Customs and festivals in Huangshi

1. Introduction of Miao Dragon Boat in Shidong, Taijiang

Qingshui River, like a green ribbon, winds through ten counties in southeastern Guizhou, such as Duyun, Majiang, Kaili, Ping Huang and Shidong in Taijiang, and flows eastward into Shui Yuan, Hunan. The river width is about136m at low water level and about160m at high water level. The velocity from June to July is 3. 18m/s ... and the water depth is 3 to 5m in summer. Qingshui River and its tributaries mainly pass through mountainous areas, and there are many reefs and shoals in the waterway. Villages on both sides of the Yangtze River are dotted with Miao people who have a long history and are hardworking and brave. There are wooden boats and motorboats sailing on the Qingshui River all the year round. Dragon boat rowing is a festival held in 60 or 70 Miao villages in the border areas of Taijiang and Shibing counties along the Yangtze River. It starts from Shibin Pingzhai on the other side of Nanshao in Taijiang County and goes down to Shibin in Liaodong on the other side of Wujiang River and Xiaojiang River. Every year on May 24th of the lunar calendar, nearly 30,000 to 40,000 people of all ethnic groups from Taijiang, Kaili, Ping Huang, Shibing, Zhenyuan, Sansui, Jianhe and other places, dressed in festive costumes, happily gather in Shidongkou, Taijiang County, near Qingshui River, for a four-day grand festival-Single Tree Dragon Boat Festival.

Whenever the festival comes, in order to better spend this auspicious festival, the Miao people in each village take advantage of the slack season before transplanting rice seedlings, sweep the house, pack jiaozi, set the table, and prepare to receive relatives and friends from afar. At the same time, tourists from home and abroad have come to visit. 1958, GDR organized a special documentary. 1962, there were 28 dragon boats on the Qingshui River. The Central News Film Studio made a special trip here to shoot a documentary about Qingshuihe Dragon Boat. After the 1980s, there were as many as 35 dragon boats in Qingshui River. According to statistics, in the past eight years, during the Dragon Boat Festival alone, more than 10,000 tourists from Japan, the United States, France, Britain and other countries and Hong Kong have been received, and the Miao Dragon Boat Festival on the Qingshui River is rich in content. The strong ethnic customs are incomparable to any local festival. It is the best national festival in the local area.

Second, the origin of the Miao dragon boat in Shidong, Taijiang.

The Miao people have a long history of Dragon Boat Festival. However, due to the lack of historical records, it is difficult to verify its true origin. "Zhenyuan County Records" records that "the Miao people in Qingjiang made a dragon boat play on May 25th, with a strange shape. When a big tree is dug into a boat, two trees merge (two trees should be three trees-author). The ship is extremely long, about forty or fifty feet, and can carry thirty or forty people. They all paddle standing, which is extremely dangerous. Extremely whitewashed by Japanese men and women. " There is a record of the Dragon Boat Festival in Qingshui River in Xu Jiagan's Notes on Miaojiang during Tongzhi Period, and a survey of the life of the people living in Taijiang River by Wang Sihong during the Republic of China (Bian Feng Monthly, Volume 2,No. 1, 1948+0). But these records are either superficial, superficial, or based on the words of a family, or make sense. And some descriptions are distorted and curious, which is not credible.

The origin of Qingshuijiang Miao Dragon Boat Festival: There is a myth and legend. According to legend, a long time ago, there lived an old man named Bao Gong at the mouth of Xiaojiang River. One day, he took his only son, Nine Treasures, to go fishing by the river. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky, the wind was blowing hard, and the river waves beat against the sky. A dragon jumped out of the deep pool and dragged it into the dragon cave at once. The old man was frightened and immediately jumped into the water to save his son. But it was too late. The dragon had killed the child and fell asleep with it as a pillow. The old man was furious and determined to avenge his son. He swam back to the shore, took a fire sickle and grass, sneaked into the dragon cave again, set fire to the dragon and burned it to death. However, the smoke from the burning hole filled the Qingshui River. Then it rained cats and dogs for nine days in a row in Kuya. It's dark. Chickens peck at rice before dawn, cows eat grass before dawn, and people work before dawn. Everyone can't do anything. They are very worried. At that time, a woman took her child to the river to wash clothes in the dark. The child paddled the clothes-beating stick around the water and inadvertently shouted "Knock, knock, knock!" " Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

