Introduction: Bonfire Festival is a traditional festival of ethnic minorities. There may be many ethnic groups celebrating this festival, or there may be only one. So do you know which ethnic group celebrates Bonfire Festival? If you want to know which ethnic group’s festival the Bonfire Festival is, don’t miss my introduction, as well as the introduction to the traditional activities and customs of the Bonfire Festival.
Which ethnic group celebrates the Bonfire Festival
The Bonfire Festival is a traditional festival of the Oroqen people. The Bonfire Festival is held every year on June 18 of the Gregorian calendar. The Bonfire Festival activities are divided into three parts: the opening ceremony, traditional sports competitions, and the bonfire entertainment party. On this day of the festival, the Oroqen people, regardless of gender, old or young, must wear festive costumes, dress up carefully, and come to the Bonfire Square surrounded by mountains and rivers to hold the Bonfire Festival. Opening ceremony.
Bonfire Festival Activities
June in Daxinganling is already the season of spring and flowers blooming. In 1991, the Autonomous Banner held a grand Oroqen First Bonfire Festival in front of the beautiful Gaxian Cave. The blazing bonfire illuminated the vast forest sea and broke the silence all around. More than 2,000 brothers of all ethnic groups gathered around the bonfire hand in hand with their Oroqen compatriots, happily dancing the ethnic unity dance to celebrate the first Bonfire Festival. In front of the ancient Xianbei Old Ruins Shishi Gaxian Cave, piles of bonfires glow golden in the night, and strings of modern holiday lights shine with charming brilliance. A strong festive atmosphere permeated the entire forest. Looking at the jumping bonfire, the Oroqen people seem to have returned to the past of Zhilao. They use songs to represent their love for a bright and fiery new life.
The annual Bonfire Festival has become the only traditional festival of the Oroqen people. On this day, the Oroqen people, both men and women, old and young, must put on their festive costumes and dress up carefully to come to the bonfire square surrounded by mountains and rivers.
The Bonfire Festival activities are divided into three parts: the opening ceremony, traditional sports competitions, and bonfire entertainment party. Sports competitions are fierce, including horse racing, shooting and archery, wrestling, arm wrestling, neck rope racing, birch bark boat racing, collecting, etc.
Opening Ceremony of the Bonfire Festival
Afterwards, "Mukunda" beat the "divine drum" and a dozen young men in hunting attire blew deer whistles. Everyone sprinkled wine to offer sacrifices to the fire. At 9 o'clock in the morning, "Mukunda" (the patriarch), surrounded by fierce hunters, walked up to the altar, holding a birch bark bowl, sprinkled willow branches with wine to worship the heaven and earth, and sang sacrificial verses (Oroqen language). Thousands of Oroqen men, women and children, all facing the altar with devout faces, holding birch bark bowls in their left hands and willow wormwood branches in their right hands, respectfully joined the "Mukunda" in sprinkling wine to worship the sky and singing sacrificial texts. The scene was very solemn and solemn.
The main idea of ??the sacrificial text (in Oroqen language) is: Noble God of Fire, you are the supreme patron saint of our Oroqen people. It is you who have given us the warmth, light and life we ??need to survive. Today, all members of our river basins and their distinguished guests and guests are respectfully gathered around you with sincere respect. When the moon rises, we will hold a grand fire-lighting ceremony. Please deign to wait a moment.
Next, tribesmen in various Oroqen river basins will set up the "immortal pillars" in order, settle down in an orderly manner, set up pots and stoves, and light fires to cook meat.
Bonfire Festival Traditional Sports Competition
Next, each river basin will also select tribesmen who are good at singing, dancing and mentally strong to participate in the Bonfire Festival’s antiphonal singing, storytelling and sports competitions. . The atmosphere of all competitions is particularly lively and highly enjoyable to watch. During the competition, the Oroqen Autonomous Banner Ulan Muqi also performed cultural and artistic performances with national characteristics.
At the Bonfire Festival venue, Oroqen women from various river basins will also bring out exquisite roe deer bark and birch bark handicrafts, just like going to a fair, to show off their exquisite craftsmanship to guests and tribesmen. The entire event was solemn and peaceful, lasting until evening.
Bonfire Festival Fire Lighting Ceremony
When it gets dark (about eight o'clock), the grand fire lighting ceremony begins. At this time, the shaman spokesman lit a torch and chanted a congratulatory speech (in Oroqen language) according to national etiquette. The main message of the eulogy was:
Ah, we know, the benevolent gods in the sky are like distinguished guests from all over the earth. Guests and friends alike came to participate in the bonfire festival of our Oroqen nation.
On this happy day and the most solemn and solemn moment, by the will of God, I hand this fire, which symbolizes happiness and auspiciousness, into the hands of a highly respected, most beloved, wealthy and noble person, praying to the God of Fire and all walks of life. Almighty God. May all people in the world be as strong as green mountains and as prosperous as flowing water. Ah, the auspicious day has arrived, let’s light a blazing bonfire! Let the sacred bonfire dance and sing like a golden phoenix spreading its wings.
Then, the shaman spokesperson uses the torch in his hand to light the torch in the hands of the distinguished guests and respected old people. Finally, the torch in hand is handed over to the clan leader, and then the three large bonfires placed are lit by those holding torches.
When the bonfire gradually lit up, Oroqen people in groups of three to five, as a family or group, prayed with hanging axes, roasted bones for divination, or used tobacco bags to hold ashes, etc. to offer sacrifices to the fire.
The bonfire soon became more and more prosperous. (About 20 minutes) the clan leader shouted: Sing, dance, Oroqen girls and boys who had been waiting for a long time immediately joined hands to surround the bonfire and dance. They danced and sang, and as guest dancers joined in, the circle of dancers grew larger and larger, sometimes forming two circles. The singing also continued one after another until dawn.