. Yuan and Ming since the construction of the Jifushan temple complex, overlapping arches, roof corner warping, windows and doors with the carving method carved out of a layer of figures, flowers and birds, skillful, durable. They are out of the famous "Jianchuan carpenter" hand. Bai lacquer, high artistic attainments, the Yuan and Ming dynasties taken by the high art of lacquer, mostly selected from Yunnan; Dali lacquer to the Ming Dynasty, has been regarded as a precious "Song tick". Eight Allied Forces invaded Beijing, was stolen by the imperialists "Nanzhao Zhongxing national history scrolls", is eight - nine years of white painters Zhang Shun, Wang Fengzong's masterpiece. It depicts the myths and legends of the establishment of Nanzhao in the form of continuous short paintings, vivid and beautiful, and is one of the precious cultural relics in China. The "Dali Scroll" created by Zhang Shengwen in the year of 1172 is known as the "Treasure of the Southern Heaven". The painting is ten zhang long, 134 pages, with the theme of "Protecting the King of Kings", painting six hundred and twenty-eight portraits with different appearances. The brushwork is exquisite and skillful, and the work is exquisite and delicate, which is a treasure of China's ancient art.

The classical opera "Blow Blow Chamber" developed "Bai Opera", have distinctive national characteristics. The Bai people have a high cultural standard and a variety of talents.

The ancient Bai people had a combination of music and dance. Folk circulation of the "Genesis" long poem, recounting the story of Pangu opened up the sky and earth, tracing the Bai people in the primitive society, "the world's top peace", "do not distinguish between the poor and the rich", "the people fat and fat The story of the Bai people in the primitive society, "the world is at peace", "there is no distinction between the poor and the rich", "the people are fat and fat", and there is no class oppression and exploitation. Nanzhao Bai poets Yang Qikun's "On the Way" and Yang Yizong's "Title of Paeoniae in Daci Temple" and "Song of the Cave Clouds" are known as "masterpieces" and are included in the All-Tang Dynasty Poetry. Wang Fu Yun", "Snake Bone Pagoda", "kill state officials", "hook said head" and other literary works, glorified the ancient Bai people in the class struggle and production struggle of heroic characters. Nanzhao famous "lion dance", in the Tang Dynasty has been introduced to the Central Plains, "Nanzhao Fengsheng music" in the Tang Dynasty court is listed as one of the Tang Dynasty music 14. The Bai Clan Tune" is a widely circulated "three seven one five" (the first three lines of seven words, followed by a five-line) metrical poem. 15 century, some literati applied this folk song form to write famous poems, such as Yang黼's "lyrics about the mountain flower monument". The Baiju opera, "Blow Blow Voice", is a comprehensive art developed on the basis of the earlier "Dabenqu".

Important Festivals

"March Street," also known as "Guanyin City," is a grand festival of the Bai people and good times. Every year in the summer calendar March 15 to 20 days at the foot of the Dancang Mountain west of Dali city. Initially it with religious activities, and later gradually become a grand exchange of materials. Ming and Qing dynasties, Sichuan, Tibet and Jiangnan provinces have merchants to this trade. After the founding of New China, March Street has developed into an annual exchange of materials and national sports and arts conference.

The Torch Festival is held on the 25th day of the 6th month of the summer calendar every year, and is a traditional festival of the Bai people. On the day of the festival, men, women and children gather together to offer sacrifices to their ancestors. Through worshiping torches, lighting torches, playing torches, jumping torches and other activities, wishing for a good harvest and prosperity of six animals.

On the eve of the festival, the village erected a large torch about 20 meters high. With a pine tree as a pole, on the bundle of straw, pine branches, the top of a flag. The flagpole with a bamboo pole linked three paper gabions made of buckets, meaning that three consecutive ascension. Each bucket around the insertion of the country peace and prosperity, the wind and rain, life expectancy, the five grains, six animals and other words and paintings of small paper flags; bucket below the hanging torch pear, begonia fruit, firecrackers, lamps and colorful flags.

