Dali March Street is an ethnic traditional event with a history of 1,000 years, which is both the oldest and most prosperous trade bazaar in western Yunnan, and also a grand annual festival for the people of all ethnic groups in Dali Prefecture to have great exchanges of folk arts and sports.
The March Street is held outside the west gate of the ancient city of Dali on the 15th day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year, and lasts for seven to ten days. Shed for the market, ten thousand merchants gathered, bulk trading of local products, Chinese herbs, mules and horses, livestock and daily necessities. During the festival, the traditional horse racing, dragon boat racing, crossbow shooting, playing swing and other folk sports competitions, as well as Dabenqu singing, Dongjing ancient music, national song and dance performances, year after year, lively and extraordinary.
Dali March Street is known as "a thousand years to catch a street, a street to catch a thousand years." This not only has the basis of folklore, but also has a solid historical record:
From the folk customs and myths and legends, the March Street originated in the temple of Guanyin preaching. According to legend, Dali Cang'er land was originally occupied by a demon named Rakshasa. He specialized in eating people's eyes for a living. The Goddess of Mercy came to Dali and subdued the Rakshasa with her skillful spells. In order to prevent Rakshasa from rising again, every year on March 15, 10,000 people gathered in front of the Cangshan Mountain Shrine (which is still the same street) to preach sutras and teach. In order to prevent the people from delaying their livelihood, Goddess of Mercy allowed the people to do some trading at the same time, thus forming an annual grand market, so that the March Street is often called Goddess of Mercy.
From the historical record, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, the evolution of the March Street through the ages have historical information. Tang Dynasty Nanzhao Kingdom period, the most important historical event is the sixth generation of Nanzhao King Yi Mouxun in the Tang Dezong Zhenyuan ten years (794 AD) and the Tang Dynasty envoys Cui Zuozhi alliance in the point of the Cangshan Mountain shrine, set up iron scrolls in a form of four, vowed to forever with the Tang Dynasty and the amicable relatives. Iso Mouxun told the people to gather in the square in front of the shrine every March 15 to commemorate the oath of the heavy as the Cangshan Mountain, and from then on there was the March Street. In this sense, March Street is also a witness to the unity of the motherland and national unity.
Song Dynasty Dali Kingdom period, March Street became China's largest southern horse, medicine trading market. The seventeenth generation of Dali Kingdom King Duan Zhengxing (also known as Duan Zhengchun's grandson, Duan Yu's son) is located in the Song Emperor Shaoxing seventeen years (A.D. 1147), he reigned thirty-one years, on the one hand, proactively repair with the Central Plains Dynasty, on the one hand, vigorously develop the economy. At that time, the Dali country is famous for producing good breed of horse in the Central Plains, the Southern Song Dynasty in Guangxi Yongzhou specially set up to buy horses Division, the import of Dali horses. So Duan Zhengxing turned the March Street into a horse trading market, with more than 1,500 good horses sold every year.
Historical records, the horse market ten thousand merchants gathered, traders from Hunan and Sichuan to silk, pen and paper, rouge and pollen, ginseng and other commodities in exchange for Dali's horses, swords, medicinal herbs, as well as from the Tufan, the Western countries of ivory, rhinoceros horns, antlers and other valuable specialties, will be up to more than 20 days. The Dali state's prime minister Gao Rangcheng also set up a horse ring in the horse market, that is, horse racing, and from then on, March Street had the tradition of horse racing. At night, Wuhua building in front of the song and dance, household lights and colors, the royal consort also traveled to the city, and the people with the fun. This period of March Street has developed into China's largest border market in the south.
The Ming Dynasty "Xu Xiake Travels" clearly described the March Street, "thirteen provinces, all barbarians in Yunnan," "men and women mingled, arm in arm" of the bustling scene. Ming Dynasty Bai scholars Li Yuanyang in the "Yunnan Tongzhi" also wrote: "March 15 in the Cangshan trade under the goods of the provinces. Since the Tang Yong Hui years to the present, the dynasties have changed, but this market remains unchanged."
March Street in the Qing Dynasty, the development scale is getting bigger and bigger. At that time, Dali students Li Xiexi had written a poem depicting the March Street situation: "In the past, a few spring and autumn, millions of money like water, Sichuan, Suzhou and Hangzhou exquisite goods, trading malls crown Asia." March Street has had a considerable international influence.