Soon, a colorful monster four or five feet long was floating on the river, with his eyes closed and motionless. Everyone ran over and saw that it was a dragon that was burned to death. The brave man cut off a piece of meat and burned it. It is delicious. As soon as it spread, everyone wanted to try it. They went to grab dragon meat in droves. Grab and hold, grab the whole dragon. Shengbing village was the first to be discovered and was the leader. Pingzhai got the dragon neck, Tanglongzhai got the dragon body, Rongshanzhai got the dragon waist, and the cave applicants went a little late, only the dragon tail, and Yangjiazhai went the latest, only a little intestines. So now the dragon boats in Yangjiazhai are all dyed dark green (it is said that the intestines of dragons are also dark green), called Qinglong. When people separated the dragon meat, it was already night. The dragon had a dream for everyone and said, "I hurt the only son of the old man, and I lost my life myself. I hope that all of you, old and young, will be kind enough to row fir trees on the Qingshui River for a few days according to my body, so that I feel alive. I make clouds and rain, so that you can have a good harvest. " People believed it, so they made a boat and rowed first. Just like the dragon said, it really worked and it rained happily. Everyone was happier and began to row dragon boats. At first, everyone agreed; Arrange the dragon meat in the order of division. For example, Sheng Bing was assigned to a leading position and placed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month; Pingzhai has a dragon neck, which is scheduled for the sixth day of May. However, this is the busy farming season for wheat harvesting and rice transplanting. In order to stay away from home and have a good holiday, the villages came to discuss again and changed to hold the competition in stages from May 24 to May 27 of the lunar calendar. It is said that the year after the date change, there was a drought. Everyone thinks that this is caused by the change of date, so they discuss restoring the fifth day of the fifth lunar month as the beginning of the Dragon Boat Festival in Shengbing and Zhao Ping Village. At the ceremony held in Zhao Ping, the dragon boats in the lower reaches of Bindong Village must participate, and they will arrive ahead of time. When the cave is built, everyone will row away. They will still work in the fields the next day. After the 24th, they will hold a formal activity and enjoy it for a few days. Pingzhai is designated as the 24th day of the fifth lunar month, 25th day of Tang Long, 26th day of Rongshan and 27th day of Shidong, which are concentrated in the above four places. This rule, along with the habit, continues to this day.

Many national festivals in the world originated from the struggle between ancient humans and nature. Some are designated as festivals because they overcome nature. Some are designated as festivals because of obedience and reverence for nature. According to the above story, the Miao Dragon Boat Festival along the Qingshui River belongs to the latter reason. That is, in the era of fishing and hunting, Miao ancestors may fight with poisonous snakes and pythons and kill the latter, which coincides with the sudden rise of dark clouds and the flooding of heavy rains. Because of the low productivity at that time, people were shocked by the power of nature and thought that the appearance of python had caused disaster to people in order to retaliate. Because people are afraid of snakes and pythons, they try to restore their original shape, let them regenerate and pray for forgiveness. The Dragon Boat Festival of Qingshuijiang Miao nationality is the source of this ending.

Anyway, legend has become a distant past. With the development of times and life, today's Dragon Boat Festival has become a new content to unite the nation, connect with friendship and facilitate young men and women to love each other. Dragon Boat Festival is an all-encompassing comprehensive culture. It is also a comprehensive culture including nature, social ideology, national psychological quality, economy, arts and crafts, etc. The emergence of a culture is often restricted by the natural environment. The Mediterranean coast produced a maritime trade culture, while the ancient China Valley produced an agricultural culture. The same is true of dragon boat culture, which has formed a dragon boat cultural circle in the beautiful and vast natural environment of Qingshui River and Xiaojiang Mountain Area. They all have their own unique cultural characteristics.

Three, Taijiang Shidong Miao Dragon Boat Festival overview.

