Yi festivals are the centralized expression of the lifestyle and customs of the Yi people in various places. There are agricultural festivals focusing on agricultural production; sacrificial festivals focusing on the worship of gods and ancestors; commemorative festivals focusing on the remembrance of heroes and significant events; celebration festivals focusing on the joyous celebration of harvests and victories; and social and recreational festivals focusing on songs, dances and operas, etc.
The Yi are the sixth ethnic minority in China.
The Yi, the sixth largest ethnic minority in China, speaks Yi, which belongs to the Yi branch of the Tibetan-Burmese language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family, and has six dialects, including five sub-dialects and 25 dialects, in the north, east, south, south-east, west, and central part of the country.
The Yi are mainly distributed in the four provinces (autonomous regions) of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Gui, between the plateau and the coastal hills, and are mainly gathered in Chuxiong, Honghe, Liangshan, Bijie, Liupanshui and Anshun, with the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture being the largest Yi settlement in the country.
The Yi festivals are the centralized expression of the lifestyle and customs of the Yi people in various places. There are agricultural festivals focusing on agricultural production; sacrificial festivals focusing on sacrifices to gods and ancestors; memorial festivals focusing on remembrance of heroes and major events; celebration festivals focusing on celebrating harvests and victories; and social and recreational festivals focusing on songs, dances, and opera activities. The main festivals are:
Yi Festival I: Flower Face Festival
The Flower Face Festival is passed down in Qubei County, and it is held on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year, lasting for three days. During the festival, young men and women from all Yi villages gather together, kill pigs and chickens, and prepare wine, meat and rice to honor the gods, and then the best wine and meat to please the old man to eat first, and then all the people to sit around and toast each other and eat meat. After the meal, to the end of the village village, with ink, pot soot wipe each other's faces, and has been wiped to the full face and body see the black, laugh enough to tired enough to rest. This is how the festival got its name. Wipe the flower face, in addition to young men and women wipe each other, the rest of the people according to age, on the seniority of each other to wipe, that wipe the more black, wipe the more people, that year only good weather, people and animals, peace, and a good harvest. During the festival, villagers are not allowed to work, not allowed to spring pestle, push mill.
Yi Festival II: Torch Festival
Torch Festival is a grand festival of the Yi people, in addition to the Fu Ning County Muyang around the white toms shoes people, the territory of the Yi people around the grand celebration, and even passed to the Han Chinese. According to the Yi solar calendar, the 24th day of the sixth lunar month is the sun on the orbit of the most positive day, noon when the sun shot to the people can not see their own shadows, so take this day as a day of celebration. June is the season of rice, bunting flowers, all kinds of crops close to maturity, but also a variety of pests harming crops, so in this festival to light torches to get rid of insects and pests, in order to ensure a good harvest. On this day, men, women and children are dressed in festive costumes, gathered to the designated site, bullfighting, horse racing, singing and dancing; night holding a lit torch, men and women chasing each other to play, to show cordiality and good luck, but also expressed the fire burned away to each other on the body of the evil spirits. In addition, holding a torch tour around the house, the fields in order to exterminate pests, and then groups of people around the bonfire to sing and dance, all night long.
