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Thousands of times in the dream of meeting Lijiang, now clearly see her face, is considered to be a kind of first come or a reunion. The elegant landscape, rich customs, and the beauty of the previously unseen, in the life of the gradual vivid. Walking in the small bridges and flowing water framed streets and lanes, you will feel that the dust of Lijiang are flavor. Regardless of how mediocre state of mind you harbor, will also be infected by the air filled with flavor, thousand years of folklore brewed out of the fragrance can be rinsed you to the style of ten thousand kinds. In my backpack, banished alone in Lijiang, I know, along the way there will be so many flavors, and I snuggle. If you want to enjoy the natural scenery and climate of Lijiang and at the same time very much like the regional culture and ethnic customs and have time, then come to Lijiang during these festivals!
1. Spring Festival. The Spring Festival is undoubtedly a festival celebrated by the majority of people in most parts of the country, and Lijiang is certainly no exception. A week or so before the Spring Festival, the atmosphere of the festival is quite strong ----- street people come and go than on weekdays a lot more than the market crowd than shoulder to shoulder, people crowded people, baskets touching baskets (the local people are used to carrying baskets). There are more people trading in the market than usual, and the stalls are not enough, so they are extended to the road outside the market. In the two or three days near the New Year's Eve, the road outside the market was half occupied, and the police guarded the road to cut off the traffic, and even the buses had to make a detour. The number of goods traded has also increased. A lot of things are made for the New Year's Eve, which are never seen during the week. This scene will last until the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year. There are still some people in the morning of New Year's Eve, and by the afternoon the city is full of empty streets 。。。。。。
Of course, if you want to feel the locals ---- Naxi, Bai and other nationalities of the holiday customs, holiday food and so on only to their homes. As in most regions, on the thirtieth day of the year, families stick couplets and prepare the New Year's dinner. The difference is that, whether Naxi or Bai villages, the entrance to the house will burn high incense ---- door around a note, about one meter five or sixty centimeters high, to burn to the first or second. I know the Naxi people over the New Year's Eve, breakfast is just a simple meal of baked bait block, baked chicken blood, deep-fried chickpea vermicelli and so on. Then prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. New Year's Eve dinner must have pig's head, chicken and fish, other bacon, ham, sausage, crispy meat and so on. All in all, the dishes are made of fresh meat or bacon, but it's just rare to see fresh pork. It's not that there isn't, it's just the diet.
Eat the New Year's Eve dinner, New Year's Eve, people's entertainment and most of the same area, nothing more than fireworks, playing mahjong and so on. The difference is that not all people can watch the "Spring Festival Gala". Most of the rural areas in Yunnan, especially the mountainous areas are not connected to the closed-circuit television, can watch TV in the home is to install their own antenna.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, in the morning, the main meal is fried patties, glutinous rice, said to be in order to stick people's mouths, do not talk. After breakfast, families go out, shoulder and hand carry all kinds of food at home, as well as cigarettes, alcohol and tea, etc., to go to the cemetery. Most of the graves are in the forests on the mountains. In addition to the graves, there are stone tables and chairs. When people come to their own graves, they first honor the mountain gods, then their ancestors, and their families take turns kneeling and kowtowing according to their age and burning paper money. Then family members sit around the stone tables and chairs to share the food after the offering, talking and laughing as if they were having a picnic, an outdoor recreation. My understanding is that they want to spend more time with their departed loved ones on the first day of the new year.
After lunch there are various activities in the village or in the township ---- playing jumping, chess and cards, basketball matches and so on. The second day of the lunar calendar is the day of New Year's greetings. People visit their friends and relatives and greet each other with blessings. Especially the children, to pay tribute to uncles and grandparents, etc. will get the New Year's money (this is the same in many places haha).
2. The Stick Club. Every year on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Han Lantern Festival, in this day, the Naxi people in Lijiang, but a completely different festival, called "stick stick will". Rod will also be called "Maitreya will" or "Mira will", according to legend, the earliest in Lijiang Yuhuangge held, the local lamas towards the temple chanting, the villagers into the incense to worship Maitreya Buddha, and then gradually evolved into a trading session of agricultural tools, which are used as axe handles, hoe handles, sickle handles, Hammer handle, etc., the most wooden sticks, so referred to as "stick will be". There is a saying in Naxi language called "Dawa Naxi Nu", which means that once the New Year Naxi people are busy crazy. Before the crazy purchase of New Year's goods, crazy eating, drinking and playing, to the first month of the fifteenth, it means that the year is over, we began to busy preparing for spring plowing, need to add some new agricultural tools, which is the origin of Lijiang stick will. In order to prepare for the new year's production and labor, four villages and eight neighboring farmers will come to the market to trade bamboo and wood furniture, fruit tree seedlings, bonsai flowers, as well as mountain herbs and daily necessities. On this day, the old city, crowded, stalls, you buy me to sell, a scene of bustle. The stick will be three days, the first month of the fifteenth day of the most people most lively.
