One, the legend of the Tujia people
Tujia people's origin
According to legend, a long, long time ago, rose a river of Qitian great water, the world were drowned, leaving a pair of brother and sister on the Nantian Mountain. Nan Tian Wuji Taoist finger counting, know that the mortal world suffered a catastrophe, out of the Wuji Palace, to the mortal world, only pieces of the earth cold and desolate, deserted, thinking: if the mortal world without the people, it is not like a missing plate? The world would not be the world. Then take a closer look, suddenly saw the mortal world and a man and a woman are picking wild fruits, suddenly felt a joy: "Well, this time there is a way!"
It turned out to be the brother and sister, the day the water rose, the brother and sister hid in a section of a large bamboo tube, although not drowned, but the flood is a drought, the days are more difficult. So, they begged the sky: "The heavens that
Give us water! Save the mortal souls it!" This shout, the sky really descended a clear spring to. The siblings drank their fill. At this time, a breeze blew over, floating a colorful cloud, only to see a crane-haired old man standing on it. Brother and sister know is the upper realm of the gods and goddesses down to earth, then worship on the ground, the Taoist said: "you two sins have not yet atoned for clear, so save your life, now the people died for the continuation of the human flame, special order you two to change the compatriot for the husband and wife, this is the heavenly peace!" Brother and sister heard, waved their hands and said: "No way! No way! We are brother and sister, how in the world can a brother and sister get married?" The old Taoist said: "Although you two belong to the same compatriots, but the yin and yang are different, now the mortal world has been extinct, such as not married, how can the fire of the world continue?" Brother and sister still do not comply. Taoist fire: "you do not do husband and wife, I will chisel off the water, thirsty you!" He said, "I'll cut off the water, and you'll die of thirst!" He said, "I'll cut off the water, and you'll die of thirst! Sister see spring water cut off, heart so anxious, secretly think for a while, on the Taoist said: "to my brother and I married, you must promise me a condition: there are two mills, just back a fan standing on the top of the east mountain, I back a fan standing on the top of the south mountain, both of us at the same time will be the mill rolled towards the mountain gorges, if the two mills together, I will agree, or, as usual, we are still brother and sister. " When the Taoist heard this, he agreed with all his heart. So the brother and sister stood one on the east hill and the other on the south hill, and the Taoist shouted, "Count up!" Brother rolled, sister deliberately stopped for a while before rolling, but the two mills rolled to the foot of the mountain or not even close together. The old Taoist laughed: "This is the will of God, not human power!" So he waved his hand and the spring sprang up. But the sister still refused: "This time not to comply, we burn a pile of fire on each side of the hill, if the two smoke hit gang da, we will be married." Taoist laughed: "According to you!" Brother and sister burned a fire, the two streams of smoke floating ah floating, a moment to stir into one. The old Taoist looked at the sister, laughed: "Now there is nothing to say, right?" The siblings had no choice but to live together.
Ten months later. The sister gave birth to a son, the brother thought it was so ugly, so he dropped the baby to death da, and then chopped it into mush with a knife and threw it on the river, bushes, grass and rocks. Unexpectedly Wuji Taoist in the upper world to see clearly, driving clouds down, facing the baby's flesh and blood all over the ground blew a mouthful of immortal gas, and immediately turned into a group of living and breathing men and women and children, the old Taoist on the verge of leaving, it was sealed brother for the old man of the East Mountain, the sister for the Holy Mother of Mount Nanshan to be their discipline of these children. East Mountain old man and South Mountain Virgin, think so many children inconvenient to call, had to give the name, respectively, from the poplar tree on the change on the name Yang, from the stone on the change on the name of the stone, from the Lu Maosu bush change on the name of the Lu ...... so that there are a hundred surnames. Later, the two siblings died of old age, the children buried them respectively in the East Mountain and South Mountain. Later, the Tujia people every first month from the first to the fifteenth will be in the hall on the wine and rice offerings, burning incense and paper, worship their ancestors, praying for the old man in the East Mountain and the South Mountain Virgin Mother blessing peace. The incantation of Tulaoshi is also recited in this way: "Old Man of Dongshan, Holy Mother of Nanshan, please! If you invite them from across the mountain, they will answer you; if you invite them from across the water, they will answer you. Please invite the two saints to show their spirit ......
Two, the songs, songs and dances of the Tujia people
The Tujia people are a people who can sing and dance well, and their folk art is colorful and colorful, with songs and dances that have their own national styles and characteristics.