(1) scale

First, in the villages where dragon boats are rowed, there is generally one dragon boat in each village, and there are two or three boats in more than 200 households. The house where the dragon boat is placed has a long outline and is called "Dragon Boat Shed". The shed is a row of seven eight-column wooden structures with tile roofs and built on the mountain. The total length is about 25.6 meters, the width is 2.7 meters and the height is 3.24 meters. After field measurement, the length and height of the "Dragon Boat Shed" in thirteen stockyards are almost equal.

(b) election of drummers

2. Electing drummers: Electing drummers in the first session (i.e. every year) by taking villages or clans as units. Miao language is called "Ga Niu", which means drummer, commonly known as "Drum Head". "New Year" means drum. Originally, dragon boat rowing should be dominated by dragon boats, supplemented by drums. However, the organizers in those days were not called dragon boats, but called drums, which may be related to dragon boat rowing and "ancestor drum sacrifice" (also known as "drum society sacrifice", which is a ritual of ancestor worship with drums as the main sacrifice and music of Miao people). Or it originated from the host of "Zugu Festival", so it is called "Drum Master".

The "drum head" is held by the head of the household who owns the dragon boat in turn. Every year, just after the Dragon Boat Festival, the "Drum Head" kills pigs and invites people in the stockade to drink. Everyone has to decide who will be the "Drum Head" in the coming year. After the new "drum head" is selected, the previous "drum head" will send the drum and faucet to his home. In some yards, if there is a big surname, it will be assigned to a house by its big surname in turn, and it is the turn of a house, that is, it will be borne by the living elders in turn. If the older generation gives up, it will be borne by one generation in turn. It's your turn. Generally, I don't want to give up, because there are many households in the stockade, and it takes decades or even hundreds of years to turn around. I'm lucky to be able to turn twice in my life. There are also people who have no turning point in life. It is worth noting that the host of Zugu Festival is also produced in this way. It is a great honor to be a drummer. The conditions for becoming a "drummer" are determined from many aspects, such as being a big shot in one place or being an elderly person with many relatives and friends, rich family background and high reputation. As for those who have more sons, they may be elected because they have more relatives and friends. The families that are most likely to be elected are those with many girls and many married people (this may be a reflection of the custom of uncle power in festivals). Because during the Dragon Boat Festival, relatives and friends come to give gifts everywhere, which can show off the popularity of "Drum Head", gain a good reputation, improve their social status, and also have Zen meaning for their children's marriage prospects. Moreover, accepting a lot of gifts, if handled properly, will make the family richer. Therefore, when you play the drum, you should not only consider your family background, but also consider the number of relatives and friends, both of which are indispensable. If he turns to a poor family and doesn't want to give up, the family is willing to help him financially and with food. If you don't want to bear it because you think there are too few relatives and friends, you won't be forced to give it to others because you don't receive too many gifts.

People who become "drum heads" will prepare sweets and snacks and go out to inform relatives and friends of the new and old. This is called "ventilation". The implication is that next year my family will be "drum head", and I hope to get your's help so that I can row the dragon boat with dignity. The recipient (relatives and friends in the village didn't go out to inform the customs, and learned through other channels that their relatives were "drumming" next year) also began to make preparations for giving gifts every other year. At that time, relatives and friends will send the prepared gifts directly to the river to wait, which is called "Solitaire". The gifts are mainly livestock or poultry, followed by firecrackers and a red silk about ten feet long. The gift of the son-in-law is at least a pig, and the gift of the son-in-law's immediate family or family can't be less than a sheep. Usually give it to geese or ducks. In the past, when the people in power in Miao Village were in pass the parcel, their relatives and friends also gave cows and horses as gifts.

The gift-giving ceremony is like this. When the dragon boat is rowed into the stockade, three spears must be put first. Seeing that the boat was sent by relatives and friends, the giver on the shore quickly carried the gift to the river. When the dragon boat stopped at the shore, a string of firecrackers exploded in the hands of the giver, then tied a red silk on the corner of the faucet, poured a glass of wine for the "Drum Head", and then offered a toast to everyone on the dragon boat in turn, and then sent the gift to the dragon boat.