After the founding of the country, especially since the reform and opening up, the scale and impact of the March Street a year more than a year. 1991 onwards, was identified as the people of all ethnic groups in Dali Prefecture's statutory holidays, culture, sports, economy and trade, "the same stage", the face of a new look. Every year there are from all provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and other more than 30 countries and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan merchants, travelers, set the crowd up to a million times more. Dali March Street Ethnic Festival has become an important bridge for the world to recognize Dali and let Dali to the world.
The Bai Torch Festival
In Yunnan, many ethnic groups celebrate the Torch Festival, but each in a different way. The Bai Torch Festival is held on the 25th day of the sixth month of the summer calendar every year, and is called the "Fu Wang Dance" in the Bai language, meaning "June Carnival". Whether the city or countryside, mountainous areas are all celebrated together. In the minds of the Bai people, it is second only to the Spring Festival's grandest festival. In addition to the village erected a large torch of collective activities, families have to prepare delicious food, a variety of festive supplies, married out of the girl have to go back to her mother's family reunion. Before the festival, sold all over the street is the torch festival symbols - with bamboo gabion colored paper paste tied small rising bucket, small torches, paper fire incense bags, as well as for women to dye red nails of the root of the anemone flowers and so on, the festive atmosphere is very strong.
On the day of the festival, people stop all production work, men, women and children are dressed in festive costumes, have gathered to erect a large torch place, or village square, or the main temple, in front of the old theater, under the big green tree, in the lively sound of oboe drums and music, people are busy tying a large torch, grandpa played the hole Jing Gule, grandmothers recite the scripture in unison. The women in charge of the family would bring their children to the fields with salt, rice, wine and tea to burn incense and pray for a good harvest.
Each village or area to *** erect a large torch, cut a good five, six feet high torch tree, the whole body with firewood or bamboo bundles, full of colorful small triangular flags, red incense, and then hang pear strings, apples, begonias, and so on, known as the "Torch Fruit". The top should also be decorated with a large symbol of the Torch Festival - "three consecutive rises" of the "bucket", written on the "national prosperity and people's safety! ", "good weather" and other words. At the top of the "rising dipper", a colorful flag flutters, supporting a white crane with its wings ready to fly. Before the erection of the torch, first by the old people to "three sacrifices and nine rituals" sacrifice, perform "three kneeling and nine kowtow" ritual. After the torches are erected, when twilight falls, the torches are lit by highly respected old men escorted by the oboe and drum bands who take kindling from the main temple.
When the flames rise, men, women and children will sing and dance around the torch tree, children scrambling to burn down the torch fruit, meaning to welcome good luck, teenagers dance in their hands a small torch, and constantly sprinkle rosin, flying out of the flame, chasing each other to spray to show their blessings, and then hold up the torch parade in the fields. Inside and outside the village, the crowd, the firelight brilliant, the ancients had a poem praise cloud: "ten thousand lotus flowers open the sea market, a day of stars fall on earth".
About the origin of the Torch Festival, the Bai people believe that it is mainly to commemorate Mrs. Bojie. Legend has it that more than 1,300 years ago, the southern edict king Pi Luoguo for the annexation of the Erhai region of the other five edicts (small kingdoms), designed in the name of ancestor worship fire Songming building, burned to death of the five edict lord. Among them, Deng fine dao master Mrs. Park Jie foresight, beforehand, has expected the unexpected, and after the incident and loyalty, for planing husband's bones, ten fingers are planing out blood. Therefore, the torch festival when the white young women have to dye red nails in memory. In some areas, the day of the Torch Festival, the boys will also hold horse-racing activities, the Haidong area also held a boat race, are to commemorate Mrs. Bo Jie's tenacious spirit of resistance.
According to the viewpoint of folklore, the Torch Festival is considered a kind of agricultural festival. The Bai people have been rice farmers since ancient times, and the Torch Festival is a celebration of the rice tasseling. Torches are used to burn out pests and to pray for a good harvest. Li Yuanyang, a Bai scholar in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Yunnan Tongzhi: "On June 25, the beams of Songming were torches, shining on the seedlings in the fields, and occupying the farmers with the color of the fire." In addition, the Bai torch festival also contains some fertility concepts. Such as the torch tree should be provided by the young father who gave birth to a boy that year, the pit for erecting the torch should be dug by the father who gave birth to a girl that year, and the big torch is full of fruits, which is a symbol of more children and more happiness. All this shows that the Bai Torch Festival is an ancient festival originating from the concept of production and fertility of the Bai ancestors.