The Tujia are a people who can sing and dance well, and their folk art is rich and colorful, with songs and dances having their own national styles and characteristics.
Tujia folk songs:
Folk songs are the main part of the oral literature of the Tujia people, "the Tujia people love to sing, and sing a whole lot of songs". From the source, the Tujia folk songs come from the Ba Song. In the Tang Dynasty, Liu Yuxi created the "Bamboo Branch Lyrics" based on the Ba Song, which has been preserved in the folk songs of the Tujia people for generations. The "Yangliu" sung by the Tujia to this day is one of the "Bamboo Branch Lyrics". In the long-term cultural exchanges between the Tujia and Han Chinese, the Tujia folk songs have been influenced by Han Chinese poetry. Since most Tujia people speak Chinese, or speak both Chinese and Tujia, most of the Tujia folk songs are sung in Chinese, and some are sung in Tujia.
The Tujia region is like a sea of poetry, and Tujia singing is inseparable from poetry. Most of the songs are improvised, some of which are accompanied by musical instruments, and some of which are sung and danced at the same time. Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the tunes are also very melodious. According to the genre of the songs, there are labor songs, mountain songs and sacred songs. *The grass gongs and drums song is a fighting labor song, powerful, rhythmic and inspiring to listen to. In the Tujia ethnic group and other minorities in the south and southwest of the same, popular disk song. Two people sing in pairs, answering each other's questions, such as the one who asks: "What bends up to the sky? What bends in the bay? What bends the street in front of the sale? What curved in front of sister?" The other party replied, "The crescent moon bends to the sky, the boat bends in the river. The comb is sold in front of the street, and the eyebrows are bent in front of my sister." There are plate heaven and earth, plate flowers and plants, plate birds and animals, plate production, etc., in which men and women dish each other answer to express love more, four sentences of a song, the answer, extremely vivid and interesting. Tujia like to sing the horn. Such as tugboat horn, drag wood horn, pick rock horn. First sing "No.", and then sing "song", a leader and the crowd, back and forth interspersed, emphasizing the high-pitched, robust and powerful.
Shan Songs:
The Tujia folk song is the first of the mountain songs, usually seven words, four lines, and five lines. There are a variety of subjects, mainly lyric songs, narrative songs, and sacred songs. The following is a love song:
Man: Little girl I call you,
I call you ten times,
You don't answer me,
When did you get offended?
Tell me one word at a time.
Woman: My brother, you called me,
How can I open my mouth when my mother is in the house?
When my mother is not in the house,
I am carrying pigweed to see you.
Gongs and drums song:
Also known as digging song, mountain gongs and drums, gongs and drums, etc., it is a kind of labor song, which mostly expresses the labor scenes of the Tujia people.
Bundling up the belt, we need to work hard,
Digging it up, we need to fight with the shape.
Digging the side of the brother to be strong,
step by step forward.
Hand Waving Song:
This song and dance originated from the rituals performed by the Tujia people in honor of the King of the Earth. The lyrics are mainly myths and legends and scenes of past production and life.
It rained heavily,
for seven days and seven nights.
The water from the wells,
Yongni not Sony,
was drilled into the windows of the melons.
The water from the wells,
was drilled into the windows of the melons.
The water was not used as a source of water.
The water rushed and rolled up the slag,
and tightly blocked the melon window.
The water rose and broke the sky,
and the sky collapsed to the earth,
and the earth rose to the sky,
and the sky turned over, and the earth turned over.
Long narrative poems:
such as "The Golden Cockerel," which has seven chapters and 724 lines:
Selling--
The steward asks only how many sheep,
The toff asks only how strong the sheep are.
Who cares if Chun is hungry and cold?
Only the foreman asks for warmth!
Ransom--
A piece of paper and a life,
Today I am a free man.
The foreman lit a fire,
and the deed of sale turned to ashes.
Reunion--
The rainy sun is a lie,
How many of the matchmakers' speeches are true?
With love and intention,
What need is there for a matchmaker?
Reunion--
Not to be lost in life, not to be lost in death,
Like a green vine wrapped around a pomegranate.
The vine is wrapped around the pomegranate tree,
and the flower is dead and the vine is dry.