"Drum head" can get many gifts on this day, but it also costs a lot. In addition to the three meals, meals, wine and vegetables given to the boatman by the guest house, he had to kill pigs and make wine after rowing. Entertain people and guests in the stockade. Relatives and friends go back, send pigs to sheep, send chickens and ducks. If the gift is chicken and duck, there is no need to give it back. Courtesy is reciprocated. In the future, it is the turn of relatives and friends who give gifts to be "drum heads", and the gifts given must be doubled.

Once upon a time, a village had special fields, mountains, rice or money as the source of funding for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was called "numerous fields", "numerous mountains" or "numerous valleys". Tian He spends his annual income on the Dragon Boat Festival. Later, this method gradually disappeared.

Today's "drum head" is no longer produced by rotation, but by election.

(3) the manufacture of dragon boats

Third, the time to cut down trees and build dragon boats is the end of October in the Year of the Loong. When you go, prepare some glutinous rice, a live drake, a rooster, a piece of meat, a foot of green cloth, a wisp of silk thread, a bunch of hemp, a pot of wine, incense and money paper from the stockade as a sacrifice to the "Tree God". Under the selected fir tree, first wrap green cloth and silk thread on the trunk, put wine and rice on the soil under the tree, then burn incense and paper, and then pour duck blood on the trunk, and invite "mountain gods" and "tree gods" to be present. Then an old man who knows the ancient rules and rituals and is "rich and expensive" (full of children and grandchildren) prayed to the tree: "Mount Ji! Please allow our whole tribe to cut you down and make a dragon boat. May you protect Ji 'an, old and young, and your children and grandchildren will prosper. "After the ceremony, a pre-selected" blessed person "(young, with both parents, middle-aged, with complete children, avoiding mistresses) began to cut the first axe. Then everyone cut down the tree. It is lucky that the tree falls to the east (because it is said that the Miao people came here to live in Jiangxi, so they miss their ancestors). This ceremony is also used to cut down the water willow used for faucet. Then, transport the tree to the edge of the stockade for production. When wood enters the stockade, people in the stockade should prepare wine, meat and colored silk thread to meet the dragon boat wood and the tree cutter.

During the operation of Dragon Boat Wood, relatives and friends along the way should greet Dragon Boat Wood with wine and give it to ducks, geese and so on. , and prepared a pot of wine. A red ribbon about one meter long is tied to the dragon boat wood, and the host and guest sing congratulations to each other. The atmosphere is very warm. When we return to the stockade, the whole stockade will meet us and shout loudly, "The dragon is coming!" "

The price of dragon boat wood is at least twice as high as that of ordinary wood, especially the trees as mother ships, and the price is higher. Some owners even offered to exchange a buffalo.

Carving faucets makes it easier to find willow. After selection, if the owner of the tree is unwilling to sell, he will "steal". The owner doesn't scold when he finds out, but the person who "steals" the tree must put a basket of glutinous rice, a rooster and a pot of rice wine under the tree.

Dragon boat wood was transported back to the stockade and started to be manufactured on an auspicious day. Dragon boat and dragon head should be made at the same time. Before construction, Bai Feng was used to burn incense and paper as a sacrifice to the patron saint named Gaha, asking him to bless the smooth and successful construction of the dragon boat. After that, the carpenter master (who can't attend if his family has a pregnant woman before the full moon) will start work. Generally, the master will "ink" first, that is, draw the dimensions and marks of each part. Then all men can plane, chisel, and play without odd jobs. In short, from each according to his ability. After the ship is shaped, it will be processed and trimmed by carpenters, and the dragon boat will be put on trial. Building dragon boats is voluntary labor. Only the sculptor can get a basket of glutinous rice, a red rooster and a pot of wine as a reward.

After the dragon boat is built, there should be sacrifices and celebrations. Every household in the village will raise money according to the family situation. The whole village, old and young, will hold a banquet, beat drums, dance and sing in the dragon boat shed.

