Cultural Customs in Liangshan Township

First, the custom of choosing mountains to live in.

In ancient times, Liangshan Yi people chose their residence mainly to see whether it was convenient for defense and grazing. Later it evolved into a custom. When you settle down, it is the first choice for the mountain. I like to be king and live alone. In order to facilitate frequent migration, most Liangshan Yi people don't care so much about housing. They live in straw houses, earthen palm houses, wooden stacks and shacks. And they are relatively settled, mostly tile houses.

Second, the custom of holding "adult ceremony"

When the girl is 13 years old, let Bimo do something, kill sheep to worship her ancestors, change skirts and braid her hair to show her adulthood. When the boy reaches the age of 15, please invite Bimo to worship his ancestors, hold wrestling activities, and compete with his partners for heroic acts. /kloc-Before the age of 0/5, you will grow your hair as a "Buddha's head" and grow your hair as an adult after the adult ceremony.

Third, dress customs.

Historically, Liangshan Yi men wore double-breasted clothes, sleeveless sheepskin jackets, black buns, pleated wool felt and cloth shoes. Old women wear tall hats wrapped in black cloth, short jackets with narrow sleeves and wide trousers with lace; Young women wear white or pink shirts and sky-blue trousers, colorful double-breasted jackets, cherry blossom patterns on their chests and shoulders, light embroidered shoes and earrings, bracelets and rings.

Fourth, the custom of drinking.

The traditional and distinctive banquet customs of Yi people include Tang Huojiu, Sioujiu, Niujiao Liquor, Niujiao Liquor, Songmao Banquet, Pork Banquet, Sheep Banquet, Chicken Head Banquet, Pig Head Banquet, Pork belly Banquet and so on. These booze customs are determined by form and content, with strict rules. In other words, only when specific activities are held on specific days and occasions can there be specific booze customs.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) marriage custom

Before liberation, the Yi people in Liangshan, Yuanmou had monogamy and monogamy, but most of them were monogamous, and marriage was mainly determined by family power and family conditions. After liberation, they were all monogamous. The traditional marriage customs of Liangshan Yi people have three main characteristics: First, it is forbidden to intermarry between cousins, including intermarriage between cousins. Aunties, uncles and cousins get married first, and their children are separated from their parents after marriage, so they start their own businesses. The second is the intra-clan marriage that basically implements the hierarchical system. If you violate this custom, you will be regarded as an "inferior person" and you must sever contact with your parents, relatives and friends. The third is uncle. My uncle has great power. When a girl marries, she must get the consent of her uncle, pay a heavy gift, sew a suit for her uncle, and her uncle will marry her when she gets married. Liangshan Yi girls have to change their clothes three times on their wedding day: first, they have to change into their own "wedding clothes" before going out at home; The second is to put on the "wedding dress" brought by the man when going out; Third, you must put on a "bridal gown" when you arrive at the groom's house. This is the reason why Yi women in Liangshan, Yuanmou still wear high hats and "three drops of water" clothes when they get married.

Sixth, funeral customs.

The Yi people in Liangshan generally practice cremation. They believe that a person is a tree when he is alive, and he must "plant" a tree when he is dead. After death, people should "lead an honest and clean life" as soon as possible, put on a "shroud", put on a "corpse rack", cover with 100-fold wool felt and blankets sent by relatives and friends, and put them in the middle of the mourning hall. Relatives and friends of the deceased will sing "a sad song" for the deceased to show their condolences. Liangshan Yi people pay special attention to ostentation and extravagance when attending funerals. The children of the deceased should unconditionally try their best to pull a cow and invite dozens or hundreds of people to attend the funeral to show the family power of the deceased. According to the custom, no matter how many cows you take to the funeral, you have to slaughter them, and you can't leave them alive. You can imagine the waste. You should choose a date to burn the body. Generally, "monkey day" and "tiger day" are the first choice for burning corpses, and other days can be used if they do not conflict with the genus of the deceased and their families. Cremation is to turn the dead to the sky, so as not to let the bodies be buried by rain and eaten by ants and insects. Yi people usually dig a pit with a length of 80cm, a width of 60cm and a depth of 60cm on the selected hillside, cut a pine tree into firewood according to the specifications of the ninth section for men and the seventh section for women, carry the firewood to the grave, cross-stack it in front of the grave according to the specifications of the ninth floor for men and the seventh floor for women, then put the corpse rack on the firewood, cover it with a passbook, cover it with a blanket, and read Bimo's Guide to Classics and Reading Bimo's. It is said that the fire does not start from the west because ghosts are in the west, leaving a way for the dead so that their souls can go to the western paradise. There is no customization for the disposal of the ashes of the deceased, some are scattered in the wilderness, and some are presented in caves, but most people's ashes are generally buried in pits rather than graves. After the bones are disposed of, a spirit tablet should be set up, which the Yi people call "Ma Du Bi". Liangshan Yi people think they have two souls, namely "ghost" and "yang soul". After the cremation of the deceased, the "ghost" went to heaven, but the "yang soul" stayed on earth. If you don't ask Bimo to recruit "Yang Soul" for the deceased, the "Yang Soul" of the deceased will be terrible because it can't stand the desolation in the wild, which will bring disaster to the living. When setting up the spiritual tablet, please ask Bimo to recite the scriptures for three days, and finally bring the spiritual tablet home to be enshrined on the platform, indicating that the "yang soul" of the deceased has returned to the secular world and no longer suffers, and the family members of the deceased have been blessed and blessed since then.