Jianchuan Shibaoshan Song Festival
Jianchuan Shibaoshan is located about 25 kilometers southwest of Jianchuan County, Laojun Mountain system. Here, the peaks and peaks, forests and trees, is known as the "South Heavenly Treasure" of the Nanzhao Dali Grottoes location, but also the annual Bai million people will be the venue for the activities of the song.
Shibaoshan song will be a grand Bai ethnic area of the national tradition of festivals, will be held from July 27 to August 1 in the lunar calendar, to the stream of tens of thousands of people on the mountain, as you sing song song and known in the world, from generation to generation, known as the "Bai song city". The popular Jianchuan Bai tune was included in the international catalog of famous folk songs.
Song will be, from Jianchuan, Eryuan, Dali, Lijiang, Lanping and other counties and cities of the Bai people from all directions converge here, while visiting the mountains and forests of the ancient temples, while the voice, unrestrained singing song to song. Square garden more than ten miles of mountain trails, tourists like weaving, such as complaints such as the sound of the three strings, melodious tune sound here and there, this echo, night and day in the mountains and forests.
Playing strings and singing songs was originally a clever way for young Bai people to seek a soul mate by singing songs as a matchmaker, and the songs would naturally become their most public social occasions. Through the song to understand each other, test their talents, pouring out their hearts, so each lyrics are so simple and innocent, intriguing. Whenever there is a pair of wonderful duet, the onlookers immediately gathered around, people are from the best and most beautiful artistic enjoyment, there are many young men and women is through the song song into a hundred years of good.
Naturally, the mountain song is not only young people, regardless of men and women, young and old, as long as the mountain will have to show their singing voice. Elderly people believe that the song will sing the white tune can be happy and auspicious, or weekdays at home has made a wish to the gods, in order to protect the peace of the Qingji, must be on the Shibaoshan sing a hundred or so tunes, so sing the tune of the move they still wish. Most of the middle-aged people will express their feelings through the song, showing their minds and talents. Song will be popular tunes to the central dialect area of Dali Prefecture popular Jianchuan tunes, accompanied by a dragon's head three strings or blowing leaves, the words are sung for the Bai Poetry "three seventy-one-five" of the traditional format, the rhythm is rigorous, can not run rhymes and tones.
Excellent singers in the familiar mastery of traditional folk songs on the basis of the face of the scene plus improvisation, often wonderful words, moving heart. Once they meet each other, they will be able to answer each other, and they will sing for days and nights without being able to win or lose. Therefore, Shibaoshan song will be both the white people express their feelings, praise the life of the grand gathering, but also for the art of folk song exchanges, the inheritance of folk art bridge.
Shibaoshan song will be known as the "Yunnan hanging temple" Baoxiang Temple area as the main venue, where jagged rocks, springs clanking, winding stone steps leading to a building in the cliffs on the wall of the temple. At the foot of the mountain, there is a singing platform and a small square. During the song will become a marketplace dedicated to song service, vendors gathered, a wide range of small commodities, especially a variety of snacks and local specialties most prevalent, for people's leisure and entertainment to provide great convenience, but also to create a strong atmosphere of the festival.
At night, the street into a bonfire party venue, young men and women play Shibaoshan unique "Xianglong", jumping whip dance, from all regions of the tourists also have to compete with each other, singing and laughing, converging into a sea of joy.
About the origin of the song, there are a lot of magical and beautiful legends, according to legend, Shibaoshan is shaped like a stone bell boulder was originally a golden bell. Whenever the bell was rung, the Shaxi Dam under the mountain was blessed with good weather. Later, there is a nine-headed dragon mouth flames, the golden bell into a stone bell, and at any time to raise the demon law, often to the dam to bring drought and pests. Shaxi has a couple named A Shi Bo and A Gui Niu to get the Lord's spiritual enlightenment, learned that with the song can break the evil dragon demonic law, so invited ten sisters and ten sisters every day on the mountain song, and finally defeated the evil dragon. They finally defeated the evil dragon. A Shi Bo and A Gui Niu were also killed in the fight with the evil dragon. In order to honor the couple, people went up to the mountain to sing songs every year, which became a song festival passed down from generation to generation. White language called "abduction on which," "abduction" is the meaning of wandering, "on which" for the ancient white language expression of love activities on the place of the proper nouns, the modern language does not have an accurate counterpart, so some people will be translated into Chinese as "the Spring Song and Dance Festival". Therefore, some people will be translated into Chinese as "around the mountains and forests" or "around the mulberry forests", in fact, the activities and the mountains, mulberry forests have no direct relationship, but from its wandering activities must be passed through the "Buddha", "God", "Xanadu" three major temples, translated as "around the three Spirit" is more in line with the reality of this activity.