The form and meaning of the activities of the various branches vary. Aza from the afternoon of June 24th to 26th of the lunar calendar over two and a half days, in addition to every morning and evening dedicated to the ancestors, the first day of sacrifice? Canglong? The first day of the festival is dedicated to the Canglong, and the second day is dedicated to the Houshen. The second day is dedicated to the god of the house. on the first day, the god of the house on the second day, and the god of crops on the third day. The God of Crops. Some even go to the field to offer the god of thunder. Thunder God to pray for blessings. Before the festival, every family cut young pine trees, and wedge A wedge of wood dried, made of torches, every night to offer the ancestors of the meal are lit. After dinner, young men and women gathered in the open field, playing torches, strings, string dance, spirited. The sound of torches clinking, pleasant laughter, so that the village is a joyful. Young people are getting more and more excited, and do not disperse late at night. Dedication? The god of the house? Extremely serious. In the room behind the altar, by the family offering, offering a small basket of corn, put 1.65 meters of linen or white cloth, bracelets, rings; plus 1 bowl of rice, put 1 egg; basket before 1 bowl of water, 3 wine cups. Put 16.5 cm long 3 sections of pine branches, cedar pine branches and jatropha branches tied with red, white, green, blue, blue 5-color cloth, with a few chicken feathers inserted in the wall. Kill the rooster on the table, the right side of the table to kill the hen point of blood and burn paper to honor. Legend has it that in ancient times, a couple during the torch festival, in order to protect the children, and secretly people room to catch children's demon fight seriously injured to death, was honored as the God of the room. Subsequent generations of respect and gratitude, every Torch Festival to kill chickens behind the room where they were killed and sacrificed. Yesterday's section is more simplified, the day of the festival to kill cattle to eat. In the evening, glutinous rice is cooked and eggs are boiled according to the number of children and offered on the ground. Parents carry a dustpan and beat the words to drive away ghosts, and then hold up a torch with rosin pellets and sprinkle fire to drive away ghosts and mosquitoes, flies, and so on. Each child then eats one hard-boiled egg, which means that he or she will not be sick for one year and that everything will go well. In recent years, in order to protect the forest and prevent fires, the torch is no longer played, and most of the rest of the activities are the same.
Yi Festival 3: Grass Horse Festival
The Grass Horse Festival is passed down from the Azar branch. Aza very much respected to accompany their ancestors to find the way long-distance migration of the service horse, and prayed for the protection of crops, every year in August of the old calendar to choose the horse or rat day Grass Horse Festival. Neighboring villages do not choose the same day, easy to visit each other, congratulate each other on the holiday. On this day, families do grass horse, inserted various colors of wildflowers, dressed up as colorful steeds; with pumpkin leaves made into a horse bucket, loaded with stove ash and grass seeds. That night, they killed chickens to offer to their ancestors, and stuffed the chickens and good food into the horse's mouth, and put them into the grass in the western part of the village before dinner. The next day, the horses were placed on both sides of the main road for the public to visit and evaluate and learn from the winners. In the afternoon, all the households in the village offered the grass horse, men, women and children went to the outskirts of the countryside to eat lunch, to see whose family ate well, more guests, and get favorable comments and auspicious words. After the meal held bullfighting activities, evaluation of strong bull champion, another lively scene. During the festival, men and women from the village and foreign visitors play freely, especially at night, singing songs, playing bamboo flute, dancing with strings, lively until late at night or in the early hours of the next day before dispersing.
Yi Festival 4: February 8
Every year on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the annual festival of the Yi people in Weishan, which is a grand and enthusiastic festival. Activities are held in all villages, among which ? Grid Dailu? The festival is held in all villages. Sacrifice Mi Ku? is *** with the activities. On this day, all villages cut down some tree branches to seal up the intersections into the villages so that outsiders are not allowed to enter the villages. The Miqu activity is held within the ethnic group, and women are not allowed to participate. During the activity, all speak Yi language, not Chinese. The activity is firstly called? Earth Vein? The first thing to do is to call the "Earth Vein" to receive the "Miku". Miku? and then held a ritual Miku activities, and then by the Abi (Yi religious personnel) and children and young and strong men to guard the Miku tree for three days and three nights, and playing songs is an essential part of the activities of the villages and cottages.
