An overview of the folk customs of Ruyuan Yao nationality

I don't want to give it to you. ,。 I paid for it. .

Abstract: In the long history of its development, Ruyuan Yao nationality has created a unique Yao folk culture, which shows its unique cultural value. Yao nationality is one of the nationalities with frequent migration. In its long migration process, the Yao people's spiritual culture of diligence, simplicity, perseverance, tenacious survival and love for their own nation has been formed. In order to preserve the continuity of national culture, the Ruyuan Yao people have formed their own national customs in the aspects of marriage, clothing, funeral, singing and dancing, etc., in the struggle with nature and the development of social practice, except for the Yao language, which is the most widely distributed in the whole Yao people. These national customs reflect the development of Yao culture and history, and also directly reflect Yao people's ideological and moral concepts, religious beliefs, cultural and artistic level.

Keywords: Ruyuan, Yao nationality, folk culture

Ruyuan Yao nationality has a long history, mainly living in the northern mountainous area of Guangdong Province, that is, in the mountains of Nanling Mountains now. Yao people call themselves Mian and belong to Guo Shanyao, one of the three branches of Yao people. Yao people are called "Dongbian Yao" and "Bianxiyao" because of their different places of residence and costumes. "Dong Yao" can be divided into "Deep Mountain Yao" and "Shallow Mountain Yao". Yao himself once called each other that way. In historical documents, the original Ruyuan Yao women once wore wooden boards, which was called Yao Ban. At the same time, Yao girls from Qujiang County, now Ruyuan Youxi and other places, are called Arrow Yao in bamboo arrows.

First, folk morality.

Yao people still have some traces of ancient primitive society in production, life and even marriage and family, especially in the ideological field, many simple ancient relics have become the traditional virtues of Yao people.

Yao people lived by slash-and-burn and hunting in the past dynasties because they were scattered in the mountains. This living condition urges them to maintain the spirit of friendship and mutual assistance from generation to generation in production and life, so that they can help each other when something happens. The hunted wild animals are equally distributed among men, women and children; If you don't have enough money, you can also ask your relatives and friends for help, hold a wedding reception and worship the king. This kind of loan does not pay interest, and there is no repayment rule (generally, it is borrowed and returned). As long as the family is slightly wider and has a slight surplus, it will be repaid automatically. If the next generation is unable to repay, the creditors will not come to ask for it. As for the person who is asked for help, no matter how big or small, once promised, no matter how difficult it is, it will be done. This spirit of mutual assistance is more prominent in production, such as heavy shoveling and weeding, which is difficult to catch up with the season because of the small labor force of a single family. However, as long as you send a message to your relatives and friends, whether you know them or not, you will arrive at the construction site on time, whether it is in the middle of winter or in the hot summer, sometimes as many as 100 people. Newcomers bring their own meals, and the host doesn't have to entertain tea, porridge or rice, nor does it have to pay a penny. This virtue of mutual assistance and friendship has been passed down from generation to generation by the Yao people.

Yao people were and are hospitable. No matter whether it is Yao or Han nationality, as long as they visit Yaoshan, the host will entertain them with the treasures on the table-bacon, tofu, shochu, etc. Even castrated owners who walk from one village to another can stay at any time. If Han people and Yao people become sworn friends in the same year, as long as they treat each other sincerely, the relationship is like family members. If you work or walk in Yaoshan, you can't go back because you are far from home. As long as there is someone nearby, whether the host is at home or not, and whether you know him or not, you can go in and cook. If the host is not at home, try to tell the host after eating and return it tomorrow. The eater never breaks his word and will not be criticized. When Yao people work in mountainous areas or go to markets in Han areas, they are used to putting clothes, rice bags, etc. on the roadside or branches, and tying "grass knots" (knotted with thatch) on the objects, indicating that the objects have owners. In addition, if bees are found in the wild, but they lack tools or cannot be harvested immediately, they will also be recorded as "grass" and will not be picked by others.

Yao people greatly despise dishonesty or fraud. In Yao society, the virtue of not picking up the road can be seen everywhere.

Second, the surname and first name

The surnames of Yao people are all single surnames, and there is no compound surnames. The main surnames are Zhao, Pan, Deng, Li, Kuang, Feng, Wang, Shao, Huang and Pang, among which Zhao, Pan and Deng are the majority. Most names are two words, and the word 1 is generational (women are not limited by this).

Dong's name did not come from childhood. After a baby is born, even a boy won't have a name until he is eight or nine years old. Even in his teens and twenties, he called many nicknames. If it is a girl, not only did she have no name when she was a child, but she also had no name when she grew up. She will be called "Oh" after marriage until her death ("Oh" means wife in Yao language). However, after a person is born, when a "tailor-made" ceremony is held, Master should also be asked to give him a dharma name. This name was not called when it was born, and it was written in the "family first list" for the sake of future death.

How to address a child after birth: the first one is called "pull up", the second one is called "Denai" and the third one is called "Delun"; Girl, the first one is called Rabe, the second one is called Menai, and the third one is called Melen.

Yao people in Bian Xi like to use the branches of their birth years to name them, that is, the words "Xin Feng", "Yi Sheng" and the like are embedded in the middle of their names, and the rest are similar to those of the Han people.

Third, clothing.

The costumes of the Yao people are very different from those of the Yao people in the East and the West. Dong Yesheng lives in different areas, and his clothes are slightly different.

(1) In the history of Dong, Dong men wore braids on their heads, like the hairstyle of the Qing Dynasty, and covered their heads with blue or white cloth towels embroidered with patterns. There are two kinds of headscarves: forehead and back. If the forehead is knotted, the remaining two ends are short, and they are provoked to the left and right. If the head is knotted, the rest of the two ends are long and hang behind the ears. The pattern in the middle of the headscarf must be exposed at the back of the head, wearing silver triangle earrings. The clothes are mostly blue-green, wearing a short cardigan with embroidered patterns embedded in the chest and back, similar to the royal costumes of the Qing Dynasty. Wear wide pants, only between the calves, and tie leggings.

