The main festivals of the Bai people are the "Great New Year", "March Street", "Around the Three Spirits", "Torch Festival", "Juggling the Sea", "Worship the Sun" and so on. The same as the Han Chinese, but also the Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and so on. Among them, the "March Street" and "Torch Festival" are unique and well-known far and wide.
New Year's Festival
The Bai people, who live in Bijiang, Yunnan Province, have their own unique annual calendar. They base their seasons on the growth of trees. When the peach blossom buds is their March, and when the leaves of the lacquer tree reach five inches, it is May....... In this way, they regard the year as having not twelve months, but thirteen.
In the year, March and the thirteenth month are their months of rest. The month of March is the Ides of March, and the month of the thirteenth is the month of the passing of the New Year. However, there is only one day in the New Year's month which is the New Year, and this day is not fixed, it is agreed by the elders of the clans in the village every year. After the New Year is determined, early in the morning on this day, all the members of the village in a prestigious old man's leadership, with home-brewed rice wine and glutinous rice poi, together to the head of the village under the tree to hold a tree ceremony, wishing for the coming year the wind and rain, the six animals prosper, a good harvest. Sacrifice is complete, people will bring the gift of the year, the first gift to the elderly a, and then mutual respect for the year wine, poi ......
Sacrifice activities are over, we go back to kill the New Year's pig. If it is agreed that this day to eat in partnership to cook meat, kill the pig family will have to take out one tenth of the meat to everyone to cook and eat; if not to eat in partnership, kill the pig family to the family did not have a pig to give pork, in order to show unity and friendship.
March Street
March Street: also known as the ancient Guanyin City or Guanyin will be, it is reported that there has been more than 1,000 years of history, held every year in March of the summer calendar, the location of the Cangshan Mountain in the west of the city of Dali, at the foot of the peak. The content of the festival was originally a Buddhist temple fair, held a grand lecture and worship activities. It is a traditional festival of the Bai people, held every year at the foot of the Zhonghe Peak in the ancient city of Dali, on the open ground by the Zhongxi River. Every "March Street" during the period, as far as thousands of miles, close to the neighboring counties of the merchants, from all directions to participate in the trade. Market commodities, from medicinal herbs to food, furniture, livestock, everything, it is the largest gathering place of commodity trading in western Yunnan.
It is said that a long, long time ago, there was a tyrant, hoping to live forever, listening to the words of a retainer, every day to eat a pair of human eyeballs, which brought deep disaster to the local Bai people. At that time, there was a warrior full of magical power, in order to get rid of the devil for the white people to exterminate the evil, in March one day, skillfully tricked the tyrant to the Cangshan Mountain in the foot of the peak, called the god dog bit off the tyrant's throat, drank his blood, eliminated the demon king, for the white people in addition to the scourge. In order to commemorate this warrior and the white people saved the great day, people every year in the lunar calendar March 15 - 20, gathered at the foot of the Cangshan Mountain, singing and dancing. Year after year, it formed an annual "March Street". Nowadays, in addition to the exchange of materials, ethnic songs, dances, sports and other activities are also performed during the "March Street". Especially in the horse race riders of all ethnic groups, gathered at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, whip horse, clouds and fog like running to the Erhai Sea, the scene is very spectacular.
Torch Festival
The festival is held on the 25th day of the sixth month of the summer calendar every year, and it is the most solemn and grandest festival of the Bai people. On this day, each village will erect tall torches, and each family will set up small torches. Nightfall, the size of the torches lit, as if millions of fire dragons in the mountains Mercedes, people marching in the fields, catching insects and pests. Families with newborn babies are invited to drink "happy wine" under the big torches to congratulate the mother and child on their safety.
Wrap around the three spirit
Annual lunar calendar April 23rd to 25th held. On that occasion, the Bai people make a pilgrimage to the Golden Turtle Temple, the Shengyuan Temple and the Chongsheng Temple, and at the same time, they sing and dance all night long on the grass in front of the temples.
Grabbing head water
The 30th day of the Lunar New Year is the annual festival of "grabbing head water" for the Bai people in Dali. When night falls, the girls and boys are busy dressing up. They put on colorful national costume, hand carrying a string of firecrackers, shoulder picking a load of water buckets, smilingly marching in the village alley, to the water well. To the midnight zero hour, only to hear the firecrackers, only to see everyone scrambling to be the first to "grab the first water". Each family to "grab" the "head of water" pick home, it will use it to make soup balls, noodles and other food, cooked in a bowl or plate, respectfully sent from door to door to the elderly, congratulate the elderly on a happy new year, happiness and health. After receiving the gifts, the old people put a few cents in the bowls and plates when they return them to show that they have been pressed into service. Wish the young generation healthy growth, good happiness ...... "grab head water" activities fully embodies the Bai people respect for the elderly and love the young national tradition.
Juggling the sea will
Yunnan Erhai coast of the Bai people, every year on the 24th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar to organize a traditional juggling the sea event. Legend has it that in the past, there was a ferocious black dragon in the Erhai Sea, which made waves every year and coated the people. The clever and wise Bai people carved a yellow wooden dragon and put it into the Erhai Sea to duel with the black dragon. The two dragons in the Erhai Sea began a vicious battle, the Bai people gathered on the shore for the yellow dragon shouting and cheering. The yellow dragon tired of fighting to stretch out his head, everyone threw to the steamed buns: the black dragon stretched out his head, everyone threw down the stone. So the yellow dragon fight more and more strong, the black dragon and hungry and tired, was bitten all over the body, panicked and fled to Yangbi River. From then on, the sea water leakage, the wind and waves are calm. In order to commemorate this victory, every year to this day, the Bai people dressed in costumes, put up umbrellas, from all directions by boat or on foot to play the sea.
On the day of playing the sea, the Erhai white sails point, the shore of the sea of people. People only up suona, singing "Dabenqu", to the tune, dancing with the whip, jumping crane dance, enjoy the fun. At the same time, held the annual "Dragon Boat Race" activities, the dragon boat is generally used in the Erhai Sea, a large wooden boat converted into, in the length of about ten meters, about three meters wide sails, wearing red and green, decorated with lights. Mast tied with colorful "even three levels" of the big bucket, and tied to the gong, the rudder erected on the pine branches, painted on the side of the boat reigning supreme "yellow dragon" and "black dragon", the middle of the inlaid A round "treasure mirror". With a call, the villages of the dragon boat race, people sing boat race tune, wishing the wind and rain, the harvest.
Bai clothing, slightly different places. Dali and other central areas of men's heads wrapped in white or blue headgear, wearing white lapel coat and black collar, wearing white pants, shoulder hanging embroidered with beautiful patterns of hanging bags. Dali area women mostly wear white blouse, jacket black or purple velvet lab coat, under the blue wide pants, waist tie with embroidered flower belt short waist, foot wearing embroidered "hundred sections of shoes", arm ring twisted silk silver bracelet, finger with enameled silver ring, earrings silver jewelry shirt over-weight with silver "three bearded ", "five beard"; married people pull buns, unmarried people hanging plaits in the back or plaits in the head, are wrapped in embroidered, printed, or colorful towels of the head.