What are the customs of the Zhuang?

The Zhuang people like to live by the mountains and the water (because we are surrounded by either mountains or water, so it's hard not to like it, huh~). Between the green mountains and the water, dotted with wooden buildings, this is the traditional residence of the Zhuang people. Wooden buildings above the people, below the circle of livestock (now much better, because of the reform and opening up well 0. No matter what the house, the shrine should be placed in the whole house on the central axis. The front hall is used for celebrations and social activities, the two side rooms are for people, and the back hall is the living area. Life in the house was centered around a fire pit, where three meals a day were served (this is still maintained by a percentage of the inhabitants).?

Clothing

The Zhuang mostly use self-woven local cloth as clothing material, with a variety of styles. A Zhuang woman is usually dressed in blue and black, with slightly wider pants, a jacquard towel wrapped around her head, and a delicate apron tied around her waist; a young man tends to wear a lapel blouse with a sash tied around his waist.

Wedding Customs

"Cannon Fire" in the Cave

A wedding custom of the Zhuang people. On the day of welcoming the bride, the bride has to go through the baptism of "cannon fire" before she can enter the door and enter the room. This wedding custom is popular in Tianyang County, Guangxi, Yu Feng and other Zhuang villages. The bride came to the groom's home before, to stop for a moment, ready to "charge" into the door, because in the doorway, halls, caves and other three places were composed of seven or eight young men "firecrackers" group, holding a string of firecrackers waiting for the bride to come. When the bride will be close to the door, "gunner" they light firecrackers, forming a road "fire wall", blocking the bride's way in. If the bride is timid, then have to retreat in the door, and then wait for the second "charge". "Gunners" also summarize the experience of victory, do a good job of the second "blocking" ready. It can be said that the bride can not enter the door without two or three "charges". Guests onlookers, three layers inside and three layers outside, very lively. The bride after a bitter fight to leap into the door, to the bridal chamber door, which is difficult to pass the last pass, because the "gunner" to put "firecrackers". At this time, the clever bridesmaids and bridesmaids around the "reconnaissance", multiplied by the "gunfire" sparse when the bride jumped to the bridal chamber. At once the sound of thunder, congratulate the bride "flag victory". After the wedding banquet to the time of the lamp, the guests also want to watch the bride in the welcome under the guidance of the bride to go out in the dark "picking water". The bride will pick the water tank full, which is the test of the bride whether to eat bitter. In this way, until late at night the bride can enter the bridal chamber.

Back word

In some places on the border of Guangxi Yishan and Huanjiang counties, the Zhuang young people get married, so far popular "back word" custom. "Back word" is the translation of the Zhuang language, in fact, the back is not "word", but a length of one ten feet four feet, more than a foot wide broadband, by the mother of the female side of the self-weaving and dyeing or buy deep black (this color is the best) cloth sewn from the soil. On the day of the daughter's marriage, the man assigned "back word" people to the cloth belt "back" back to the groom's home, in order to prepare for the nephew's birth as swaddling clothes. This custom, the local Zhuang language called "back word". "The person who carries the word must have three conditions: a father and a mother; an unmarried teenage man; and a smart sense of propriety. "The ceremony is held in the main hall of the woman's home. The person who presides over the ceremony must be a respected elder in the village who has become a grandfather. Elders first to "back word" people to pay tribute to two cups of local wine, "back word" people are very polite hands cup, respectfully to the elders back to the two cups, both sides should drink up. Then the elders will be ready from the "back word" people's shoulders around the belt tied, and then toast each other, say auspicious words. "When the ceremony is over, firecrackers are fired to send the bridegroom back safely. "The person who carries the character bows to the elders, steps out of the door, and opens the umbrella, which is meant to shelter the "grandson" from his grandmother's house. When they return to the man's house, the head of the family burns incense and sets off firecrackers to welcome the "backer" back in triumph. After a short while, the ceremony of "unloading the character" will be held, again presided over by the elders, who, after exchanging toasts, will gently remove the cloth belt and hand it over to the mother of the family for safekeeping. The groom's parents will also thank the person who "carries the word". Soon after, the bride and her female companions will come to the groom's home in groups, the wedding day more lively.