Wrap around the three spirit of the session for the lunar calendar April 23rd to 25th, *** three days. At that time, the villages of adult men and women, including middle-aged and elderly people dressed in festive costumes, many people even makeup, spontaneous village community as a unit to form a song and dance queue, set the crowd of thousands of people, has converged on the south gate of the ancient city of Dali City of the City God Temple, from which set off singing and dancing parade for three days. The first day by the "Buddha" Chongsheng Temple three towers, along the foot of the Cangshan Mountain to the north "around" to the Wutai Peak Xizhou Qingdongzhuang Sacred Source Temple. Sungwon Temple to worship "Central Lord" Nanzhao Qingping official Duan Zongbang and the name of "God". This temple is the center of the "Three Spirits Festival".
People first burn incense and kowtow, sing and recite scriptures, praying for good weather, life and prosperity, and then go to the field to jump up the king whip, octagonal drum dance, sing songs and songs, enjoy the carnival, all night long. The next day and continue to sing and dance through the Xizhou villages "around" to the Erhai river carry on the village of the city known as "Xanadu" Jingui Temple. On the third day, they went along the Erhai Sea to Majuyi Village, east of Dali City, where they sang, danced and prayed at the Temple of the Lord of the World and then dispersed happily.
In addition to praying for good weather conditions to the main deity, the main feature of the event is that the songs and dances show that men and women love each other without any fear or inhibition. Each song and dance queue leader are male and female witches two, they take a hand **** hold a man-high tree branches, the other hand were waving yak tail and flower handkerchiefs, dancing and singing, leading the team slowly forward.
Hanging on the branches of the red silk tied gourd, it is said that the gourd symbolizes the mother's abdomen, red silk symbolizes the Yin blood. The tune they sang was called "Live Enku" which directly translates to "Flower and Willow Qu", and they sang and sang together, similar to the comic opera's jokes and jokes, all with the content of male and female eroticism and fertility, humorous and funny. After the song and dance queue, singing is also full of erotic tune, dancing is the king whip and octagonal drum, dance more men and women back to back, heart and heart, feet hook feet and other forms of unrestrained expression of passionate feelings.
The form of the activity "around the three spirits" is contained in many historical materials. Ming Dynasty, some of the wild history that "the custom of a pass thousands of years", "respect for the ancestral thinking source, the continuation of future generations, men and women love, day and night for the song, no young and old taboos, * * * touring song in the Cang'er," and remembered that people praised around the three spirit of the Bai folk song said: "Sing all the joyful songs on earth, men and women, young and old *** enjoyment, Sandu event of the ancients set, love and will also be together." Qing Dynasty Yang Qiong's "Dianzhong Zuoji" also contains: "Dali has around the mountain forest will, every year under the spring under the pan, the body of men and women set, almost ten million people, ten hundred each for the group, ...... men are still holding scarf Bing fan, foot pedal, mouth song, or beat the whip.
...... is rumored to have started in Nanzhao." Most modern scholars believe that "around the three spirit" is to pray for rain and wind agricultural festivals, but also the ancient men and women in pursuit of sexual freedom of the legacy. To date, although the activities of the content of the increase or decrease, more civilized than in ancient times and the general form is still the same, fully demonstrating the enthusiasm of the Bai people, the ability to sing and dance of the national character.
Butterfly
Butterfly will be Dali Bai folk a close relationship between man and nature, *** enjoy the beautiful spring amusement event, held on the 15th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar every year in the clouds of Cangshan Mountain at the foot of the peak of the Butterfly Spring side.
Butterfly Springs to the cliffs gushing seasonal springs, spring side of the ancient trees are full of colorful colorful butterflies and named. Natural wonderful scenery, known far and wide. 360 years ago, the great traveler Xu Xiake had described: "There are nymphal butterfly springs of different, Yu heard for a long time." "The large trees on the spring, when the beginning of April will be hair flowers like nymphalid butterflies, whiskers and wings vividly, and raw butterflies are no different. There are millions of real butterflies, even the beard hook foot, from the top of the tree hanging down and in the spring surface, colorful and colorful, colorful and colorful. Tourists are all this month, the group and watch, over the May is already."
