The Miao people of Huangping County have the custom of opening a barn to collect grain. Every year, on the night of the first day of the first month of the following year (symbolizing the inexhaustible amount of grain), the housewife will take a dustpan, light a pillar of incense, burn a few pieces of money and two patties in front of the barn to make offerings, and then open the door of the barn, handing out half a catty of paddy, and feeding it to chickens and ducks in the afternoon of the same day. This is to show that the rice is full of grain and the six animals are prosperous.
Girls "steal vegetables" festival
Every year on the 15th day of the first month of the day, Huangping Miao village cottage girls will be a group of three or five, seven or eight a group of vegetable gardens to steal vegetables to go. They "steal vegetables" is a rule: one is not allowed to steal the family, can only steal the different surnames; two is only to steal cabbage, can not steal other vegetables; three is only to steal enough for everyone to eat a meal. If the owner of the vegetables found out when stealing the vegetables and scolded them, they thought it was good luck, and each of them just laughed and left. Stolen vegetables washed, focused on cooking and eating together, but not allowed to eat rice, only eat vegetables, each other than who ate more, that is, the year who the silkworms are willing to eat silkworm leaves. Therefore, they are all full of food.
Picking new water
Picking new water is a traditional activity of the Huangping Miao during the Spring Festival. Every year on the second day of the first month of the morning, the cock crows all over the head of the Miao village cottage households, the host will get up in bed, with incense, light torches, carrying buckets of water to the water wells early to pick new water. Walked to the well and put down the bucket, burned incense and paper before scooping water. Pick new water is a rule, can only scoop a single scoop, can not scoop a double scoop; can only pick two and a half buckets, too full to the road for fear of water waves out, that this year to lose money.
After returning home, the man put down the bucket, walked to the hall to set off a few firecrackers, one is to congratulate the family picking new water to return; the second is to make the neighbors know that they have picked new water back. After hearing the firecrackers, the neighboring boys invited a group of companions to his home to pay tribute to him, singing: New Year's Eve is full of joy, the six animals are prosperous wishing good luck; the wind and the rain are good, the grain is full of grain.
The master of the house invited them into the house and gave them candies or other foodstuffs, and when they got the candies, they went out in turn to pay New Year's greetings at other houses.
After sunrise, the man of the house cooks rice for the whole family with the fresh water he has picked up, and the event is over.
The origin of the Huangping Hmong's new water is as follows: a long time ago, there was a man named Bao Xiang in a Hmong village who grew up with dementia and couldn't speak. Everyone said he was a simpleton. However, he then suddenly became talking, and do things smartly, we feel strange, ask the reason, people realize that the first night of the first month of the year, the bag Xiang lying in bed, tossing and turning how can not sleep. To the second morning, he got up, took the stretcher, with a wood knife on the mountain to cut firewood to go, the day is just hazy, he has cut a large pick of firewood back to the fortress side of the hillside, put down the wood stretcher to rest, and to the hillside of the well to look for water to drink, he went to the well, put his head into the well, drank three water, they feel the clouds dissipate, clear skies, and feel the spirit of the spirit of a revitalization. And can make just a word, become flexible, smart, when his parents see him change the past naive and stupid look, feel happy and strange, they asked him why. Bao Xiang said what happened from beginning to end, his parents were happy to tell the people in the village, the result is that everyone took this as a strange news spread.
From then on, people in order to make their sons and daughters become smart, hard-working, every family to this well to pick water to drink, and then, every year on the second day of the first month of the day, the cock crows for the first time, the men of the village will get up and go to pick the new water. This custom has been passed down to this day.
One, Miao sour altar
Miao compatriots living in the mountains, almost every family has a sour altar, a pig slaughtered. In addition to a small amount of fresh food and gifts to friends and relatives, the rest take part of the production of bacon, most of the cured into sour meat.
Second, the Miao "stolen marriage"
The Miao due to the dispersion of residence, more mixed with other ethnic groups, in the marriage will inevitably be affected by some. In social life, the common marriage of independent marriage and arranged marriage, of which independent marriage is more common. Among autonomous marriages, there are various forms, such as stolen marriages and robbed marriages. Stolen marriage is when young men and women fall in love through flower picking or other social activities, and then, because the woman's family is poor and can't afford to hold a banquet, she lets the man quietly take the girl away. To the outside world, it is said that the girl was stolen, the female uncles and brothers pretending to look for the girl, the man apologized to those who look for, and pay the appropriate fee to those who look for the girl (i.e., straw shoe money).