The bride crosses the river

A Zhuang wedding custom popular in Longsheng Autonomous County in northern Guangxi. In the mountainous areas of northern Guangxi, there are only 40 to 50 miles of mountain road, but you have to wade across the river five or six times, across three or four bridges. Therefore, when the bride is married, the bride across the river and bridge should be asked to carry. The back of the bride is called "sailor", mostly unmarried young men. When crossing the river, the cannon sounded three times, the horn sounded, "sailor" two palms pressed their knees, bowed down, back good before crossing the river or bridge. Bride back special attention to civilization and politeness, the action can not have half a bit of rough, not to mention can not be flirted with. So the person who carries the bride is mostly the best in character. Crossing the river, "welcome the bride" (by unmarried young women as) in the side to the bride to play umbrellas shade, in the width of about fifty to sixty meters of the river, to meet the bride team pulled into a line, very lively. On the shore, the good behavior of the "welcome to the bride" to put the umbrella very low, do not allow others to peek at the veiled bride. Longsheng Zhuang marriage is to pass the "three passes" to break "ten doors". First love, after the betrothal, in order to get married, so-called "three passes". Meet, song, go out, through the village, across the village, across the river, across the bridge, into the door, singing, back to the door, go home, into the cave, called the "ten doors". "Crossing the river" is only "ten doors" in the fifth "door", "ten doors" over to the bridal chamber.

Lejia and Buji

When a Zhuang woman gives birth to a lejia (a baby in Zhuang language), her mother-in-law has to go to look for a "milkmaid" to nurse the baby for her daughter-in-law. This is so that the daughter-in-law can rest and take care of her body after giving birth. The "nursemaid" is usually a woman five months after giving birth and is not paid. It is a great honor to be a "nursemaid" and she is known as the "second mother". When the child grows up, he or she must bring gifts to the "nanny's" home during festivals and celebrations. If a four- or five-year-old child is weak and sick, the parents have to look for "Buji" (Zhuang language, that is, the second father) to be the child's backer, to ensure the child's health. "Buji" is very conscientious "duty", "on the job", often and the child's parents to discuss, ask for medical advice, many ways to take care of, so that the child grows up healthy. The child grows up, also like to treat the "nanny" as treat "Buji", as its filial piety and respect.

Stilts into the village

Longzhou County, Guangxi, Jinlong area of the Zhuang village, people go out or into the village have to walk on stilts. Go out to the village entrance. Then they hang the stilts on a specific nail and go down to labor or go to other places. When entering the village, they take down the stilts from the nail and step on them, jump down in front of the stone steps in front of the house, then hang the stilts by the door, wash their hands and feet, and then step on the ladder to go upstairs. It is said that this is the ancestral shoes, they are located in subtropical, rainy, muddy roads walking inconvenience, such as with muddy feet into the house, really unhygienic, invented this kind of "non-" zigzag "stilt shoes.

She Gong Sacrifice

It is an annual ritual in which the Zhuang people of Huanjiang, Guangxi, pray on New Year's Eve of the summer lunar calendar for a new year's growth of seedlings, for children to be free from disease and for livestock to be fat and free from disease.

The following are our Zhuang festivals:

Bronze Drum Festival

Donglan County, Aidong, Changle Township area of the Zhuang traditional festivals. They are held on the first, fifteenth and thirtieth day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year. At that time, the young men of each village form a copper drum team, carry the copper drum to the top of the high mountain near the village, hang it on the wooden frame, and firstly beat the drum to offer ancestor worship, and then have a competition of beating the copper drum. The method is big drum to big drum, small drum to small drum, to four sides for 1 group, each drum 3 people, rotating to play, can not be interrupted. To play loud and clear, fast-paced, endurance for the win. Competition is often overnight. At the same time, male and female youths sing in pairs. At the end of the game, people from home to bring food such as rice dumplings for picnic, singing and laughing resounded through the valley.

Frogwoman Festival

Donglan, Nandan, Tian'e and other counties Zhuang folk traditional festival. Commonly known as Ant Festival. Festival from the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar to thirty (some places to fifteen) days, to the large village as a unit or several villages held jointly, there are "please frog woman", "singing frog woman", "filial piety frog woman", "burial frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman", "frog woman". There are rituals such as "Inviting Frogwoman", "Singing Frogwoman", "Filial Piety", "Burial of Frogwoman" and so on. The whole festival activities to praise the frog god to bring rain to the earth, blessing the achievements of the harvest throughout, for the music and entertainment of the god of the song and dance extravaganza. The first frog found on the first day of the New Year is regarded as sacred, and the person who captures it is honored and embraced, and becomes the chief who presides over the frog-sacrificing ceremony in that year. Modern Frogwoman Festival has evolved into a mass entertainment festivals and songs, so there is also the "ant song will be" called.