Why do the Yi people hold such a grand and enthusiastic activity on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar? Legend has it that in the past, there was a kind-hearted and helpful old man in the villages of the Yi ethnic group in Weishan, named Migu, who lived in a hut a mile away from the villages. One year at noon on the eighth day of the second month, all the young and strong laborers went to work in the field, and only some women, children and old people were left in the village. Migu suddenly found two hungry tigers pouncing on the village, and the old people and children were in danger. In the nick of time, the old man Miku ignored his own danger, while shouting? Children run! While using the machete with the roadside branches, thorn bushes cut down and piled up on the road fence to seal the road, delaying the tiger into the fortress, in the exhaustion, without hesitation to meet the tiger stood under the big green tree, will be the hungry tiger to lead to their own. People came from all directions, the tiger was shot and killed, the village was saved, but the old man Miku fell in a pool of blood. People buried the old man's bones under the big green tree with a heavy heart. After that, the Yi people called the big green tree? Miku Tree? The name of the tree is "Miku Tree". Migu Tree? became the embodiment of the old man Migu. The Yi people celebrate the The custom of February 8 has been passed down from generation to generation. The custom has been passed down from generation to generation. 2007 March 27 (the ninth day of the second month of the lunar calendar), held in Weishan, the 12th Collaborative Meeting of Yi Ancient Books in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guizhou Provinces (Regions). Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Gui four provinces (regions) Yi ancient books twelfth collaborative meeting? , the meeting determined that every year the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar for the Chinese Yi *** with the sacrifice of the Nanzhao big land lord of the main sacrifice day.
Yi Festival V: Mishi Festival
Mishi is the god of trees. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the whole village kills a pig to honor the tree god. They pray to the god of the tree for blessings and disasters, and bless the village with prosperity of people and animals, and a good harvest.
Yi Festival 6: Shadoba Festival
? Shadubi? is the language of Weishan Yi, which means "to taste new wheat". It is held in the middle of the fourth month of the lunar calendar. On the day of the festival, families use new wheat flour and glutinous rice pounded mochi, dipped in honey to honor the ancestors, invited relatives and friends to taste the new, to celebrate the spring harvest. On this day, daughters married off should bring gifts such as mochi rakes back to their parents' homes to visit their relatives.
Yi Festival VII: Tuhuang Festival
Tuhuang Festival time for the lunar calendar in mid to late September, the Weishan Yi people choose not to belong to the family phases of the day of the night held to send Tuhuang ceremony. On this day, people have to use the stove ash from the main house to the face of the room, and then to the circle of the room to draw a line, the center of the courtyard cross line for the midpoint, and then draw a circle, set four corners, the formation of the east, west, south, north and south of the five directions, respectively, inserted a branch of the pine branch and the chestnut branch, the central part of the insertion of the three branches, incense, tea, rice, wine, salt and other food, and one hand to hold the rooster, one hand knocking the plough, and recite? The East A B wood, the West Geng Xin Jin, the South C D fire, the North Nong Dec water, the center E has earth, my family in a certain month on a certain day to honor the Emperor of the earth? Then kill a chicken, in the five directions inserted chicken tail hair, burn chicken tail hair around the five directions, to be cooked chicken and then dedicated once more, the whole family kowtow, read? The whole family bows down and recites the words, "Sending the Emperor of the Earth to protect your health, your land, and your foundation". The family bows down again and recites the words "Sending the Emperor of the Earth, protecting health, protecting the land, protecting the foundation". Finally, all the branches and incense are sent to the roadside behind the house, and then the whole family gathers for dinner.
Yi Festival 8: We Drink Theater Festival
? We drink opera? In Weishan Yi language, it is a festival of tasting new rice, which takes place on the day of October in the lunar calendar every year. On this day, people will harvest the new grain pounded into grain rice, called back to the married daughter and go to the door of the son, as well as friends and relatives, kill chickens to taste the new rice. When tasting the new rice, the ancestors are sacrificed first, and then the elders are honored. During the meal, an old man will make a speech. Let's drink opera, opera ou opera, chi ni khan mai wan, nahai go to the mai do la? Meaning to taste the new rice, taste, taste, this year's harvest, and pray for a better harvest next year. Some Yi villages also pounded the new rice into a variety of patterned bait block, with the color, sent to friends and relatives and the village of the elderly to taste.
Yi Festival IX: Bai Zhigu? The Buckwheat Festival?
In the mountains of Yongren County, there is an alpine Yi village called Bai Zhigu. Every year, the first dragon day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the local Yi people have to hold a grand event, commonly known as the Buckwheat Festival. Buckwheat Festival?
