Yi Rituals in Southern Yunnan: Yi Mizhi Festival?

When it comes to Yi festivals, many people's first reaction will be the world-famous Yi Torch Festival, but in fact, in addition to the Torch Festival, Yi compatriots in a year, but also several grand festivals, such as the "Yi New Year", "Jumping Song Festival", "Worship of the Lord will" and so on, and today's minority festivals, to introduce you to the Yi people in southern Yunnan, the rituals of the gods - the Yi Mizhi Festival.

The Mizhi Festival, also known as the "sacrifice of Mizhi", is popular in the Yi region in southern Yunnan, mainly Lunan County, the Yi branch of the Sani people inhabited the traditional folk festival, the time is generally in the first of the eleventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the first of a rat day to the horse day, a total of * * * lasted seven days, is the Sani people sacrifices to the gods, commemorating the ancestors of the festival.

When the Mizhi Festival is approaching, the male villagers of the Shilin Yi Sani villages get together and elect the "Mizhi Weng" who is responsible for organizing the Mizhi Festival, and select the men who meet the criteria to participate in the rituals of sacrificing to the gods. White sheep or goats, followed by white pigs, white chickens and other white-colored animals are required for the sacrifice to the God of Mizhi. On the day specified, the well-prepared male villagers gather at the edge of the Mie forest and, according to the division of labor among the Mie Ongs, kill the sheep and slaughter the chickens, burn the fire and cook the food, and begin the sacrificial activities.

Bi Mo (Yi priests specializing in rituals, prayers and sacrifices for people) entered the Mizhi forest with selected male villagers according to ancient rules, and came to the selected sacred tree in the forest, put the Mizhi God under the tree in the previous year and reverently lifted it into the basket padded with green pine hairs, and then after the sacrificial ceremony, it was lifted to the home of the Bi Mo, washed it with water, tied on the new colorful silk threads, and put it in the home of the Bi Mo for the night, and then lifted it back to the home of the Mi Zhi Ong on the following day. The next day, they are carried back to the forest under the sacred tree. After the ceremony, a meal prepared by the men's hands is carried out and divided equally among the men present by the Mizhiwong.

During the Mizhi Festival, Bimo will also men in the village while walking and shouting, a question and answer, criticizing the villagers do not abide by the rules, bad character of people and things, played a positive role in suppressing the evil, so that the Yi family of good national customs from generation to generation; in addition to organizing the activities of the mountain, the village men divided into a few roads, armed with sticks gunpowder guns, shouting and screaming, rushed to the mountains and forests, to the beasts to launch an attack. After the booty of the mountain is concentrated, it is divided equally among individuals by the Mizhi Weng.

While the Yi men were engaged in the Mizhi Festival activities, the Yi women were embroidering and doing needlework at home, and generally did not go out of the village or work on the ground. Why are women not allowed to participate? Some scholars believe that this is a trace left by the matrilineal society. Matrilineal society, the low social status of men, men to show the value of their own existence, they take the way of dense forest associations, to vent their inner dissatisfaction, to seek emotional balance. Men who return to real life after the dense branch festival refrain from speaking foul and dirty words in front of women.

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