Wailing Songs:
Singers gather in front of the sacrificial tent, one person beats the drum and sings, sometimes with the help of the crowd, and sing in turn. Except for the parts with fixed lyrics, most of them are sung as they are made up. Generally, each line of seven or ten words, two or four lines of a song. For example:
The Xiaoya family is playing drums tonight,
Three relatives are coming to pay homage.
All the children and grandchildren are wearing hemp and mourning,
The filial sons and daughters are crying and howling.
Crying Song:
The song sung by Tujia girls while crying before they get married in the sedan chair. There are the resignation of ancestors, female crying mother, mother crying female, sister crying sister, sister crying sister, crying brother and sister-in-law, crying sister, crying combing hair, crying wearing dew clothes, crying to eat master and mother, crying 100 guests, crying on the sedan chair, and so on.
One of the most interesting curses against the matchmaker is:
The matchmaker is a dog, and he eats from the other end.
The mother-in-law's family is a good son-in-law, and the mother-in-law's family is a good dowry.
The sparrows in the trees are coaxed to come, and the monkeys on the rocks are tricked into leaving.
The peas bloom from corner to corner, and the matchmaker eats them.
The iron tree blossomed eight inches long, and the matchmaker ate it and rotted his intestines.
Crying for my father is also quite unique:
There are many stars in the sky and the moon is not clear, my father has taken great pains for me,
I can't say enough about my father's kindness, it's hard to finish my words.
One is afraid that we will suffer from hunger, the other is afraid that we will get sick, and the third is afraid that we will be dressed in uglier clothes than the others, and that we will wear stars and moonlight.
The fourth fear is that we will be uneducated, so we will be sent to school to study,
To raise your daughter as a human being, we will spend money and money on her, and we will be very kind to her.
One foot and five inches is all that is needed to bring the daughter to the mouth;
The hard times are long, the cold and the hunger are hard on the heart!
Daughter's life is a mistake, her parents' hard work is wasted;
I am leaving my parents today, my heart is drenched with tears!
It's hard for a daughter to honor her parents, and it's hard for her to take them to the end of her life.
It's hard for a daughter to light a lamp in the water, and it's hard for her to come to the world without a lamp, and it's a waste of time!
Sisters to cry words:
Sister: Solo tree twelve yards, we have the same root and the same yards;
Today sister to be separated, leaving the embroidery building is very lonely!
Sister: the twelve yards on the Solo tree, we have the same father and the same mother;
The sisters are going to leave this day, it is difficult to part with each other, it is difficult to break the love!
Sister: the selvage tree to stage to stage, my sister heart is difficult to forgive;
Throw your sister in-laws to go, the New Year's festival and only to come!
Sister: The Solo tree came to the stage to the stage, looking at my sister's heart more forgiving,
More than the sister sister to treat the sister, sister's teachings remembered in mind!
Tujia Dance:
The traditional dance of the Tujia people includes the dance of the funeral drums, the pendulum dance, the dance of the eight treasures of copper bells, the dance of the Plum Mountain, the dance of the jumping horse, the dance of the manipulation of the flags, the dance of the eight robes, and the dance of the playfulness of the playfulness of the playfulness of the playfulness.
Jumping funeral drums on the ancient Tujia funeral ritual song and dance. Where the elderly normal death, must jump funeral, the higher the age of the deceased, the more people to jump funeral, not only their relatives to hang, neighbors and townspeople also want to participate in, known as "people die in the family funeral, a funeral drums and two help". Mourning more than one night before the funeral, in front of the deceased, first by the singer drums called song, into a team of two song Lang, four song Lang, eight song Lang, accordingly catch the song, with the drum section dance, according to the song, while drinking, while singing and dancing, up to a few hundred people, in the bier before the dam should be song and dance to the sadness.
The hand dance is a traditional dance that the Tujia people enjoy. Tujia language called "Sheba", the Chinese said "play swinging hands". When dancing the pendulum dance, by a person in the circle of drums and gongs, men and women dance in a good dancers lead, dance around the circle, with the drums into and out of, change the dance posture. Each dance is performed for a week or several weeks with a different set of programs, linking many movements together to form a paragraph with a complete plot, and the sets are connected. The Pendulum Dance is rich in content, mainly including the "Horse Front Dance" which shows the ancient war, the "Drinking and Feasting Dance" which is a pilgrimage to the king of the earth in the palace, the "Hunting Dance" which shows the hunting life, and the "Production Dance" which shows the labor life. "Production Dance", "Mosquito Fighting", "Buffalo Fighting", etc., which expresses the daily life.