Eat Li Festival

Longzhou County, Pingxiang City around the Zhuang folk festival. "Eat Li" in Zhuang means "celebrate" or "make up for the Spring Festival". Legend has it that when the Spring Festival was approaching in 1894, the French invaders invaded the frontier, and in order to combat the invaders, the local young and strong men took up arms to defend their homes, so they were not able to celebrate the Spring Festival on time. On the 30th day of the first month, the soldiers returned in triumph, the townspeople killed chickens and goats, made sticky rice patties, hospitality, celebrated the victory, make up for the Spring Festival, and has become a custom. During the festival, people dance lions, play dragon lanterns, singing and dancing, lively.

Agricultural Tools Festival

Southwest Gui Zhuang traditional festival. It is held on February 29 of the lunar calendar every year. On this day, each family will make their own processing of a variety of agricultural production tools, pick to the pike, arranged in rows, plow frame, ox yoke, dustpan, dustpan, flat, hoe, plow, rake, hoe handle, baskets, bamboo cushions, grain bucket, grain barrels and furniture, and so on. People have to buy in preparation for spring plowing.

Flower Lady Festival

Traditional festival of the Zhuang people. According to folklore, the first ancestor of the Zhuang people, Liujia, was born from a flower. Later, he was in charge of giving flowers to send children. All people are transferred to the world from the flowers in the garden of Lioujia, so it is worshipped as a flower goddess. The 29th day of the 2nd month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the Goddess of Flowers. The Zhuang women hold a sacrificial ceremony in which women of the same generation in the village, together with sisters of different surnames, gather money to prepare chickens, ducks, incense and paper to offer to the Goddess of Flowers, and then go out in groups to pick flowers to wear, praying for fertility and blessing the children's healthy growth. Women who have not given birth to children will go to the field on this day to pick flowers to wear, in order to ask the Goddess of Flowers to give flowers to send children. If they become pregnant later, in order for the child to be born with a soul, they have to ask the master to go to the field to pray for flowers, and they also have to do the bridge ceremony in a small ditch by the roadside to bring the flowers over the bridge. After the birth of a child, the goddess of flowers should be placed in the bed of the mother and worshiped regularly. This custom has been diluted.

March 3 Song Festival

Traditional festival of the Zhuang people. Also known as the March Song Wei. Guangxi has been known as the "sea of songs", the Zhuang people have several regular folk song gatherings each year, including the first three days of March in the lunar calendar for the grand. On this day, families make five-color glutinous rice, dye red eggs, celebrate the festival, some last two or three days. Song festivals in various places have specific meeting places. Generally, it is the slope of a mine field. Some use bamboo and cloth to build a singing hut to receive singers from other villages. Participants to unmarried young men and women as the main, the old man and child also come to play and cheer. In the song dike around the field, vendors gathered, folk trade is active. Larger song dike, dozens of miles around thousands of men, women and children have come to participate in the sea of people, singing one after another, lively and extraordinary. Famous song pikes are Bama's Panyang Riverside, Du'an's Cotton Hill, Tianyang's Qiaoye, Tandong's Yangyan, Yishan's Shijian, Liuzhou's Yufeng Mountain and other places. People go to the song dike on the song competition, song appreciation; young men and women sing to love, love for each other will be given to the token, as a love affair. In addition, there are embroidered ball throwing, touching colorful eggs, performing Zhuang opera and other recreational activities. The Song Festival is not only an event of national culture, but also an event of national economic exchange. In order to promote national culture, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region organized the "March 3" Song Festival in 1984, singers from all over Guangxi gathered in Nanning, and compatriots of all brotherly nationalities, Hong Kong and Macao, and foreign friends also came to sightseeing, which was unprecedented. 1985, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region designated March 3 as the Cultural Arts Festival. March" was designated as a cultural and art festival by the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1985.