The stick will be held in the earliest Lijiang Jade Emperor Pavilion, and later moved to the ancient city of the Sifang Street, Lijiang tourism development, Sifang Street is occupied by tourists, Lijiang people will be the stick will be moved to the new town of Elephant and Castle Market, Zhongyi Market, Zhaoqing Bird and Flower Market and other places to hold. Nowadays, the crowd on the stick will also evolve from the initial colorful farmers to the working class, farmers, friends, foreign vendors, foreign residents, tourists, etc. In 2010, there are many Burmese stalls set up to sell medicine and jade. Nowadays, most of the agricultural tools are mechanized, and there are fewer people planting fields. Lijiang people also pay more attention to cultivating themselves and raising flowers and grasses, and the protagonist of the Stick Club has gradually evolved into the flower and tree trade from the Stick. By the flower and tree trade extends the commodity trade is a feast for the eyes, in short, as long as the flower and tree-related, what are selling. First of all, planting flowers must have pots, so there are all kinds of clay pots, tile pots, wooden pots pulled to sell; planting flowers must have soil, good soil can also be sold! People put the mountain after the decay of fallen leaves into the mountain soil with a tractor to pull the whole sacks of sacks to sell; more absolutely there are selling goat dung, planting flowers have to have fertilizer ah, so the particles of goat dung is also loaded in the sacks to pull the bowl to sell, five yuan eight yuan a bowl, it is really the proverbial livestock are all treasure ah, goat dung can also be sold at a good price; if you feel that the pots exposed to the soil and goat dung is not good-looking, it does not matter, this there is also a Sell moss, specializing in the mountains to pick moss to sell, green moss covered in pots, that is, water retention and beautiful.
Lijiang people love to raise flowers, family courtyard courtyard are full of flowers, what orchids, camellias, plum blossoms, osmanthus, jasmine, and so on, are extremely elegant in the flowers and trees. Orchids are especially popular in Lijiang, and whoever raises flowers without orchids is as awkward as eating pork without pork. Lijiang people raise orchids out of the hall of fame, some valuable orchids can be sold to tens of thousands of dollars or even hundreds of thousands of millions. That is to say, can be cultivated, but also can raise flowers to get rich, Lijiang people really will live.
Of course, in addition to the stick farming tools, flowers, birds, fish and insects, etc., all kinds of wood carving, bamboo, straw and children love to play mahogany weapons, as well as ice candy gourds, fried potatoes, chickpeas and other snacks in the stick on the meeting is also essential.
3. March 8 Festival.
Never have I seen any place that emphasizes the 8th of March Festival more than Lijiang. On this day, many activities are organized in the city streets and rural village committees. Women of all ethnic groups dressed in national costumes can be seen everywhere in the ancient city. There are beating and jumping activities in Sifang Street, Jade River Square and Black Dragon Lake Park. On this day the Black Dragon Pool is free of charge, and Wangu Lou and Mufu are free of charge for the locals. 2010 People in Naxi, Bai and other local ethnic costumes are admitted free of charge 。。。。。。。
The fact that the people of Lijiang attach such importance to the 8th of March Festival and celebrate it so grandly may have something to do with the fact that Naxi women have traditionally been burdened with much more than men. It is said that the original Naxi men's life is "qinqiqi, calligraphy, painting, tobacco, wine and tea", while the women have to be in the field and house all have to manage. Now the situation has changed a lot, but the Naxi women are still the same as in the past to do. So they belong to their own festival of the year pay special attention to, have gathered to carry songs and dances, celebrating through.
4. Sando Festival. Santo Festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar and lasts for three days.
"Three more" is a person, but also a legendary god ---- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain of the gods, is the legend of the war, help the heroes, by the Naxi people for thousands of years revered as the protection of God. According to the ancient records of the Dongba, more than three belong to the sheep, so in the past, the eighth of February and August of the lunar calendar every year sheep day, all over the Naxi people have to go to Lijiang Baysha "Jade Dragon Shrine" (i.e., Beiyue store) to solemnly worship more than three gods, some of them also held in their own homes, "sacrificing more than three" ceremony. Some of them also hold the ceremony of "Sacrificing Sanda" in their own homes. In the poem, it is said: "Every year in spring and February, every household wishes for Sandaos". Worship at the same time, but also to carry out meals, songs and other activities, very lively. Lijiang Naxi people dressed in festive national dress, from the mountains Pingba, in all directions gathered to the North Yue Temple, in front of the three more for the fragrant wine, fat meat, burning incense, kneeling and kowtowing, pious sacrifice, praying for the three more God blessing the Naxi people happy and peaceful, rich grains, six animals thrive. Then in the temple around the tree, stream side, smoke curls, gathered around the picnic; in front of the ancient temple on the field, day and night, singing and dancing, enjoy the fun. Lijiang in February, bright sunshine, spring, peach and plum white, cauliflower yellow. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, countless flowers open, is Lijiang trekking spring good time. Therefore, in addition to worship activities, people also picnic, horse races, songs, dance competitions, etc., but also to the Yufeng Temple not far from the Beiyue Temple to watch the famous, blossoming "more than 10,000 camellias.