The other kind is that the girl is in love with the young man, the young man is also satisfied with the girl, in the case of both sides in love, the girl along with the young man to live in his home. When the female parents found the girl "missing", they asked the uncle to find. Uncle to the door of the male, pretending to wander in front of the house, everyone will say, they are looking for the lost "cattle", the male owner knows, it will be courteous to welcome it into the house, kill the chicken hospitality. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands dirty.
Three, the Hmong "marriage"
Chinese people **** and before the establishment of the State of the Hmong "marriage" there are two different nature of the two cases, one is the local power elite outlaws because of the female does not agree to marry and hard to rob into marriage; The other is a voluntary marriage between a man and a woman, but because the woman's parents hold different views, or because of the man's economic difficulties, etc., the two sides will agree on a time and place, the man about a few good partners to the specified location to "snatch" the girl home, three days later and then ask the matchmaker to the woman's home to talk about the marriage, according to the matchmaker and the woman's parents to negotiate, the man should give the woman's parents a certain amount of money to the woman's parents. According to the negotiation between the matchmaker and the woman's parents, the man should give the woman's parents a certain amount of money, as a reward for the parents of the grace of parenthood.
Four, the Miao wedding customs
The Miao people practiced the custom of not marrying with the same surname, they believe that the same surname is the descendant of the same ancestor, so it is forbidden to marry with the same surname. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Hmong did not intermarry with other races, or else it was considered to be a kind of behavior that hurt the customs. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the development of society and the frequent interactions between the various ethnic brigades, the traditional forbidden zone of intermarriage was broken. They not only intermarried with different clans in their own ethnic group, but also intermarried with other ethnic groups outside their own.
Miao girls get married on this day, in addition to the relatives accompanying the line, there are female companions accompanying. At this time, the man's house burning a pile of fire, indicating auspicious prosperity. Sometimes also put a gabion sieve at the bride's entrance, the bride stepped on the sieve and people, guests around the sieve and over, to show the difference. Into the room, do not worship heaven and earth, just the master first to accompany the bride of a leading female companion to toast, and then a bowl of wine by the bride and groom all drink. After the bridegroom to speak some auspicious words, the wedding ceremony is completed. Nightfall, the bride and groom will each invite their own singer night. The male side of the song, the female side to answer the song, you sing me and.... Singing endlessly. Singers through vivid metaphors, a wealth of associations, express true feelings, often sing the men and women in the end also into a family.
The bride and groom in the wedding night is not able to sleep, must be accompanied as a listener until dawn. In the middle of the night, the host will cook glutinous rice wine to entertain the guests, and those present will have to drink it all. The wedding is over when the guests disperse after the song at dawn.
Fifth, the Hmong share chicken heart and "smart card"
The Hmong family to chicken and duck as a treat for the guests, and the chicken heart or duck heart is regarded as the most valuable part. As long as you do a good job for the people of the first ethnic group, on New Year's holidays, or meet the wedding house, they will invite you to the home, kill chickens and ducks, hospitality. When you eat, the most prestigious person in the clan will use chopsticks to give you the heart of the chicken or duck. However, you can't eat it right away, you must share it with the old people present according to the custom of the Miao family. Otherwise, you will lose the trust of the Miao people.
In the Miao village, sometimes you will see a pair of young men and women gathered at the entrance of the village, woods and streams or next to the depression, open voice to sing "Pan song". So, no trip rope, do not set up roadblocks, you will be "stuck" there, which is the famous Miao "smart card".
You were "stuck" after the song, you have to song also song, this question and answer, in fact, is to test your intelligence, the ability to react.
Sixth, Miao funeral
Generally, the elderly will die of illness. There are children and other relatives guarding the body. Once the old man died, one of these guardians will blow the horn. Blowing the horn must stand on one foot in the doorway of the house, a foot standing outside the doorway to the front of the strong even blowing three times, so that the muffled sound as far as possible, intended to inform the village people． The old man died, please folks to help take care of the aftermath.
At the same time. Some people give the deceased a bath, wear new clothes. The new clothes can be more or less, depending on the family economic situation of the deceased, but must be wearing a single not double. Then, put a little gold or silver into the mouth of the deceased. It is said that the first to avoid evil spirits, and the second to let the dead to the netherworld after the good and early "afterlife".