The torch festival at noon, people bring small torches, paper money, incense and candles, offerings, to the ancestral graves to sweep, pay tribute. After the small torch is lit, three pine incense is spread to smoke the tomb, and the torch is lit to the handle before going home. If the cemetery is far away from home, the festival is held at home.

Before the sun goes down, families finish dinner in advance and go out to watch the torches and horse racing with their children and elders. There are both adults and children in the horse race. After three laps around the torch, they can gallop into the distance. Those who don't run horses go from house to house to admire the torches in front of each house and see whose torches are exquisite and beautiful. Before the village's torch is lit, young daughters-in-law with umbrellas and newborn babies on their backs make three laps under the torch to show that they have been blessed by the evil spirits.

When night falls, the village elders take the lead in offering sacrifices and bowing to the big torches. A few brave young men, one by one, climbed up to the big torch, will be small torches uploaded person by person will be the big torch lit. At that moment, the column of flames in the air, drums and music, firecrackers, ringing cut the clouds, the scene is spectacular. When the bamboo pole hanging on the torch was burnt, people scrambled to grab the bucket flying down in the air. Those who grabbed it were regarded as blessed people and were congratulated by everyone, and were flanked home by the hosts with cigarettes, wine and tea to entertain the flankers. The next year, the big torch on the liter bucket that is by the person who grabbed the liter bucket preparation.

The high point of the Torch Festival is the torch play. Young men and women each hold a torch. When they see someone, they grab a handful of rosin powder from their satchels and sprinkle it on the torches. Each sprinkle, emitting a dazzling fire, issued a "boom" sound, the fire prairie to the other side, called "honoring a hand". The white people believe that the fire pointing to can prairie away from the body of bad luck, . Therefore, competing prairie, joyful. After the prairie play, young people to groups, holding a small torch to the fields, to the torch to sprinkle rosin powder, to the grain to illuminate the spike, the intention is to eliminate pests and diseases to ensure a good harvest.

The end of the torch festival also jumping torch. Around midnight, the burning matchsticks from the revelry are piled up into a pile of bonfires. One by one, young men and women from the bonfire back and forth across two or three times, praying to the fire god "sacrifice disaster to get rid of evil". It's all about who jumps high and far until the fun is over.

Dali beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, in this beautiful and fertile land, hard-working, courageous people of the Bai people with their long history, developed culture, colorful customs attracted many travelers. The residential architecture of the Bai people has a unique style. Most of the houses are in the form of three rooms and one wall or four and five patios. They attach great importance to the decorative art of doorway construction and wall, door and window carvings and colorful paintings on the mountain walls. Gatehouse decoration, usually using clay, wood carvings, paintings, stone carvings, marble screen convex flower bricks and bricks and other components of the string of corners flying eaves, flower Fang exquisite, overlapping arches, majestic and stable, beautiful and generous, reflecting the architectural talent of the working people of the Bai people and artistic creativity.

The Bai people prefer white, they built the overall color of the house is white, the tone of the traditional clothing of the Bai people is also white, men usually wear white lapel tops, outside the set of a black lab coat; women are white tops, and then a set of blue, red or black shoulders, waist tied with a small embroidered apron. The headdress of married women is generally blue. The girl is the braid and a red rope knotted together, and then a piece of colorful hand stickers wrapped around the head, Lei white tassels in the right side of the head fluttering, can show the girl's charm.

The Dali Bai people love flowers, and almost every family grows medicines, and there are three wells, a few pots of flowers, and most of the girls' names have the word "flower" in them, such as "golden flower", "silver flower", "virtue flower", "beauty flower", "spring flower", etc.

The Dali Bai people are also known for their love of flowers.

Torch Festival: The Bai people hold it on June 25th. Travel enthusiasts who can't go to Dali can get a glimpse of the excitement by going to Shalang Bai Township of Wuhua District of Kunming City, the closest to Kunming City.