White Zhigu belongs to Yongren County Manghu Township Motho ground village committee, located in the Jinsha River Yi Mountain hinterland.
Perhaps due to the different migration routes or time, Bai Zhigu Yi divided into different branches, festival customs are also unique. Buckwheat annual festival? That is, for the Chuxiong territory straight Tho, Mai Tho ground, Bai Zhigu, thin piece of Chad, Ali ground, Liangshan turnip around one of the unique Yi festival.
? Buckwheat annual festival? is the most important and lively festival of the local Yi people. On the morning of the day of the festival, accompanied by the first crowing of the old rooster, by the village of the respected Slang Po elders sounded the first sound of the crisp copper drums, tell people? Buckwheat Festival? has arrived, the festival is about to begin. At this time, the villagers dressed in festive attire from various cottages to hold the festival site, and then according to the content of the festival activities, each busy. Women's main task is to prepare ritual offerings and festive food, young and strong to do a good job of receiving buckwheat seed preparations, unmarried young people take this opportunity to sing and dance, talk about love. Activities all night long, the scene is very lively.
The activities began, the first content is to receive? The first item is to receive the "Buckwheat God". Everyone under the leadership of the brass drummer, stepped on the drums, order to walk to the buckwheat field, around the ground in a circle, began to call buckwheat seed. This is the season to harvest buckwheat, buckwheat seeds is to buckwheat seeds do not cling to the field, buckwheat seeds with buckwheat with the families back to the granary, and the mountain people live happily together, and then back to the mountains in the coming year when the sowing season.
After the buckwheat seed ceremony, each person in the vicinity of the folding of a green branch to take home, a metaphor for buckwheat attached to the branch of the buckwheat seed has returned with their own. Green branch to take home, it will be inserted in the seabed of the building, to be the next spring when sowing, and then sent back to the ground.
Next is the dance performance. Walled village in the center of the dam, only to see the head wearing a mask, wearing a long coat, holding a wooden stick more than a dozen peculiarly attired Yi men, placed in the center of the dam of a table in the center of the Eight Immortals as the center, surrounded by a large circle, jumping and singing while performing a variety of styles of dance moves. It is said that in ancient times, a fire burned all the houses and food of the Yi people, not to mention the food to eat, that is, even the grain seeds were not left, people struggled in hunger and pain. Later, I do not know who found a few surviving buckwheat seeds under an upside-down bowl, people sowing buckwheat seeds on the ground on the slopes, under the scorching sun to the foot of the mountains far away from the watering, day and night to take turns guarding, careful management, so it has been to the next year's April and May, buckwheat finally blossomed and seeded, Yi ancestors rely on these buckwheat seeds to survive and reproduce the offspring. This is the origin of the Yi buckwheat festival. In order to make future generations will always remember this painful history of farming, every year the Buckwheat Festival, the Yi people have to carry out these dance performances, to show that do not forget the hardships of yesterday.
After doing various activities, people meet together to sing songs, dance bamboo stick dance, and dance the gourd sheng dance. The elders sit around the eight-immortal table in the center of the field, drinking wine, catching up and singing songs.
? Buckwheat annual festival? is actually an agricultural sacrificial festival, which actually expresses a kind of nature worship of the Yi people, which is a kind of agricultural nation expects a good harvest *** with the outward appearance of the mentality.
Bai Zhigu? Buckwheat Festival? The custom has been inherited to this day.
Yi Festival 10: Mi Zhi Festival
This is a primitive worship ceremony, is one of the major festivals of the Yi people in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. However, it does not have a fixed, unified festival period, and is celebrated every winter by ? Bimo? The festival is held on an auspicious day. On that day, the men of the villages bring the whole white sheep that have been killed, and go to the special festival ground in the deep mountains and dense forests to hold sacrifices, praying for a good harvest, and the prosperity of six animals.
