1. Characteristics of folk houses
The Zhuang people have their own language, and the Zhuang language belongs to the Zhuang-Dai branch of the Zhuang-Dong language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. There are two major dialects, northern and southern, but the grammatical structure and basic vocabulary are roughly the same. The two major dialects of the north and the south are roughly divided by Yujiang and Youjiang, extending to the Guangnan and Yanshan areas of Wenshan Prefecture in Yunnan Province.
The northern dialect accounts for about 2/3 of the Zhuang population and is divided into 8 dialect areas, namely Yongbei dialect, Youjiang dialect, Guibian dialect, Liujiang dialect, Guibei dialect, Hongshuihe dialect, Qiubei dialect and Lianshan dialect; the southern dialect accounts for about 1/3 of the Zhuang population and is divided into 5 dialect areas, namely Yongnan dialect, Zuojiang dialect, Dejing dialect, Yanguang dialect and Wenma dialect.
The Zhuang people also have their own writing. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Zhuang people have popularized "local custom writing", which is based on Chinese characters and is composed of the sounds and meanings of Chinese characters. According to statistics from the "Gu Zhuang Dictionary" (first draft) published in 1989 by the Office of the Leading Group for Collation and Publishing of Ancient Ethnic Books in Guangxi, there are more than 10,700 Chinese characters, of which 4,918 are designated as traditional Chinese characters.
The Zhuang people do not have a unified belief. The Zhuang people believe in many gods, worshiping the gods of heaven, thunder, earth, boulders, trees, frogs, Hua Po gods and ancestor gods.
After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, as Taoism and Buddhism were introduced into the Zhuang area, the Zhuang religious belief system mutated under their influence, forming the original Mo religion as the main religion, integrating Taoism and Buddhism. Belief in polytheistic "religions" and the emergence of semi-professional clergy - Shi Gong.
2. Clothing
The Zhuang costumes are mainly blue and black dresses and short trousers. "Book of Benefits and Diseases of Counties and Prefectures in the World" records: "The strong men wore floral dresses and short skirts. The men wore short shirts called Li Tong, with the front and back waistbands covering their knees. Women also wore Li Tong with a flower curtain underneath."
The Zhuang men's clothing is mostly Tang suit with open chest and open breast. It is made of local homespun cloth. No trousers are worn. The jacket has a short collar and open breast. A row (six to eight pairs) of cloth buttons are sewn on, and a pair of small pockets are sewn on the chest. There are two large pockets on the abdomen. The hem is folded inward to form a wide edge, and symmetrical slits are opened on the left and right sides of the lower edge.
Wear loose trousers, short to below the knee. Some wear leggings and turbans. Wear shoes and a hat (or a black headscarf) in winter, and barefoot in summer. Wear cloud-toe canvas shoes or double hook-toe duckbill shoes during festivals or when visiting relatives. Wear straw sandals when working.
The clothing of Zhuang women is dignified, simple and elegant. Their general clothing is blue and black, with slightly wider trousers, colorful printed or jacquard towels on their heads, and delicate aprons tied around their waists.
Wear a navy blue or dark blue short-collared right-fronted top with a side-breasted top (some are embroidered with colorful lace on the neck, cuffs, and bottom of the placket). They are divided into two types: double-breasted and side-breasted, with or without a collar. It is different from having a collar. There is a hidden pocket hidden in the front of the abdominal placket, and several pairs of cloth knotted buttons are sewn along the edge of the placket. Wear wide, fat black trousers (sometimes with two stripes of different colors on the edges of the trousers), an apron tied around the waist, and blue, red, and green silk and cotton gussets on the knees of the trousers.
Wear straw sandals and shoulder pads when working. Wear embroidered shoes when going to fairs, singing venues or festivals. Zhuang women generally like to wear earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The colors of clothing and small accessories worn vary slightly from place to place. There are two schools of thought in the length of tops. In most areas, tops are short to the waist, and in a few areas, tops are long to the knees.
3. Customs and habits
If guests come to visit, they will entertain them warmly. The host gives up his seat and offers cigarettes, and offers tea with both hands. If you have guests at home, you are not allowed to speak loudly, and you must go around behind the guests when entering or exiting. When dining with guests, you should have your legs on the ground, shoulder width apart, and do not cross your legs.
The staple food is rice, corn, potatoes, etc. Dog meat and game are considered delicacies and treasures. When dining, one must wait for the oldest person to sit down before eating; the younger ones are not allowed to eat the dishes that have not been touched by the elders first; tea and rice must be served to the elders and guests with both hands.
And it cannot be passed in front of the guests, nor can it be passed to the elders from behind; those who finish eating first must say "eat slowly" to the elders and guests one by one before leaving the table; the younger ones cannot eat after everyone at the table .
Generally like to drink. It is grand to have wine on the table when entertaining guests. The custom of toasting is "drinking and handing over cups". In fact, cups are not used, but white porcelain spoons are used. Women in Longzhou and other places still have the custom of chewing betel nut. In some places, betel nut is still a necessity for entertaining guests. Don't like to eat carrots, tomatoes, celery, etc.
Respecting the old and loving the young is the traditional virtue of the Zhuang people.
When you meet an elderly person on the road, you should take the initiative to say hello and give way. Do not cross your legs in front of the elderly person, do not say dirty words, and do not step in front of the elderly person. When killing a chicken, the head and tail must be presented to the old man.
The Zhuang people taboo against killing animals on the first day of the first lunar month; young women in some areas taboo against eating beef and dog meat; women taboo against outsiders entering during the first three days (sometimes the first seven days) of giving birth; taboo against giving birth to children. Women who are not yet one month old come to visit the house.
When boarding a bamboo house of the Zhuang people, you generally have to take off your shoes. The Zhuang people are taboo against people wearing bamboo hats and carrying hoes or other farm tools entering their homes. Fire ponds and stoves are the most sacred places in Zhuang families. It is forbidden to step on the tripods and stoves on the fire ponds.
4. Festivals
Most of the festivals of the Zhuang people are the same as those of the local Han people. Traditional Han folk festivals such as Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Spring and Autumn Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, New Year's Eve, etc. are also The annual festival of the Zhuang people. The Zhuang people's festivals with their own national characteristics are the "March 3" Song Festival, "Niu Soul Festival", "Hungry Ghost Festival", etc.
Extended information
The diet of the Zhuang people:
The Zhuang people are one of the earliest ethnic groups to cultivate and plant rice. The rice farming culture is very developed, and rice has naturally become the mainstay of the Zhuang people. The staple food of the people. There are many ways to make rice, including steaming, boiling, frying, stewing, frying, etc. Various kinds of rice, rice porridge, rice noodles, rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, rice dumplings, glutinous rice balls, etc. are the daily favorite foods of the Zhuang people.
If mixed with other materials, many more delicious and nutritious foods can be made, such as eight-treasure rice, eight-treasure porridge, bamboo tube rice, pumpkin rice, "colorful glutinous rice", etc.
The Zhuang people living in arid mountainous areas are not suitable for growing rice, so they rely on corn as their staple food. The Zhuang people like to eat aquatic products, and fish, clams, snails, and clams are all delicacies. The fungi, fruits, cicadas, snakes, poultry, and beasts found in the mountains and forests are also daily delicacies of the Zhuang people.
Chewing betel nut is a traditional custom of the Zhuang people, and Zhuang women in Longzhou and other places in Guangxi still like this today. In some places, betel nut is a necessity for entertaining guests.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia--Zhuang