(D) the shape and decoration of the dragon boat

Fourth, modeling and decoration. The hulls of dragon boats are all made of fir trees. China is the main ship, which is called "Hemei" in Miao language, meaning "mother ship". There is a boat on each side, which is called "Gadai" in Miao language, meaning "sub-boat". They are all made up of three large and complete canoes dug into grooves and tied together side by side. The mother ship is thick and dug into six cabins. Each captain is about 1.8 to 5 meters. The captain of the mother ship is between 2 1 and 24 meters. It is about 0.7 meters wide. At the front end of the faucet, 0.9 meters above the water. The fourth cabin in the middle is loaded with livestock and poultry donated by relatives and friends along the coast during the festival, as well as food that scratched hands that day.

The two sub-boats on both sides are relatively small, generally about15m long and 0.5m wide, which are places for scratching hands and standing. The dominant wood is water willow (called "power processing machine" by Miao people), which is light and tough and suitable for carving. The material is 3 to 4 meters long and about 0.3 meters in diameter, depending on the hull of the dragon boat. The faucet is carved with horns, ears, nose, eyes, cheeks and beard. The lower part of the dragon neck should be hollowed out, and then the hole should be sealed with small boards (it is said that if it is not hollowed out, the dragon boat will fight in the water. In fact, hollowing out can reduce the weight of the bow, which is beneficial to the game. Long Lin is carved on the back of the neck, painted with gold, red, yellow, green and white, and embedded with small glass pieces. Like a real dragon shining. The dragon's eyes are embedded with small pieces of glass. Beards and hair are floating and lifelike. The most distinctive feature is that a pair of big curved horns should be installed on both sides of the faucet. On the front of the left and right corners, you should also write "Good weather, peaceful country and people's safety" respectively.

(5) Dragon boat ceremonies and taboos

Rituals and taboos: During the festival, the "Drum Master" family steamed glutinous rice once a day to prepare rice wine, meat, duck and other dishes for people on the dragon boat. People who eat on the dragon boat eat with their hands. Don't miss the life of your distant ancestors with chopsticks. People who cook and cook the meat must be elderly or middle-aged "lucky" men. When the rice is steamed, retort cannot be covered. In cook the meat, chickens and ducks are not allowed to turn in the pot. After the rice is steamed, put the goose, fish and meat into the steamer and put them on the dragon boat for the radial hand to eat. After the rice cooker is transported away, the pots and pans left behind are not allowed to move until the dragon boat returns to the village. The most taboo is that women are not allowed to get on the dragon boat. Secondly, when a woman gives birth to a child, she is not allowed to touch the dragon boat in the month. Otherwise, "unexpected things will happen." The opening ceremony of the dragon boat is both serious and solemn. I pushed the boat into the water as early as May 18. On the 23rd, the mother and son boats were tied together by insults, and then the faucet was put on the mother boat. When the opening ceremony is held on 24th, a white cock and a pot of wine should be prepared for the "Drum Head". There is a square table with dragon gods on it by the river beach. Tie a gallnut stick with branches and leaves removed and bark peeled along the foot of the table, leave a fork on it, play an umbrella, tie a piece of red cloth and cut a bunch of white paper. Umbrella symbolizes that the patron saint of mankind was lit by Jiang Yang, the first god of mankind, so that his clothes caught fire, so the patron saint had to play an umbrella to hide his shame. After offering sacrifices to the gods, take the grass with the boat, insert it in the small hole at the tail, and then distribute it to everyone by the ferryman until the dragon boat meets, and then throw it into the river in a unified action. There is a liter of rice, three bowls of wine and meat on the table. After burning incense and toasting, I prayed and sang "I have a white cock in my hand, and a can of rice wine is like honey." The mountain is crying, and the mountain is crying. Please let the dragon god, the land god and the mountain god go down together. Qi Xin will work together to keep the dragon boat safe and clear, invincible, and give you children like thousands of fish. "and so on. Ask the gods before killing the white rooster, drop blood on the gallnut stick, tear off a few skin wings and stick them on the small rights of the gallnut stick; Cook the chicken, put it in a big bowl, burn incense, turn the money into wine, throw it on the ground, and sacrifice the cooked food to the gods. Then gongs and drums rang, and the dragon boat circled the water near the stockade before leaving for the competition venue. In modern times, some yards did not hold sacrifices before boating, but only boarded the dragon boat by the river for a moment and shouted three times in the palm of their hands: "Brothers! Go boating! " Everyone said in unison, "ah! "So three times, then set off. Sacrificial objects shall not be moved before the dragon boat returns from the competition venue.