Villagers heard the sound of the bullhorn and rushed here one after another, helping to carry the dead to the hall, flat on a wooden board. The people and their relatives began to discuss the specifics of the aftermath, such as sending people to catch up with family members, asking people to buy things, digging graves in the mountains, etc. The people were very happy to see that they had a good time, and they were very happy to see that they had a good time. After the matter was agreed upon, the prelude to taking care of the deceased's affairs began.
First cut two two-meter-long bamboo, bamboo pieces of the two bamboo woven into a single frame, in the single frame across a small piece of wood, with a very large piece of jute cloth spread on top of the bamboo fence, and then put the dead lifted in the single frame, the head resting on the board, the body wrapped up in linen, with a piece of red cloth over the wall. On both sides of the head of the deceased, against the side of the wall. Put a big red rooster that is hard to suffocate without plucking the feathers. The other side put a gourd dipper. The rooster is an offering from the descendants to the predecessors, and the gourd dipper is used to accept the offerings brought by relatives and friends.
After hanging the dead on a wall, one person sings a song about the dead at the place where they died, to the effect that: who can start to catch you, the king of hell starts. Who can bring down a disease to harm you? The King of Hades sends a golden messenger. The King of Hell sends a golden messenger, with an iron chain in his left hand and a hemp rope in his right, to capture your soul, you have suffered from this disease, and you have been taken away.
After the singing, a man blows a reed-sheng from the same place and walks to the place where the dead man is hanging, followed closely by filial sons and daughters and other relatives and juniors, kneeling on both knees. Kowtow again and again. Finished, and then a person sang pointing the way tune, to the effect that:
You go to the heavenly groove, *** there are three roads: one is the road of buying and selling livestock, you can't go; the second is the road of selling cloth and paper you can't go; in the middle of the one is to find the road of your ancestors, you go this one. Those who herd sheep are your male milk. They are the same. Who sent you. Thou sayest, He that hath eyes as big as wine cups, and feet as big as anvils, hath sent me. This man came from the tablets of stone, and went back from the waters, and ye could not find his footprints.
After singing, put straw shoes on the dead. In this way, hang the dead for three days before carrying them up the mountain for burial.
There. Some people have been blowing the reed-sheng back to the dead man's place of death. The eight or nine people have already hung up a drum, the drum up, reed-sheng accompanied by song, drums low and cool, reed-sheng clear and excellent, creating a joy and sadness together. Reality and ancient **** dissolved atmosphere. Blowers with the music of the exciting and soothing and blowing and dancing, very happy. Just like that. Lusheng drums from the time of the dead carried to the mountain before, in addition to replacing the blowers. It can't be stopped for a moment.
After the dead are hung up, there needs to be an immediate family member of the dead to guard the side. This person is known as "Ziying Lang" in Hmong and is tasked with receiving friends and relatives from near and far who come to pay their respects.
Ceremony people come, "from the call of Lang" rise up to kowtow, three times in a row, and then pour a double cup of wine to each person, come to the same rituals, and bring offerings from home to offer. The offerings are usually three pillars of incense, three pieces of paper money, and a small package of fried rice with eggs. The "self-caller" takes it and plays the trigrams. Gua for the thickness of a pencil bamboo broken in half. Thrown on the ground, the two halves of the bamboo with two skin up or the same two hearts facing up is called the reverse trigrams, and vice versa is known as the trend. Shun Gua said the dead agreed to accept the sacrifice. At this time, "since the call of Lang" can be incense money lit, will be small packets of fried rice with eggs loaded with the dead head next to the gourd ladle. Against the trigrams that the dead are not willing to accept the offerings. Still need to hit again. Until you hit the trend until.
During the parking period, every day in the morning and evening, respectively, to offer rice for the dead. Dedication of rice to be sung by three people in the morning and evening night rice tune. One person blowing the bullhorn, one person carrying a bow and arrow, one person sat on the arrow bag, run around the room four laps in the smooth direction and three laps in the reverse direction. According to legend, a long time ago, the world is in chaos. The war was endless. Soldiers are hungry and tired everywhere to grab food. In order to prevent the sacrificial meal was snatched food, so blow the horn into the work, with a bow and arrow ready to go, in order to repel the soldiers who came to snatch food.
The third day of dawn in the east, people kill pigs and slaughter goats, in order to pay tribute to the dead, hospitality, this day, to come to help blow the mangsheng drums of people to put on the flower clothes (flower farming with the unique style of the Miao people, is the wife before marriage, embroidered and weaved, which indicates the wife's sincere love for her husband). At noon, the relatives of the deceased gave these people a toast and kowtowed, saying, "We have no one at home to hand, such a big thing all rely on all of you to help." After drinking the wine, each of these people plays a reed-sheng and dances from inside to outside the house. The purpose is to create a festive atmosphere and add luster to the old man's death.