Etiquette taboos

1, daily life etiquette and taboos

Bai hospitality, the first guest after the host is the Bai hospitality etiquette. Guests at home, to wine, tea and hospitality. The famous three-way tea is the Bai hospitality ritual. But the Bai people pour tea generally only half a cup, pouring wine need to be full cup, they believe that wine full of honoring people, tea full of deceiving people. By the Bai people's hospitality, you should say Norwegian you (thank you) to express your thanks and gratitude.

Respect for elders is a traditional virtue of the Bai people. When you see an elderly person, you should take the initiative to greet, greet, make way, give up your seat, serve tea, hand cigarettes. The first cup of morning tea after getting up should be honored to the elderly first. When you eat, you should let the elderly sit on the table and move the chopsticks first. In front of the elderly do not swear, are not allowed to stilt legs. Some mountainous areas of the Bai people, family members have a relatively fixed seat, the general male elders sit on the upper left, the female elders sit on the upper right, the guests and the younger generation sit on the side and above. The fire pit of Bai people's home is a sacred place, taboo to spit inside the fire pit, forbidden to cross from the fire pit. The threshold of the White family is also taboo to sit. The tools used by men, women are forbidden to cross from above. Family taboo wearing a filial pall to enter, that will give the family with unclean.

2, festivals and rituals in the etiquette and taboos

March Street is a grand festival of the Bai people, the festival time for the third month of the lunar calendar every year on the 15th to the 20th. In addition, the Bai people are also the same as the Han people, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year to the tenth of the Spring Festival, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar for the Festival of Ancestors. There are many ceremonial taboos for the Bai on New Year's Day. The Bai in Yuanjiang County prohibit killing during the annual March Meeting or the Tianzi Temple Festival. The Bai in Dali are not allowed to move knives, pick water, splash water or sweep the ground on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Nujiang Bai people on the New Year's Eve before dinner ancestor worship, taboo outsiders in the regular New Year's Eve, to borrow to others to get back, otherwise the next year to find money is not good, food is not plentiful. Therefore, borrowed things from other people's homes, must be returned to others before the New Year's Eve. The seventh day of the Lunar New Year for the Women's Day, women do not cook, do not carry water, and do not do any other labor, but to play; Lunar New Year for the Men's Day, men rest. Yunlong County, the Bai people, July half of this day is not allowed to people walking around.

3, marriage, funeral, childbirth etiquette and taboos

Bai women pregnant, to tie hinge double house apron, and the head of the page folded at the waist as a sign of happiness. When outsiders see them, they should pay attention to protect them. If a pregnant woman is injured by mistake, she should be guaranteed that the mother and child will be safe after delivery. Some places of the Bai people, pregnant women can not enter the bride and groom's cave. After the baby falls to the ground, who is the first to step into the door of the mother's home, who is stepping on the birth. The Bai people believe that who step on the birth, the future child's temperament will be like who. The Bai people are most jealous of filial piety to step on the birth, so after the baby was born, the family should immediately use quicklime to spread three arcs in the doorway, and wrapped in the threshold of a gabion. If it is a boy, but also in the gabion under a straw shoe, some also nailed to the door on the bottom of a cauldron fence, to show the taboo. Inadvertently broke into the maternal home, you must send a bowl of fresh thick rice soup, brown sugar, eggs, sweet white wine and a pot of pig's feet stewed leek root to the mother to eat. The morning of the third day after delivery, the maternal home to invite congee rice guest or called diluted rice guest. To the Bai people's home to do congee rice guest, to use a bamboo basket with eggs, brown sugar, children's clothes and hats, etc. to go to congratulate. Dali, Jianchuan area of the Bai people, women after childbirth, the host should ask the first guest into the home to eat the egg dumplings, guests can not refuse, otherwise the host will be angry.