(6) Duties of the personnel on board

There is a drum head, a gong player, a shoulder pole, a director and a boatman on board. They stand or sit on the mother ship, and each sub-ship has 16 grippers.

"Drum Head" is dressed in summer clothes, a special red or cyan velvet vest with black border, a pair of sunglasses and a special wide-brimmed straw hat. He sat in the front of the ship with a drum with a diameter of about one side. Both sides of the drum were covered with drums, with his back to the dragon bow and his face to the radial hand. Beat the drum with the beat of "Dong, Dong, Dong". During the competition, he was in charge of giving orders, beating drums violently and urging the radial hand to sprint bravely forward. Gong player: Sit at 1.5m to drum the head. The gong is about one meter in diameter; Hanging on a gong pole, the head of the pole is carved with a small faucet. The gong rope hangs in Longkou. Disguised as a woman by a ten-year-old boy. When rowing, you should follow the rhythm of the drum. It all becomes: "Knock, knock, knock!" Sound. He wore a silver necklace, exquisite silver ornaments, a silver crown and gorgeous clothes. The child was chosen by the "Drum Head" family. Some people say it symbolizes Bao Gong and Nine Treasures and his son. But it doesn't make sense. Nine Treasures is a boy. Why is he dressed as a girl? This may be based on the fact that Miao people live in water towns. In the early years, they had the habit of boating for men and women. Later, because of the strong wind and waves on the river and the fast rowing speed, the woman was physically exhausted and died in the water. Instead, the man rowed and the woman stopped rowing. Children dressed as women symbolize that they will never forget ancient customs. Poling: Miao people call it "new wealth", and "Drum Head" invites people with good strength and water knowledge.

Account management: Every time I go to a place, my relatives and friends will make a record of the gifts, so as to facilitate the "drum head" to return the gifts in the future.

Gripper: Sixteen people per sub-boat, four people per cabin. Stand, don't sit, and lunge slightly during the game. They are all wearing purple-blue homespun double-breasted tops and indanthrene pants. Don't roll up your trouser legs (meaning that you roll up your trouser legs when asking for rain, which is not good for asking for rain). Tie a woven flower about an inch wide around your waist and nail a belt with silver bubbles. Wearing a delicate embroidered ponytail hat on his head. There are three silvery things like rockhopper on the brim of the hat. In the past, when rowing dragon boats, everyone wore hemp fiber and paper hats to keep out the rain. The radial arm of the radial hand is about 2m long and10cm wide. The hand is cylindrical, the launching end is a pole, and the lowest end is an arc-shaped tip.

Gong Li, called "Da Dai" in Miao language, should know how to swim and be good at coping with emergencies. He held a long radial rod in his hand to pump up the rudder propeller. At the helm, he gave the order to adjust the rhythm of the radial hand. Therefore, on the dragon boat in Qingshui River, gongs and drums only play the role of cheering and rendering the atmosphere, and the important task of qi Fu falls on Gong Li.

During the festival, the most ethnic activities also belong to the "outing" of boys and girls, that is, romance. And the transactions in the market are also accompanied.

At the end of the dragon boat race, the dragon boat slowly left with gifts, and people on the shore waved goodbye to relatives and friends on board. At this time, the radial hand on the dragon boat let go of his feelings and sang the song that the festival is about to pass, let's meet again next year: Miaoling Mountain is green and bathed in sunshine. Qingjiang flowing water, churning Jinlang; Dragon Boat Festival is so carefree. He Miao nodded and smiled, and Liu Cui waved. After the Dragon Boat Festival, we should keep our hearts closed, have a good harvest every year and laugh every year.