Xiangxi folk custom

The main traditional festival of Tujia nationality is to celebrate the New Year.

Qing Jiaqing's "Longshan County Records" said: "The natives spend their old age peacefully, and they are twenty-nine years old; If the month is small, it is 28 days. " Tujia people celebrate the New Year one day earlier than Han people, which is called "catching up with the New Year". There are many explanations about its origin, and there are three main explanations: one is that during the reign of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, at the end of the year, an imperial edict was suddenly received to mobilize Tujia and local soldiers to resist Japan. Calculate the time according to the distance, and you must leave before the Chinese New Year to arrive at your destination on time. In order to let the officers and men celebrate the New Year, it was decided to concentrate on the officers and men to celebrate the New Year in advance. After the Tujia soldiers went out to war, they made "the first meritorious military service in Southeast China". Future generations commemorate the victory of this war and worship their ancestors. The Spring Festival comes one day earlier every year. Second, it is said that it was on the mountain bag of Xiping, Guzhang, Qing Dynasty, where the King of Turkey and the King of Keke fought. One year, just before the Spring Festival, the Hakka King surrounded the Tuwang and many Tujia people on this hillside. The Hakka king led so many troops that the local king dared not rush out. So everyone decided to celebrate the New Year in advance, and the hospitality king was not prepared to kill for the New Year. After the Chinese New Year, everyone prepares weapons. Some people cut down a "wildcat tree" as a pike, while others blew "dull Li Du". Early the next morning, the guests and soldiers were celebrating the Spring Festival, and people on the mountain put out wild cats, trees, robes and Qin stars. Under the decree, Shuanglong is hidden and Tianyu is clear. Since then, every year on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, Tujia people have to rummage around to dry their clothes. In Wu Tai, it means drying dragon robes, and some even kill pigs and sheep, and invite friends and relatives to raise their glasses and drink in memory of the hero Wu Tai.

July and a half of Tujia nationality is July 14th in the ancient calendar. Legend has it that due to the war in ancient times, some Tujia ancestors flowed into Yunnan and never returned. When the crops are ripe, the ancestors who died abroad are looking forward to going home to visit their children and grandchildren. Therefore, the family provided wine, meat, fresh rice and corn to the deceased, commonly known as "eating new". From the beginning of July to 14, "burn incense" at the shrine every night, and it is forbidden to quarrel at home, and avoid sitting naked on the door railing. /kloc-on the evening of 0/4, he burned paper money in front of his house and sprinkled porridge far away from home, which was called "sprinkling ghost porridge", indicating that his ancestors had to catch up with the "Yunnan Conference" and sent him some plates at home.

Main traditional festivals of Miao nationality

The third day of the third lunar month is the traditional song and dance festival of Miao nationality in western Hunan. On this day, Miao men and women will automatically gather on the agreed hillside, singing and dancing, and enjoy themselves.

Speaking of March 3, local friends will tell you an interesting legend: in ancient times, in the mountains at the junction of Hunan and Guizhou, there lived two Miao people. Hunan is called Bamaozhai, and Guizhou is called Mu Ye Village. Usually, people in the two villages get married and live in harmony, and their lives are very smooth. On one occasion, the descendants of two villages fought for a beautiful young daughter-in-law and a knife and gun, and forged a deep hatred. In the second year, the people in Bamaozhai were furious, gathered all the men, women and children in the village, carried ghosts and gods tied with bamboo, attacked Muyezhai with knives, sticks and muskets, and first occupied a hillside in front of Muyezhai as a camp. The people in Muye Village are also tit for tat, and hundreds of people gathered on the hillside next to the village to guard it. The owners of the two stockades turned out to be in-laws. When they saw that all the other soldiers were better than Ma Zhuang, and they were all relatives, they didn't want to go to the battlefield. After several days of stalemate, the hostility gradually faded. The people in the two villages made up again, singing and dancing in the mountains, killing pigs and sheep for a day and a night. People in the two villages have never had such a large-scale carefree gathering, so they all remembered this carnival and friendly day-the third day of the third lunar month, and met the next year. People from two villages invited villagers from neighboring Miao villages to meet on the hillside in front of Muye Village. Every year, it has become a custom, so there is the "March 3 Song and Dance Festival".

In the past, the activities on March 3 were mostly held on the hillside adjacent to Guzhang, Luxi and Jishou, and there was no fixed place, depending on the situation at that time.