Seven, holiday customs

The most ethnic festivals of Liangshan Yi people are the Year of the Yi people and the Torch Festival. Yi people's year is usually held in October, winter or the first rabbit year of the twelfth lunar month. On the first day of the Yi people's year, it is necessary to cut green branches for cleaning, plant two heaven and earth trees in the center of the yard, and put a pile of new firewood at the feet of the heaven and earth trees. In the Year of the Yi people, everyone kills Nian pigs on the same day, starting from the oldest in the village and ending in turn to the smallest. While killing pigs and drinking, the whole village spread loose wool and burned pork to worship their ancestors. Very lively and full of joy. During the day, activities such as foot wrestling, basketball, horse racing, bullfighting, rifle shooting, and wearing strange clothes competitions; Light a bonfire at night, and men and women sing and dance all night in the New Year. The mountain village has become a "sleepless day" The second day of "Yi Year" is a small year in the wild. On this day, the shepherds will bring their own rice and meat to drive the sheep up the mountain and gather under a big tree. They will cook their own meals, make sacrifices to mountain gods, have group dinners and have fun. On the morning of the third day of "Yi Nian", an ancestor worship ceremony will be held. Call the dog after ancestor worship, feed the dog, and then start eating. After dinner, everyone should shoot and set off firecrackers. Gunshots and firecrackers came and went, shaking the world. On the seventh day of "Yi Year", all Yi families in Liangshan have to sweep their hair and send it to the New Year, and people begin to return to their old lives.

Eight, entertainment and sports customs

The most national sports activities in Liangshan, Yuanmou include bullfighting, horse racing, wrestling, knife playing, shoulder grinding and gyro playing. Liangshan's unique folk songs are rich and colorful, such as "drinking song", "crying wedding song", "funeral song", "ode to praise", "farewell tune", "new year tune" and "jumping tune". Unique dances include knife dance, torch dance, bimo dance, suni dance and farewell dance. As a result, some folk "little artists", "prince in minor", "prince in folk songs", "little dancer", "expert wrestler", "piper", "three-stringed player", "suona player" and "ringer" have been produced continuously, which is to inherit Liangshan Yi culture.

IX. Sacrificial custom

The primitive religion of Liangshan Yi people mainly worships nature, worships Bimo, Suni, Madu and Dragon Tree, and thinks that Bimo and Suni can divine and cure diseases, exorcise ghosts and eliminate disasters, and Madu can always bless the whole family on behalf of ancestors. It is believed that "Dragon Tree" is a sacred and inviolable god in nature, and sacrificial activities are held every year. If there is no rain for a long time, in order to get rain, it is even more necessary to slaughter cattle.

X. taboo customs

Liangshan Yi people have many taboo customs. If hens crow, sows give birth to their only offspring and cows give birth to their cubs, which is considered unlucky. Such young livestock and poultry must be abandoned at the crossroads as a sign of disaster. Another example is bird droppings, steamed dumplings, crows flying on the roof, big butterflies, owls whining at night, dogs crying, other women crying and so on. These are considered unlucky and taboo. In the face of this taboo, Liangshan Yi people must ask Bimo to recite the mantra sutra and the peace sutra, so as to drive away bad omen and keep their families safe forever.