The Eight Treasures Copper Bell Dance is a ritual dance of the Tujia people. Tujia people to the ancestors "to solve the money", they will ask the soil teacher to preside over the sacrificial rites, the soil teacher dressed in eight skirt, head wrapped in red silk handkerchiefs, the waist tied a short sword, holding the eight treasures of copper bells, singing and dancing. They sing and dance. They sing about their ancestors' business ventures and migrations, pray for peace for their ancestors, and beg for luck for their descendants.
Playing juggling, also known as flower drums, is a common folk dance in Tujia. Dance, more than one ugly once appeared, are holding a small fan (or handkerchief), the action is relatively simple. With the size of the steps, two hands swinging at the side, the body with the feet and hands naturally swinging to the sides, the male action is larger and rough, female action is smaller and softer, singing and dancing, relaxed and happy, loved by the youth of the Tujia.
Three, the Tujia people's wedding and funeral rituals
Marriage The Tujia people's marriages have the custom of the aunt's cousin. General aunt's daughter married uncle's son, known as the "bone seed", "kissing road", as a kiss on a kiss. Tujia wedding, to send three ways of favor. Before the girl is married, she should practice "crying marriage song". To cry friends and relatives, but also 1 ~ 2 days in advance without food and drink, called "do not eat tea and rice". The girl gave birth to a child after marriage, the man should go to the woman's home to announce the good news. By the son-in-law to carry a pot of wine, sent to the woman's home on the incense niche in the hall, the pot spout facing outward, said the birth of a boy; pot spout facing inward, said the birth of a girl. After the female relatives to send grain, chicken, meat, eggs to the male family to eat "moon rice wine", the male family should also send gifts.
Burials and funerals of the Tujia people, the death of the elderly, most of the grand funeral. The Tujia teachers are invited to preside over the selection of the date of burial and the cemetery, as well as the seat of the mountain, to the mountain. At the time of the funeral, the road should be thrown "to lead the way paper money", the grave is forbidden to put something with iron. Therefore, one's relatives must dig a well and wait until the deceased is buried before they can leave. In the process of burial, the coffin is opened, cleaned and "thrown" by a native teacher. Throwing rice, loved ones in front of the coffin kneeling with the back of the clothes to receive rice, some on the spot will be chewed and swallowed, some will bring back the rice to cook, indicating that the future generations to unity and harmony, food and clothing, inheriting the old man's legacy.
Four, Tujia ethnic festivals and rituals
Tujia had a "New Year's Day" traditional festivals, every year on the twenty-eighth day of the Lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar, twenty-ninth New Year's Day, now part of the villages of Tujia settlements, has been retained in this custom. "April 8" is the Tujia send caterpillar festival, to read the proverbs, praying for crops from insect pests, a good harvest.
Background: Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou borders on some parts of the family, three times a year: Lunar New Year 29 (or 28) "over the rush year"; June 25 on the lunar calendar, the "June year"; the first day of October, the "October year". The first day of October is the "Year of October".
The Han Chinese, as well as some related ethnic groups, celebrate the New Year (referred to as "Nian Nian", i.e., the Spring Festival) on the thirtieth day of the Lunar New Year (or the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year). The Tujia people rush to celebrate the New Year one day in advance, so it is called "over the New Year". Why do the Tujia people rush to celebrate the New Year? In Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou border folk popular four different sayings: one is said to resist foreign aggression. Legend has it that when the Japanese invaded China during the Ming Jiajing period, Yongshun Tujia worker Peng Yinan was ordered to go to war, and he led 3,000 soldiers to the front line one day ahead of New Year's Eve, defeating the Japanese and making "the first battle in Southeast China". In order to commemorate this victory, at the same time, also for the expression of the general public's deep nostalgia for the anti-Japanese generals, Yongshun County Tujia people set the New Year's Eve on the twenty-ninth (or twenty-eighth) day of the Lunar New Year, and the custom of this "over the New Year's Eve" has been going on for hundreds of years. Another theory is to defeat the harassment of foreigners. Because of the frequent ethnic wars, the Tujia people were often unable to celebrate the New Year safely. So the chiefs of this ethnic group used a clever trick to win the battle by surprise. The leader let the people celebrate the New Year one day earlier, then, led by the generals suddenly attack, the enemy eat wine and meat on New Year's Day, unsuspecting, by the Tujia people beat up and hastily withdrew. There is also a saying that the Tujia people's ancestors were poor, to the rich man as a long laborer, so poor that can not celebrate the New Year, can not be a family reunion, had to advance a day of "reunion". In addition, there are also said, Sichuan Xiyang, Xiushan around the cab family in the lunar calendar, respectively, March 3, April 17 New Year's Day, because the Ming Dynasty Wanli years of the Tujia people were ordered to go on an expedition, the date of the return of the division is not the same, so the New Year's Day time is also not the same.