Qingming Song Festival is a traditional song festival of Miao nationality in western Hunan. On this day, Miao people in Jishou, Fenghuang, Huayuan and Guzhang all dressed up and buried their heads in willow trees. They gathered from all directions at the foot of Qingming Mountain in Danqing Township of Jishou City and sang folk songs for three days and three nights. It turns out that Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional activity held by Miao people in western Hunan to offer sacrifices and remember their ancestors and saviors. According to legend, Miao ancestors lived in Jiangxi Province in their early years. The two young men couldn't bear the oppression of the government, so they stepped forward and took the lead in rebellion. After the failure, he fled to Chenzhou, was rescued by a young man named Han, and hid in the Qingming Mountain in Danqing. Later, it was known by officers and men and surrounded the Qingming Mountain. At the critical moment, Han led the officers and men to escape, and let the two Miao people escape, but they were killed by the officers and men under the willow tree. Since then, two ancestors of the Miao nationality have settled in Danqing Township, where they have thrived.

The eighth day of the eighth lunar month is a traditional ancestor worship festival for Miao people and a get-together festival for young men and women. On this day, the Miao people in the neighboring areas of Hunan and Guizhou have to rush to the traditional "Huaping" from all directions, playing drums, singing Miao songs, playing lions, playing lusheng, suona and playing wood leaves, singing and dancing all day and night ... This custom of dancing flowers during the day and dancing the moon at night is called "Tantai Danla" by the Miao people.

June 6th Miao nationality "June 6th" originated in ancient times. According to the source of witchcraft singing, in the year of troubled times, "heavy snow on June 6, heavy frost on June 6", the flood spread all over the sky, leaving only two people in the world. Brother and sister marry, give birth to six men and six women, and reproduce. In ancient times, every family held ancestor worship activities on this day. According to another folklore, June 6th is a good day for dragons to sun their skins and tigers to sun their hair. Every household should take out cotton clothes and quilts to dry. It is said that the clothes dried on this day will not be moldy all year round, and it is warmer in winter. A local agricultural proverb says, "June 6th is sunny and there is gold everywhere. It rained on June 6, and it began to dry in 48 days, which is related to the flood on June 6 in ancient times.

Catching autumn is one of the traditional festivals of Miao nationality in western Hunan, which is mainly held in Huayuan. On "beginning of autumn" every year, Miao people will wear festive costumes and flock to Akita from all directions happily to participate in or watch various entertainment activities. There is a beautiful story about Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to legend, a long time ago, there was a young man named Baguida in Miao Village. He was honest, brave and good at shooting, and was deeply admired by everyone. One day, when he was out hunting, he saw a Shan Ying passing through the air. He shot Shan Ying with an arrow and left a flower shoe behind. This flower shoe is exquisitely embroidered. You can tell at a glance that it was made by a clever and beautiful Miao girl. Baguida is determined to find the owner of this flower shoe. He designed and manufactured a windmill-shaped swing that can seat eight people at the same time, and named it "swing for eight people". On this day in early autumn, he invited men and women from villages far and near to play on swings for fun. Swing is the favorite activity of Miao girls. Baguida thought that the girl who made flower shoes would definitely come. Sure enough, on the swing field, he found the owner of the flower shoes, the beautiful girl Qi Niang, and married her. Since then, people have held such activities every year, and gradually formed the "Chasing Autumn" activity.

Incense dance is a folk festival of Miao people in Jishou City, Guzhang County, luxi county and Yuanling County. Every year, from the first day of October to the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the Xiangming convention is held in turn in each village, commonly known as "jumping incense". Festival activities are mainly dancing. The traditional dance "Xiang Dance" is a sacrificial dance to celebrate the harvest, praying for good weather, prosperous livestock and abundant crops in the coming year. When dancing, the leader holds a scarf in his right hand, a horn sword in his left hand, a red robe, a headdress or a five-Buddha crown. Four young people in white coats, blue shorts, sandals and bamboo poles danced with the team leader. There are many kinds of dance steps, including Guan Gong's Cart, Beauty's Comb, Snow Covering, Holding the Moon and so on. Accompaniment often uses big drums and gongs, and long gongs and drums are repeated constantly. Besides dancing, Miao people also engage in some other recreational activities.

Cherry Party and Cherry Party are traditional festivals of Miao people in Xiangxi, Hunan. There are many cherry trees on Mount Camus. Whenever the cherries are ripe in spring, Miao young men and women will get together, sing duets and engage in social activities in the cherry forest. This activity is called "Liubiwa" in Miao language and literally means "cherry picking" in Chinese. Regarding the origin of the Cherry Society, it is said that a long time ago, there was a rich boy named Red Cherry in Ruibu Mountain, Jishou, Hunan Province, who was handsome and beautiful. There is a girl named Taohua who lives in Zhierpo, Huayuan County. Her family is poor, but she is beautiful and handsome. One day, they met by chance while picking cherries on the mountain and fell in love at first sight. But because the door was wrong, my parents interfered. They vowed not to get married and met at Zhierpo every year in the cherry ripening season. Their sincere love deeply touched the surrounding Miao youth, so it is convenient for everyone to hold a song party this season, pursue independent marriage and praise happy love. Over time, the cherry blossom festival was formed. During the festival, young Miao men and women dressed in costumes gather in the cherry blossom forest to sing, love and have fun.