The customs and habits of Xibe nationality's westward migration festival

Xibo people pay more attention to the etiquette of full moon ceremony, one-year-old ceremony, wedding and funeral, among which the wedding and funeral have the most national characteristics. The traditional wedding of Xibe nationality is very lively, and their wedding usually lasts for three days; On the first day, it was called "Happy Car"; The next day, God held a "Salling" (banquet) at the bride's house. The third day was a big banquet at the groom's house (Ambassa Forest). The funeral of Xibe nationality is very complicated, from washing the dead to the funeral, a series of ceremonies should be held. There are mainly washing bodies, setting up a mourning hall for mortuary, mourning, condolence ceremony and funeral. Taboo of Xibe nationality

There are many taboos of Xibo nationality, covering a wide range, including marriage, funeral, diet, women, illness and so on. Xibo people have a variety of recreational activities, such as archery, wrestling, horse racing, wrestling and skating, as well as swinging, flying kites, chess (kata) and gaerjuke (stone-beating) games.

Archery and wrestling have a long history, and Xibo people are famous for their bravery and good fighting. In Xibo villages, eight or nine-year-old boys can often be seen carrying a small bow made of wicker and holding a small arrow made of Achnatherum splendens branches in their hands for "training". Xibo people have a rich diet, and the pasta includes bread made of flour, cakes made of dead flour, guokui, steamed bread, noodles and Lamian Noodles. Stuffing foods include steamed stuffed bun, jiaozi, leek zygote and meat pie. Rice food includes rice dry rice, pilaf and rice (millet) porridge.

More than 200 years have passed, and every year on April 18 of the lunar calendar, people will solemnly carry out various commemorative activities. The celebration activities of the westward migration festival are colorful, including picnics, archery, competitions, songs and dances. In particular, there are seven kinds of songs that are sung in the form of solo and chorus, and the process of moving westward is the main content. There are more than 400 lines of lyrics, three paragraphs and one phrase, and the whole song has twelve bars. After more than 200 years of concentration, processing and creation, it has become the most unique cultural expression of the westward migration festival.

On the day of the Westward Migration Festival, Xibe people, men, women and children all put on costumes and got together to play "Dhombre", "Mock Tune" and "Belem", and the dance was vigorous and lively. Girls' "shoulders shaking" and boys' "duck steps" are all vivid, expressing their yearning for their hometown and longing for a better life in the future.

This festival shows the splendid and long-standing cultural traditions, national psychology, national feelings, folk beliefs, folk customs, and various artistic dances of Xibo nationality, with rich cultural connotations and priceless value.