Folk Customs and Customs of Yao People

The Yao people now have a population of 2.134 million, with 173,000 in Yunnan, distributed in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and Simao area. The main settlement areas are Hekou Yao Autonomous County and Jinping Miao and Yao Dai Autonomous County. The Yao are a mountainous ethnic group, living in semi-mountainous areas with beautiful mountains and natural environment. Historically, the Yao and the Miao are closely related, originating from the "Wuling barbarians" of the Qin and Han dynasties. Around the Sui Dynasty, the Yao and Miao, who lived in the area of present-day Hunan and Hubei, were divided into two ethnic groups. The Yao in Yunnan were moved into Wenshan from Guangdong and Guizhou after the Ming and Qing dynasties. Later on, they moved to the Red River Valley, Mojiang, Mengla and other places. Many of the Yao in Yunnan not only speak their own language, but also speak Chinese, Zhuang and Miao, and there is a historical reason for this.

The Yao have their own language, Yao language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Yao language family Yao language branch, but the situation is more complicated, more than half of the people speak "Mian" words, belong to the Yao language branch of the Miao Yao language family Yao language branch; there are two-fifths of the people speak "Bunu" language, belong to the Miao branch; Guangxi region, some people speak "Lajia" language, belong to the Miao branch; Guangxi region, some people speak "Lajia" language, belong to the Miao branch. Some speak "Laja", which belongs to the Zhuang-Dong language group. Most of them are fluent in Chinese and Zhuang, and they do not have their own national scripts, but generally use Chinese as a common language. Oral literature is extremely rich. The religion of the Yao people varies from tribe to tribe, but the religion of the Yao language group and the Chashan Yao is y influenced by the Taoism of the Han Dynasty, and has developed into the Taoism of the Yao people around the time of the Yuan Dynasty.

The Yao people used to have different characteristics of residence and dress, and there were the "Overhill Yao", "Red-Headed Yao", and "Daban Yao", "Pingtou Yao", "Indigo Yao", "Sha Yao", "White Head Yao", and other self-named and other names. The customs and habits of the Yao people have always been characterized by their own traditions, especially in the clothing of men and women. Yao women are good at embroidery, with exquisite patterns on their cynical lapels, cuffs and trouser hems. Their hair is plaited around their heads, surrounded by fine beads of five colors, and the neck of the lapel to the chest is embroidered with colorful motifs. Men like to store hair in a bun, and red or green cloth head, wearing collarless lapel long-sleeved clothes, clothing outside the oblique white cloth "shoulder", under the pants with big legs.

Yao men and women up to fifteen, six years old to change off the flower cap to change the head wrap, marking the body has matured. Boys to sixteen, seven years old to go through the "degree of precepts", degree of precepts with the nature of the rite of passage. Some Yao village in order to publicize the "Ten Commandments", but also specially invited the old artists rap, education of young people do not lust, do not steal, do not rape, do not be lazy, to learn, respect for the elderly and love for the young, hardworking and thrifty family and so on. Yao marriage is free, the wedding is also relatively frugal. The Indigo Yao have the custom of going to the house of a family member.

There are many festivals of the Yao people, such as Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Duan Yang Festival, Ganba Festival, New Rice Festival, Meilian Festival and so on, and the Panwang Festival (also known as Danu Festival or Yao Festival) is the biggest festival. The Yao people love to sing, and every festival or celebration, they sing loud and clear and moving songs.