Lijiang has been the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year as the legal Naxi traditional festival. All organizations, including schools, take a three-day holiday.
5. Qingming Festival.
Like everywhere else, Qingming Festival in Lijiang is a festival of worship. The difference with my hometown is that the Naxi people go to their graves on exactly April 5th to pay homage to their ancestors. And my hometown must go to the grave to burn paper money in advance sometime before the festival, and there is a saying ---- that the day of Qingming Festival is the day to sweep the tomb for monks.
Lijiang, Naxi people over the Qingming Festival, very grand. I have not personally to the Naxi people's homes to participate in, but I know that people who go out to do things, as long as they can rush home are going to go home. Whether on the street or in the market of small stores, stalls, have closed their stalls. The usually bustling markets were much colder.
The Ching Ming Festival is a festival of worship and another gathering of people throughout the year. Similar to the Spring Festival, people visit the graves of their ancestors and have picnics and other activities.
6. Torch Festival.
The Torch Festival is an ancient and important traditional festival of the Yi, Bai, Naxi and other Yi-speaking ethnic minorities in Yunnan, with deep folk cultural connotations, famous both at home and abroad, also known as the "Star Festival", the annual Torch Festival according to the lunar calendar, "Star Festival" calculation, usually on June 24, the lunar calendar. The annual torch festival according to the lunar calendar "star back" calculation, usually in the lunar calendar on June 24 or 25 to start, generally held for three days, known as the "Oriental carnival".
There are many legends about the torch festival among various ethnic groups, and most of them are related to the theme of "loyalty", "martyrdom", or "man's triumph over heaven". In Lijiang Naxi torch festival legend to this effect: the god of the sky "Zilao Apu" (equivalent to the Han's Jade Emperor said) opened the clouds, saw Lijiang birds and flowers, people sing and dance, than the god of the sky in paradise is also happy. God is very jealous, ordered the fire god to burn down the homes of the Naxi people. God of fire met the Naxi people adopted other orphans, regardless of blood, as if they were their own, the God of fire can not bear to destroy such a beautiful human warmth, so called the Naxi people to explain the will of heaven, so that every family to prepare torches, on June 25 (Lunar Calendar) on this day, all together to light torches, and even burned for three days. God once again opened the clouds to see the mountains are on fire, thought the earth was really burned, and only then give up. Naxi people are therefore free from the disaster of extinction. Since then, the annual lunar calendar June 25 (may be due to leap year difference of one day) to June 27 for the Lijiang Naxi Torch Festival.
The above is just a legend, folklorists testify that the torch festival can be spread so widely, and human worship of fire, because there is a fire, people in ancient times can continue to bright night; because there is a fire, people can eat cooked food; also because there is a fire, primitive tribes can be very good defense against beasts. Psychologists say that the torch festival is related to the subconscious like to play with fire in human childhood.
Although the origins of the festival vary, the core of the torch festival of each ethnic group has the symbolism of "carnival" and "red-hot".
Every year, June 25 to 27 on the lunar calendar, the Naxi people in accordance with ancient rules for three days in a row to the Torch Festival, pointing three nights of torches. Every day in front of the door to point a pillar as thick and large torches, walled youths are holding a long and thin small torches, along the ridge, mountain road, walking and singing, until late at night, the scene is spectacular. The more the torch burns, the more auspicious it is, and the happier the people are.
In Lijiang, Lijiang Dayan Old Town is the most lively. The boys wrestle, play with fire, bullfighting, goat fighting, horse racing, and going up the mountain of swords and down the sea of fire and other activities. Women perform folk songs and dances.
7. Ghost Festival. "Ghost Festival". On the 14th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. Also called "half of the seventh month"
Legend has it that on that day, the hell released all the ghosts, folk worship of ghosts is common. Where there is a new funeral home, the example of the new tomb, and generally in the local area to sacrifice the ghosts, so it is the whole of the festival is centered on ghosts, the Department of China's largest folk festival of ghosts.
On this day, every family sacrifices to their ancestors, and some also hold family feasts, offering rituals as rituals. Sprinkle three rounds of wine, said the ancestors after the feast, the family and then sit down, *** into the holiday dinner. Broken black, carrying firecrackers, paper money, incense and candles, find a secluded piece of flat land along the river or pond, with lime to spread a circle, said the forbidden zone. Then splash some water and rice in the circle, burn some paper money, firecrackers, send ancestors on their way, back to the "netherworld". Some people in the seventh of July through certain rituals to pick up the ghosts of ancestors to go home, daily morning, noon and dusk, for 3 times tea and rice, until the 15th of July to send back until. Now, gradually remove the superstitious color, retain the form of sacrifice, as the memory of ancestors and commemoration.