From the above four different sayings (legend), you can find some *** with the same thing, that is: whether it is a foreign invasion, foreign harassment or landlord's exploitation, looting, the Tujia people are never brave, with the enemy steam, and resourceful, to win by surprise, this is a heroic people, bold people. "Catch the New Year" night, Walled on the burning sky fire, tune the New Year flag flying high, men and women around the fire dancing hands, singing tune the New Year song, dance "Maugus". This "New Year's Eve" of the cool and wild, red-hot exuberance, a special mood.
Tujia people bold, fast national temperament of the formation and development of its historical process has been suffering, oppression, and several times forced to raise the family (clan or tribe) to move to the foot, but can be calmly in the history of the facts are inseparable. As a result, with its predecessors, the Chu people (or the Ba people, "Southern Barbarians"), as the same, developed a strong national spirit of remembrance of the ancestors, nostalgia, unity, martial arts, which in the upper family over the "June year" and "October year
Folklore and legends of the "June Year" and "October Year" are vividly reflected in the family's customs and legends.
Folklore says that the ancient Tujia people originally lived in the area of Jiangxi, because of the unbearable government, the wealthy looting, oppression, to avoid the disaster of being decapitated, they agreed to start preparing on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and then quietly left, through the Dongting Lake, back to the Sinking River up to the Wuhai Pai snacks when Ling Ling mountainous areas of a mountainous and beautiful place. Here there are large trees to cover the foot-hanging buildings, there are clear springs can be brewed "bao gu yao" (home-made white wine), to be able to live and work in peace and happiness, it is worth celebrating. So the newly settled Tujia people decided to celebrate the New Year first: slaughtering cows, worshipping gods, "waving hands" and singing. This day is the 25th day of the 6th month of the lunar calendar, so it is called the "Year of June".
After a few months of hard work, the newly reclaimed land was fertile, the grains were strong, and the animals grew fat in the wind, so the Tujia people ushered in the first fruitful autumn in their new homeland. In this way, they again in the early October of the lunar calendar and again in the "October Year" (which is also related to their ancestors - Chu people in October as the first year of the "October Year" nature). The family steams the "bud roast", the village kills the big fat pig, people have to string village, door to door to pay tribute to the New Year, and express their good wishes to each other.
In the rich and beautiful land of western Hunan and western Hubei in China, there has been a hard-working and brave brotherly people living since ancient times, which is the Tujia people.
The Tujia have about five million seven hundred thousand people (1990), Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Yongshun, Longshan, Baojing, Guzhang and other counties for the main settlement, the rest of the distribution of Enshi, Hubei Province, Laifeng, Lichuan, Hefeng, Xianfeng, Xuanen and other counties, and in Sichuan, Shizhu Qianjiang, Pangshui Tujia Autonomous Prefecture.
The language of the Tujia belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language family, close to the Yi branch. There is no native script, and Chinese has long been used. The vast majority of the Tujia people are general Chinese, some of them are also fluent in Miao, only Yongshun, Longshan, some remote areas, only speak Tujia language.
The Tujia people call themselves "Bizka", meaning local people. They call the Han Chinese "Hakka". Two thousand years ago, they settled in today's western Hunan and western Hubei, and at that time, together with other ethnic minorities, they were insultingly called "Wuling barbarians" or "Wuxi barbarians". About the origin of the Tujia people, one says that it is the descendant of the ancient Ba people; one says that it is a part of the Wu barbarians who moved into western Hunan from Guizhou in ancient times; one says that it is the descendant of the 100 artisans who moved into western Hunan from Jiangxi led by Peng Xian from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty (before and after the 1910s). All these claims need to be further researched. But one thing can be concluded. That is, about since the fifth generation, the western region of Hunan and Hubei Tujia this stable people **** the same body, began to gradually form a single ethnic group.