About? There is also a legend about the origin of the festival. According to legend, in ancient times, there is a cattle and sheep grazing master, named? The story goes that in ancient times, there was a man who was good at herding cattle and sheep, named Mizhi. He spent many years helping people to graze their cattle and sheep, and people were very grateful to him. One year, on the night of New Year's Eve, the owner of a house gave him a chicken, a liter of rice and a catty of meat, and asked him to go home to celebrate the New Year. But he had no home, but also inconvenient to go to another house to sleep (because it is New Year's Eve, not the usual), had to curl up under someone else's roof, and unfortunately that night by the cold and the cold took his life. People were very saddened by this, very sorry. In order to commemorate him, the Yi people used his name to set up a program called ? Mizhi Festival. But because he died on New Year's Eve, it is inconvenient to set up a festival on this day, so it was changed by? Bi Mo? The festival is held on a temporary date in winter every year.
Yi Festival 11: Jumping Bow Festival
The traditional festival of the Yi people in Napo County. It is also called Jumping Gong Festival. In Yi language, it is called Kachee, Kong Draft and Noisy Chee. It is held in the middle of the fourth month of the lunar calendar every year. The specific time is different from the village. Legend has it that in ancient times, the ancestors of the Yi people went out to defend their village against the enemy, and won the victory one after another in early to mid-April and returned to their hometowns, and the clansmen set up banquets and songs and dances to celebrate, which has become a custom. The activity began in the Northern Song Dynasty. Sub-big jump and small jump. 9 years held a big jump, each 6 ~ 9 days. Every year, a small jump, each 3 days and a half. People around the gold bamboo wire to carry out singing and dancing activities, neighboring villagers to watch and congratulate, outside the temporary market trade.
Jumping Bow Festival activities
Jumping Gong Festival, also known as ? Jumping Bow Festival? , is the biggest festival of the Yi ethnic group around Napo, Guangxi and Funing, Yunnan, and is said to commemorate the warriors who returned triumphantly in ancient times; it has been passed down for thousands of years. The specific time of the festival in each village is similar, in the first half of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the content of the festival has the ancestor of heaven and earth, God, ancestors, preaching the history of the nation, dancing and singing, performing entertainment and so on. When a village celebrates the festival, several nearby villages come to participate in the festival, which is very lively. During the festival, all the men, women and children of the village dressed in festive attire, by Ramo (i.e., priests, the Yi language has the meaning of teachers and wise men) to preach the achievements of the ancestors, leading everyone to worship, followed by drinking and singing, the crowd beat the copper drums, blowing the reed-sheng, around the golden bamboo bush, follow the traditional dance pace, from slow to fast, from low tide to high tide, to celebrate. The youths then perform the ?Jumping Gate? which symbolizes hunting and killing the enemy. Jumping Gate? The youths perform the "Jumping Gate", which symbolizes the hunting and killing of the enemy. Crossing the Broken Bridge and "Crossing the Broken Bridge" dances to honor the heroic martial spirit of our ancestors and their victory against national oppression. All around the festival food, we can eat while dancing, interspersed from time to time with the Bimo chanting, prayers, blessings and other ceremonies, during which also held horse races and a variety of performance activities. After dark, young men and women in groups to the various properties of each family to take turns dancing, blessing, and even all-night party.
At that time, people wearing specific clothing, the girl wore a short white dress, green cloth pants, playing the binding, wearing a collar earrings, belt. The boys wear four new short clothes, each collar exposed, there are nine boys holding a long pole (a symbol of the ancestors use long grass), clad in blue robes, gathered in the square. Shishigong? He led the crowd to offer pig's head to their ancestors and climbed onto the bamboo platform to officially announce the start of the Golden Bamboo Dance. The leader of the dance, Ma Gong Ba, wearing a white high hat, a long robe, and new shoes and socks, leads the crowd, stepping on the lusheng and gongs and drums to dance. The dance lasts for two days, and at noon on the third day, all the men, women and children together ascend to the top of a high mountain in the ? Shihgong? The third day at noon, all the men, women and children climbed to the top of the mountain together, and under the auspices of the master, they sacrificed to their ancestors one more time, and then left one after another.