There is also a ceremony on this night, that is, for the next day to kill the cow sing a cow killing tune, to the following effect:
Birds in the world, afraid of eagles and harriers to peck, people in the world afraid of the disease devil. ××The first day of the year is the day after the first day of the year, and the second day of the year is the day after the first day of the year. People cut down the tree is big, build a bright and wide house, you left behind the children, cut the wood is small, build a narrow house. They can afford to build four-square tiled houses and have wine and meat to eat. Your sons and daughters can not afford to build a four-square tile house without wine and meat to entertain relatives and friends, please mother mother uncle heart again heart wide, tomorrow kill cattle to entertain relatives and friends. Send you to the mountain.
After breakfast on the fourth day, a fierce sound of gongs and drums was heard, and the dead were sent on their way. The gongs and drums are struck． The reedsongs were blown to lead the way in front, followed by those carrying the dead, and then by the crowds of mourners. They leave the village and come to a wide flat area. On the flat ground, four circles around the reverse three circles around the dead in the middle. Folded palm leaves to cover the dead above to block the sun. In the near side of the dead planted a stake, the gongs and drums hung on it to play, playing the reed-sheng still blowing and dancing.
At this time, some people brought a bull, tied to a corner of the square, with a long hemp rope, one end through the nostrils of the bull, one end of the hand held in the hands of the deceased. The meaning is that the deceased should take the ox to the Yin question. With the ox, so that they are not bullied by others, so that they can plow the fields and harrow the ground, so that there is food to eat.
People began to toast to the dead seven times, are raised above their heads and splashed on the ground. Burn incense three times, burn paper money countless. After playing the trigrams, if there is a smooth trigrams, that the deceased would like to take the cattle away. "Since the call of Lang" hit a scoop of water sprinkled on the ground. Shouted "kill the cow".
So, from the crowd out of two people, a person with a big axe, to the cow's head hit several times, so that the cow fell to the ground dead.
At this point, the two once again back up the bow and arrow, blowing the horn around the dead run four laps around the reverse three laps, in order to show to beat back the ghosts of the Yin asked to come to snatch the cow, so that the dead holding the cow to the netherworld smoothly.
That side began to peel the cowhide, set up a large iron pot on the spot to cook beef. When you eat the midday meal, you sing a midday meal tune to the following effect:
The sun is about to pass over the mountain, your filial son brings you the midday meal, holding seven bowls of meat in his left hand and seven bowls of wine in his right hand. After the midday meal, the left hand holds the ox rope, the right hand holds the ox-driving stick, drives up the ox to get up, you go to the Palace of Hades, you turn around and look, your sons and daughters tears fall down.
After the singing, the meal was served. After the meal, the funeral people carry the dead almost running towards the mountains, so that the dead will be buried before the sun sets on the mountains.
The filial son is obliged to go. At the burial, he must put the dead man in the coffin himself and say, "Go in peace, and if other dead ghosts come to rob you of your things, say that all things are rotten." After saying this, the filial son himself covers the coffin slab and digs a few hoes of earth to cover the coffin, and only afterward does the congregation build up the earth into a mound. Before the burial, a person must also carry a little earth from the graveyard home on his back and place it at the foot of the bed where the deceased had slept.
On the third day after the burial, the filial son brought three bamboo tubes, one filled with water, in which he put all the burning coals, and one with rice. Then a load of vegetables, to the grave to pay tribute to the deceased. After paying tribute, he folded a stick near the grave and said to the stick: -I've come to take you home." After taking him about one-half of the way home, he stuck the stick in the ground and said, "Wait here, and I will come to fetch you tomorrow." The next day he comes again, and in the same way he travels one-third of the way, and on the third day he returns home. When you enter the house, say to the stick once, "I have picked you up and brought you into the house!" Then the stick may be thrown away.
Since then. Every day when you eat, you offer a bowl of rice on the home hall, rice inserted a pair of chopsticks, indicating that the deceased to eat with them, this ritual until the deceased after the supernatural, can not be lifted.
In the whole burial custom of the Miao people, every ritual must be accompanied by wine, and wine accompanies the whole process of the burial custom of the Miao people. In addition, the days of the funeral, no matter how busy the agricultural work is, the whole village people go to help do the funeral without labor, until the end of the funeral.