The Tujia inhabited the hilly areas of western Hunan and Hubei, the altitude of more than four hundred to fifteen hundred meters between the territory of the overlapping mountain ranges, the mountains are densely covered, the Wuling Mountains across the period, the Youshui, the river, the Qingjiang River crisscrossing the climate is mild, the rainfall, with the development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, vice and fisheries in good condition. The mountains are densely forested, with terraces full of rice, corn, potatoes, wheat, etc.; cash crops include sugar beet, ramie, cotton, oleander, oil tea, tea, etc., of which oleander and oil tea are the main items in the multiple management of the Tujia area, and occupy an important position in the economic life of the Tujia people. Economic forest trees include pine, fir, nan and cypress. In addition, valuable medicinal herbs, aquatic products and underground mineral deposits are also very rich, and the specialty baby fish is a precious animal famous both at home and abroad.
Tujia Folklore
Mourning Dance
Tujia Mourning Dance, also known as around the coffin, playing around the coffin, funeral drums, is a folk song and dance inherited from the Ba people two thousand years ago. When an old man dies, the spirit pivot is parked in front of the hall for a few days, and relatives and neighbors go to offer condolences. In the night, "drumming and singing", all night long, to increase the warm atmosphere, said for the dead people to solve the silence, comfort the new family mourning. Tujia people love mourning dance, "hear the drums, feet itch". Mourning dance is basically similar to the characteristics of the Tujia hand dance, hands and feet with the side, dance net bold, action Ping Committee, soothing with a strong rhythm to beat the oscillator music, the dancers dance while singing, singing more fake voice, similar to shouting songs. Suitable for men, women and children to dance, dance vocabulary health, generally to celebrate the life of the deceased, singing and nurturing as well as production and labor aspects of the content of the main. Tujia mourning dance set song, dance, blowing, playing in one, is a comprehensive folk art, mourning dance is essentially a folk ritual activities, showing the Tujia people on the worship of Zu Fu.
Daughters will
Daughters will be the original Tujia (Miao also) young people talk about love traditional customary festivals, the lunar calendar, May 3, July 12 held, male and female young people dressed up, go to catch the meeting. In the old days, girls were not allowed to go out, only this day to set in the meeting, so it is called "daughter will". Girls who want to choose their husbands, dressed in multiple layers, long inside and short outside, so that all the good clothes can be seen. When they go to the fair, they bring some local products with them, pretending to sell them in the fair. The man who wants to find an object is carrying an empty basket, pretending to shop, and if he likes the girl, he will come forward to "shop". In a funny "bargaining" in each show ingenuity, to understand each other. Such as prices rise, indicating that the girl does not agree, not lad should be interested in walking away, otherwise they will be scolded. On the contrary, that is to say that the girl acquiesced, the two sides out of the downtown area, find a secluded place since the booking of the life event.
Over the month half
Tujia people pay more attention to over the month half, there is a "year small month half big" said. Originally, the 15th of the seventh month of the lunar calendar for the month half of the festival, but because of the month half of the family reunion, and take back the married girl, which in time there is "in-laws over the month half of the walk can not get away from the mother's home over the month half must go" contradiction, so the booking of the first day of the month of July to the fifteenth, are over the month half. The main activity of the moon half is ancestor worship, to paper money sealed package, write the name of the deceased parent long, burned in the outdoors, raised the voice of the name of mourning, to show respect to send silver, and incense, candles all over the insertion of the trail, called the road candles, the money in the field, give to the lone souls and wandering ghosts.
Catch the New Year
Southern people over the Spring Festival called "New Year", while the Tujia people's Spring Festival is called "Catch the New Year". Catching the New Year is the grandest festival of the year for the Tujia people. The so-called "Catch the New Year", the most notable feature is a day or two days in advance (i.e., Lunar New Year 28 or 29), which the Tujia people have their own legend to explain.
Legend has it that during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the ancestors of the Tujia ethnic group were with General Hu Zongxian in his quest for Japanese invaders, and one year, when the Spring Festival was approaching, the Japanese invaders had not been eliminated. Far from home, the Tujia people in the day of the 29th day of the waxing moon in advance of the New Year, the commander-in-chief of the General treats the generals and soldiers to stimulate the operculum fighting spirit. After the sumptuous celebrations, the generals and soldiers were refreshed and their military spirit was greatly boosted. On the next day (New Year's Eve), when the Japanese were off guard, they attacked and won the war. In honor of their ancestors, the Tujia have always celebrated New Year's Eve early and called it the New Year of the Rush, making it the biggest festival of the year.