The description of the spring tree still exists today, is a flower like a butterfly acacia tree. The shade of the spring side, all the acid incense tree, yellow and other aromatic trees, fragrant. Under the shade of the trees, and all over the camellia, azalea, Mandragora, moon red and other exotic flowers, a hundred acres in a circle, into a world of butterflies and bees crazy. Every year in March and April, it is the butterflies in this gathering of the good period, as if the April 15 is the most abundant, the local white young men and women will meet here to meet, enjoy the butterfly landscape, sing songs, talk about love, the old people are also here to get together to talk about the performance of the cave scripture music, pray for the wind and rain, and became an annual butterfly will.
On the origin of the Butterfly Springs, the Bai folk have circulated many beautiful legends. Butterfly Spring was originally known as the bottomless pool, the pool after the cloud Liao Feng Shenmo mountain coiled in a python. It can suddenly change into a tiger, suddenly change into human form, often down the mountain devouring people and animals, lust for women, the people suffered a lot. One day, a heroic hunter named Du Chaoxuan came here and learned that the python was harming the villagers, so he sneaked into the mountain alone and shot the python with an arrow. After the python escaped, the next day, Du Chaoxuan again tracked and pursued, in the xia shifted the mouth of the creek met two girls in the wash bloody clothes, and learned that they are the python in the form of a beautiful young man tricked into the cave for their lust of the girls, washed bloody clothes is the arrows in the python's skin changed.
So, under the guidance of the two girls, the hunter went deep into the cave to fight with the python, and finally killed the python and rescued the two girls. The two girls were so grateful and in love with Du Chaoxuan that they decided to marry each other for life, but Du Chaoxuan refused, so they quietly jumped into the bottomless pool. Du Chaoxuan learned of the reason, regret, also jumped into the pool of martyrdom. All three were transformed into colorful butterflies flying in the pool above, attracting butterflies from all sides have come to pay tribute to the bottomless pool from now on will become a butterfly spring. This legend has been passed down through the ages, and Du Chaoxuan is also worshiped as the Lord by the local Zhoucheng village. The two girls are also worshiped as the Lord's wife, their statues are enshrined in the Lord's temple for the world to worship.
Butterfly Spring is a symbol of love and fidelity of the spring, the butterfly will naturally become the white youth in pursuit of love and happiness event.
Benjiao Festival
"Benjiao", the Bai language called "Wu Zeng", "Pour Bo" or "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong", "Laogong" and "Laogong". "Laogong" or "Laotai", which means "Lord of himself", "Great Honorable One" or "Zu Gong Zugong" and "Zutai", which are commonly translated as "Lord of the Realm", are the supreme protection gods worshipped by each village. The worship of the Lord is a unique religious worship of the Bai people, which originated from the original worship of many gods, hero worship, but because of its worship of the object of God is also the characteristics of the people and y rooted in the minds of the Bai people, and never fails to flourish.
The identity of the main village varies, there are the Nanzhao Dali country's emperors and generals, the important historical events of important people, loyal and filial son, national heroes or in some ways meritorious people in the civilian population, as well as from the totem worship, nature worship of animals, rocks and so on. Once they are honored as the principal, they will have the title equivalent to the emperor, such as "Protector of the State Jingdi", "Emperor Ximin", "Erhe Lingdi", "Bojie Sacred Consort A Li Di Mu" and so on, which shows its high status. In the Bai area, the village has the main temple, enshrining their own worship of the main wooden statue of the Lord, as well as the Lord's consort children, six livestock king, children and grandchildren and other gods. Although there is no systematic doctrine and rules for the worship of the Lord, the whole nation has formed a unified faith and a series of sacrificial activities. The main festival is one of the biggest festivals.
The date of the festival is different for the different identities and birthdays of the masters of the villages, and the festival is generally held on the first day of the year or on the birthday of the masters, and is usually held during the Spring Festival or during the agricultural intervals in February, June, July and August every year. The main festival, also known as the main meeting, is the grandest social festival of the year to welcome the gods, which lasts from three to five days. The festival lasts from three to five days and includes activities such as welcoming the gods, offering sacrifices to the gods, celebrating the gods and entertaining the gods. The main procedures are "driving, out of the patrol", placed in the "Palace" centralized rituals, social theater songs and dances to entertain the gods, and finally sent back to the main temple.