The Tujia people celebrate New Year's Eve, but also kill the New Year's pig, spring mochi, do snacks. Especially this year patty cake, very characteristic. Patty cake more in the wax month 27 this day, and often left and right several families together to play, overflowing with laughter and harmony. The method is to steam the glutinous rice, then beat it with a special groove and mallet, and then press it into a flat shape. After the patties are made, they are always put together in bunches of five, and five large patties are also made, which they call "Kulang patties". Originally, this kind of rice was used to pay tribute to the king of the land, but it became a custom over a long period of time and has been used ever since. It is said that if any family does not make a big mochi, the year will be unlucky.
June 6
The sixth day of the sixth month of the ancient calendar is a grand festival of the Tujia people in honor of the ancient hero Qin Li. On this day, the Tujia cottage is full of joy, killing pigs, slaughtering sheep, playing patties, making bean curd, taking guests from afar to their homes as guests, taking out all the clothes of the family to dry in the sun, women washing their hair in the stream, lanterns and torches in the evening, and also dancing in the Pendulum Hall in the Pendulum Dance.
Legend has it that one year, the Tujia inhabited by famine, Qin Li's mother died of starvation, one night the mother to Qin Li dream, to Qin Li planted a mountain of bamboo, in the hall practice three years and six months of the arrows, wait until the chickens fly on the dog on the house when the arrows to the north to shoot, you can shoot to death the emperor, to the emperor's seat. Qin Li listened to his mother's words, planted a mountain of bamboo in the back of the mountain, closed the door and practiced archery in the hall, and told his sister-in-law to wait for three years and six months, and then call out to him when she saw the chickens flying and the dogs coming up to the house. After three years, his sister-in-law got tired of waiting, put the black dog on the house, drove the chickens all over the sky, and then shouted to Qin Li, saying that it was three years and six months, and that the chickens and dogs were flying up to the house. Qin Li heard his sister-in-law's shouts and opened the gate in a panic, then drew his bow full and fired three arrows to the north. As soon as the arrows were shot, the roots of the nanzhu in the back of the mountain exploded, and the arrows shot out before they could mount the horse and miss the emperor. The emperor pulled out the nail in the dragon seat on the simple pole to see, on the "Hukuang Qin Li" four words, and then sent troops and horses Marshal with five thousand soldiers to drive to the south of the lake to catch Qin Li. Qin Li and his sister-in-law to hide in the mountains, hiding for three years and six months, soldiers and horses Marshal as if looking for a needle in the sea, did not see the traces of Qin Li, arrangements for the date of the return of the dynasty, who knew that Qin Li in the ravine to bathe on the back of the three services of the Golden Dragon flashing was seen by the soldiers and was captured and dismissed to the capital, put in jail, his sister-in-law also followed to the capital to visit Qin Li, his sister-in-law instructed Qin Li said: "You only need to say that the back of the Golden Dragon was The emperor himself interrogated Qin Li the next day. The next day, the emperor personally interrogated. The emperor saw the golden dragon on Qin Li's back, did not dare to kill him, asked whether it was generated or painted, Qin Li remembered his sister-in-law's instructions, promised to say painted, the emperor heard that it was painted a slight smile, and instructed the axe hand dragged out to be chopped off, sister-in-law rushed to the killing field, hugged Qin Li and cried bitterly, blood spattered on her clothes, hair. After Qin Li was killed, heaven and earth are not divided, the sun and moon are not clear, chickens and dogs do not bark, the emperor knows to kill the wrong, the emperor does not wear a dragon robe, do not ascend to the dragon seat, so that Qin Li's shadowy spirit to wear a dragon robe, sit a day in the dragon seat, to be the emperor for a day.
Tujia people in this day sun clothes also called sun dragon robe, is Qin Li do a day of the emperor's legend, this day the women wash their hair, but also because of the blood oil in the sister-in-law's hair left on the story. Now the Tujia area is rumored to have "three years, but can not afford to wait six months" and other sayings are referred to the story of Qin Li.
Cow King Festival
The ancestors of the Tujia people engaged in farming earlier, and from ancient times have developed a tradition of caring for and respecting the cows. Every year, the 18th day of the fourth month of the ancient calendar is designated as the birthday of the ox. On this day, the Tujia people have to give the cattle to do the birthday, even if the spring production is very busy, to the April 18th day, but also let all the cattle rest for a day, but also for the cattle to cook thin rice, the master but also respectfully read a "wish cattle king word". It is said that when he reads this, the old ox is in tears, feeling that his master has spoken to his heart.
Legend has it that the Ox King was originally a divine general of the sky. One day, he accompanied the Jade Emperor to watch the mortal landscape at the Southern Heavenly Gate, and when he saw that the mortals had no food to eat, and that each one was yellow and thin, he begged the Jade Emperor to send grain seeds to the mortals, so that the mortals could eat compatriot stomachs. The Jade Emperor acceded to the Ox King's request, but instructed, "Tell the mortals to eat one meal in three days." The Ox King joyfully came to the mortal world and sent many seeds to the mortals and taught the method of plowing, but he panicked and misrepresented the Jade Emperor's words and said to eat three meals a day. Mortals have food, eat three meals a day, the stomach cells, the days are good, everyone ate fat fat, nothing to do, knocking on the lid of the tripod pots and jars singing, disturbing the Jade Emperor uneasy. One day, the Jade Emperor said to the Ox King: "mortals eat nothing to do, you go to the grain field to sow some grass seed seeds, after the industry grain field is full of grass, weed weed weed it." This time the bull king again the jade emperor's words heard wrong, take a step to sprinkle three grass seed seeds, and then the grain field is full of grass, weed and weed can not be finished, the people side of the weed scolding, scolding the jade emperor killed the mortals, scolding the jade emperor is impatient. One day, the Jade Emperor called the Ox King and said, "It's all because you've spoiled the good things. Mortal kung fu can not be done, you go down to help mortals pull the plow and harrow to do Yangchun go, hungry to eat grass on the ground." On the 18th day of April, the Ox King descended to the mortal world. From then on, after the king honestly to the mortals, to help mortals drag the plough and harrow, a year of suffering to the end of the day shall not rest. Hungry to eat green stuffed belly. People in order to repay the bull king, so the 18th of April into the bull king's birthday. "April 18 cattle rest drive", until now, this ancient custom is still firmly maintained.
Fifth, the Tujia dress culture
In comparison, the Tujia dress is not as Miao as wearing gold and silver, closer to the living type, practical type. Since the Republic of China, the Tujia men and women wear headscarves all year round, men to green, blue, white or striped cloth-based, two or three meters long, a circle wrapped around the head, wrapped up in the human character road; women are mostly for the green silk handkerchiefs or white printed headscarves, silk handkerchiefs as thin as cicadas, the longest up to seven or eight meters, is the life-long companion of the women's things, must be wrapped up with the head of a pajia after death to be buried. Clothing to green, blue, white, calico-based, men wearing a pair of corsets, double rows of seven to eleven buttons, commonly known as centipede buttons, cuffs, collars and pants with lace at the end of the; women are right lapel, large and short sleeves, decorated with lace, on silver and copper ornaments, commonly known as the "lapel," with the legacy of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty; the young girl with the flowers, pay attention to the big red, big green; children like to wear a bodhisattva hat, tiger hat; male shoes Hat, tiger head cap; men's shoes are mostly green and blue cloth, women wear embroidered shoes; girls must wear "dew clothes" when they get married, on the brightly colored embroidered clothes with flowers, under the eight skirt, and the old man of the soil eight skirt has the same flavor. According to the great writer Shen Congwen test, eight skirt is the authentic Tujia dress. Tujia men and women did not wear socks in the past, the rise of leg binding, especially men will be wrapped in pants adult character road, with cloth shoes or straw shoes, very spirit of the sharp, ethnic experts say that this is the Tujia soldiers war attire, there are traces of Tujia "military and agricultural unity" of the traditional system. And folk hundreds of craftsmen, and have different occupational clothing, such as blacksmiths wear long and wide cowhide bibs to prevent burns; hunters hanging embroidered bullet bibs is the need for combat; farmers rain under the sky field straw raincoat is the need for agricultural affairs. For those "fate" is not good for children, but also according to the instructions of the old Secretary to wear a "hundred locks", wear a hundred clothes, that is, from a hundred families to discuss a hundred pieces of cloth into clothes to wear, otherwise it is difficult to raise a person and so on. Therefore, outsiders say: Tujia people wore a body of "exquisite".