First of all, "driving, out of the tour" is the Lord and his god from the main temple to receive out, placed in a special sedan chair or colorful car, in the long dragon-like ceremonial procession, including oboe drums and music, make-up mounts, holding the incense of the elderly, the King whip dance team escorted by the parade into the village, where the family set up incense, firecrackers in order to show their welcome. Then the Lord and the gods will be placed in the village square pre-built "Palace" in the shed.
After two or three consecutive days, this place has become the center of the activities of the villagers who have come to burn incense and candles, sing and recite the words and pray for God's blessings. At the same time, the village people in this play lion and dragon, playing music, singing and dancing, some also in the "Palace" in front of the stage, performing local theater, entertaining the gods and people, people and gods **** music. In some places, several villages *** worship a Lord, will be welcomed to the village according to this program to take turns sacrificing for several days, and finally, before returning to the main temple for worship.
Each of them has its own legend. In the story, the Lord has a family, marriage, as well as their own experiences and hobbies, like people. In the minds of the Bai people, the Lord has the superhuman wisdom and power of a god, as well as the affinity of a human being and his joys and sorrows. The worship and sacrifice of the Bai people to the Lord is not to pray for the well-being of the next life and the next life, but the happiness and good fortune in this life.
It is believed that the Lord can bless people with good fortune and realize their good wishes. So that in the activities of sacrificing to the Lord, there are many humorous and funny special customs that are popular all over the world. Such as Heqing County, Songgui Township, the village of BaoWo dragon sister-in-law, dragon aunt of the two Lord, legend has it that they are two peasant women, because they know how to deal with drought and promote the growth of small spring secret mantra for the villagers to lift the spring drought water shortage concerns. So the local main session will also hold a "Lord stamping field" activities, that is, the Lord with a sedan chair to the field, and then tied with colored silk to the Lord of the wooden sculpture of the body waist, full of field full of dam drag line, in order to wish a bumper harvest.
The Bai people will be the Lord is both a grand ritual activities, but also a joyful national festival.
"Planting rice seedlings" and "Tianjiale"
"Planting rice seedlings" and "Tianjiale
"Rice Planting Society" and "Tianjiale" are agricultural festivals of the Bai people centered around rice planting activities, popular in the northern part of the Erhai Sea, including the area north of the ancient city of Dali, as well as Erayuan, Jianchuan and other places.
The "rice-planting party" is both a temporary mutual aid organization and a traditional custom that skillfully integrates recreation and productive work. Whenever the planting season comes in April or May, dozens of families or the entire village's labor force voluntarily combines to exchange labor for collective planting, known as the "rice planting meeting". Each "rice-planting meeting" elects a "rice-planting official", who is not only a capable producer, but also a person with a good sense of humor and an appealing character among the villagers. The officer is responsible for the arrangement and scheduling of labor and quality control and other production command.
Every "rice-planting meeting" has a "rice-planting flag" as a symbol of activity. The "rice-planting flag" is majestic and colorfully decorated: the flagpole is generally more than three zhang high, and at the top of the pole is inserted with a colorful silk tied into the bucket, symbolizing the abundance of grains. The rising bucket flying below the white dogtooth bordered blue or red triangular flag, on the book "wind and rain", "national prosperity and people's peace," and other categories of wishes. The end of the flag is also tied with colorful balls and ribbons, pheasant plumes, big brass bells and other decorations. Where the "rice-planting flag" is inserted, the planting team will set up a position where.
The first day of rice-planting is called "open rice-planting door", people dressed in festive attire, even rice-planting burden should be full of flowers, holding high the "rice-planting flag", in the oboe drums and music and the sound of firecrackers set off, along the road, singing a high-pitched "Blow Blow Chamber" and the white tune, marching to the field. The first planting field on the ridge by the host prepared fruit and wine, the team will be divided into sweets, drinking and singing, and then in the sound of suona drums and gongs began to plant in the field.
The whole planting activity is carried out in the sound of suona drums and women's high-pitched Bai tunes. There are many Bai suona tunes that are specially designed to match the rhythms of planting, such as "Planting Seedlings", "The Dragon Goes to Heaven", "Bees Crossing the River", "Passing the Mountain", etc. The tunes are melodious, and the music is very lively. "The tune is melodious, with ups and downs, regulating the mood of labor. The "rice-planting official" carries a point of sword and gong, and "supervises" the rice-planting crowd back and forth. Whoever is poor in quality or slow in speed will keep banging the point of sword and gong, which is very comical and amusing. After planting each field, the women sing a tune to send off the seedlings and wish them fast growth. They sing and laugh all day long.
Lunch is delivered to the fields by the hosts, and there is always a large piece of "rice planting meat" and hot and sour fish to symbolize the "yearly surplus". The end of the day, but also eat fried beans, called "foot washing beans". In the minds of the Bai people, the most intense production labor, is also the most joyful agricultural festival.
"Tianjiale", is the end of all the planting and another festival, some called "off the rice planting door", some called "thanks to the water festival", congratulations on the successful conclusion of planting! It is also a festival to thank the god of water. On this day, all the laborers of the "rice-planting club", including young and old members of the family, go to the temple of the Lord to have a meal, kill pigs and slaughter goats to honor the Lord and wish for a good harvest. People carry the rice-planting flag, surrounded by the "rice-planting officer" on horseback, followed by a team made up as fishing, woodcutting, farming, reading and other roles, and the whip, octagonal drums, singing and dancing queue, in the villages on tour.
Everyone's attire and various performances are designed to be funny and amusing, with women dressed as men and men dressed as women, making a great deal of backstabbing and exaggeration. "Rice-planting officer" was also dressed as a clown, wearing a hat with a rice-planting handle on the head, feet a stirrup leather boots a stirrup straw shoes, wearing ink green glasses, hanging a beard made of wheat ears, riding a high horse in reverse. Some places there are "playing rice-planting official" custom, to "rice-planting official" smear a big flower face. The performances of fishing, woodcutting, farming and reading are sung in the form of "blowing and blowing accent" accompanied by suona, with comical plots and funny lyrics, overflowing with rich vernacular colors and a strong sense of life. The whole activity shows the complete relaxation and joy after intense labor, and also expresses the wish for a good harvest.
The Green Girl Festival
The Green Girl Festival is a commemorative song and dance festival for Bai women. The main content of the festival is to recount the sufferings and misfortunes of the Bai women in the old times, and to express their hope and desire for a better life. Popular in Jianchuan County, Yang Cen, Diannan area, the festival for the first month of the lunar calendar on the 15th.
The activities of the festival are carried out in the form of singing and dancing a long Bai folk poem reflecting the life of the green girl. The content tells the story of the green girl was an innocent young girl, after being arranged by her parents to marry a woman, suffered from the abuse of her husband and mother-in-law, in a moonlit night hanging from the swing, was rescued by his partner, and returned home is still beaten, and ultimately overwhelmed by the torment, jumped into the Haiwei River to kill themselves.
Legend has it that the Green Girl jumped into the sea on the 15th day of the first month, so this day becomes the "Green Girl Festival" every year. On that day, all the girls in the village would get together and choose the one who is the most beautiful, the smartest, the best in character and the brightest in voice to play the role of the Green Girl. Some villages use gabion paper mache and colorful painted idols to represent the Green Girl. When the sun goes down, all the women of the village flock to the "Green Girl" from the river into the village, holding hands all the way, stepping on the beat while singing and dancing, through the streets and alleys, until the village square. Then they sang a long poem around the "green girl", talking about her painful experience to show their condolences, until the moon set in the west before dispersing.
The lyrics of the "Green Girl" poem are mournful and desolate, and are divided into the "Mourning Song", "Love Song", "Bitter Song The poem is divided into five major parts: "Mourning Song", "Love Song", "Bitter Song", "Lamentation Song" and "Phantom Song". From the "Mourning Song", which calls out to Miss Qing, "Miss Qing, Sister A, today the sisters are reunited, and we are here to offer you sacrifices by the Haiwei River, and to recount your bitter feelings." Starting from "Balsam Camphor Tree, Balsam Camphor Tree, the tree by the Haiwei River is pale, cut down a big tree to build a boat, row to the South China Sea. ......" are all heart-warming and evocative. The long poem with its distinctive national style and unique artistic charm has become a classic work in the history of Bai literature, and with the help of the traditional custom of the "Green Guru
Niang Festival" and spread to the folk, can be regarded as the Bai culture a wonderful flower.
"Juggling the Sea", "Around the Sea" and "Sea Lanterns"
The festival is a great example of the Bai people's culture.