Women and girls wear boxers. After marriage, I put on a triangular hat in the shape of a sailboat, glued my hair together with lard and beeswax, and wrapped it in cloth. The triangle top hat is wrapped in white cloth and covered with a blue embroidered towel. This hat cannot be taken off day and night. It takes one day to wash your hair at a time, so you often wash and wear it once every two months. Women's shirts are all blue cloth, knee-length, with no collar and a button on the right. Don't wear pants, wear a short skirt inside, hang a long apron on your chest, and tie a colored ribbon hanging down at both ends. In the past, a woman hung a string of copper coins around her waist and jingled when she walked. On the back of the coat and the center of the long apron on the chest, there is an embroidery, which is basically the same size as the pattern of men's wear, and leggings are tied.

Due to the different living areas, Dong people's costumes are slightly different. For example, men in Bibei, Youxi and Chaping in Xiashang Village wear white headscarves, tied behind their heads, divided into eight figures, hung on their shoulders, tied with white leggings and wore blue shirts. Men in Eagle Pit and Dong Tian wear blue headscarves, tied to their foreheads and blue leggings, and like to wear white coats and blue jackets. The women in the camp wore triangular high hats, and two pieces of bamboo extended downward from their cheeks, reaching to their chins.

The scholar said: "Yao people decorate their hats with sharp corners, like dog ears." The white cloth towel tied to their waist will be triangular at both ends and hung on the upper side of the two strands in the shape of a dog's tail. " A man's headscarf, with two ends hanging behind his ears, is about five or six inches long, and it is also like a dog's ear. ..... According to the legend of the Yao nationality, their ancestor was a king of dog heads, so the decorations of men and women all have the meaning of dogs. " [ 1]

(2) Yao men in the west wear blue headscarves. There is not much difference between men's and women's clothing and Han nationality's, except that women don't wear triangular high hats, but cloth folded into many layers or blue headscarves embroidered with patterns. The collar, cuffs and feet of the coat are inlaid with white, blue and black.

Fourth, marriage and family.

The marriage and family of Yao nationality, according to its traditional habits, is a mixture of internal marriage and external marriage, and monogamy is practiced. Young men and women can fall in love freely, and they can get married with the same surname except brothers and sisters and other close relatives. Unmarried men and women, if they want to be lifelong partners, must get married legally and hold a certain wedding ceremony before they are recognized as legal couples by society. The marriage between the eastern Yao and the western Yao is also different.

(A) Dong's marriage customs

Bald Oh (Yao language) has three stages: engagement, engagement and marriage. When engaged, if both men and women are in love, men will give women 1 bracelets or 1 scabbard. In modern times, pens and watches have also been given. The woman returns the embroidered headscarf of 1 to the man as a promise. After men and women exchanged gifts for about 1 month, the man reported to his parents and asked the matchmaker to propose to her. If they agree, they will set a wedding date and the number of people to see her off when she gets married. If, after the engagement, the woman reneges on the engagement, the food and drink expenses incurred during the engagement period shall be paid by the woman, and if the man reneges on the engagement, the woman shall give up. After the engagement, please ask the matchmaker to send the engagement money to the woman's home. To get married, according to the date agreed by both parties at the time of engagement, the man asks the touts to choose an auspicious day, and informs the woman's family of this "auspicious day", and then holds the wedding.

This kind of marriage is quite common among Yao people. But there are also two ways to do it in Zhao Lang. First, after a man is adopted by his wife, he should completely break away from his parents' family, change his name with his wife's surname, and give birth to children with his mother's surname; Second, after being adopted, a man will not leave his parents' family or change his name. The 1 th child takes the mother's surname, the second takes the father's surname, and so on. If he only has 1 child in his life, two families will have one. The latter also has the right to inherit the inheritance of her parents-in-law. But there are also children who take their father's surname.

This kind of marriage is quite special, and there is no need to hold any wedding ceremony. Some families have no children. In order to carry on the family line, my daughter chose 1 to stay at home when she grew up, but she hasn't chosen a match yet. They can be allowed to associate with men they like. After pregnancy, their parents will choose a suitable unmarried man as a nominal husband among their relatives and friends. A man can stay with a woman during the "nominal" period and give birth to a child belonging to her, taking her mother's surname. Good feelings can live together for a long time, and bad feelings can be separated. Both men and women have no property to give. If the woman finds another partner to get married, she can give the man a two-yuan registration fee. At present, this custom has been basically abolished.

Horsehead relatives (also known as "halfway relatives") marry remarried women. The wedding ceremony is simple and inexpensive, so men from poor families usually marry more "horseheads". Widows are called "back relatives" when they recruit lang.

In the past, the divorce procedure of Yao nationality was very simple. As long as both parties agree and ask the elders in the clan to testify, a divorce will be successful if something is opened or broken. Since then, it has nothing to do with marriage between men and women. However, in some families, if the woman asks for a divorce, she must return the money to the man. If it is proposed by the man, the woman does not have to return any dowry.

Widows or women who remarry after divorce are not discriminated against.

On the wedding day, the man will send a trumpeter to play suona to the woman's house to pick up the bride. The man's house will put 1 bench at the door and 1 pot of tofu and 1 pot of wine on the stage. When the bride and the farewell party arrive, everyone should take a sip of wine and eat some tofu. Beloved stood in front of the farewell team and the bride and sang. The other man stood at the door with a cock in one hand and a knife in the other. When the master sang the last sentence, the chicken catcher cut off the chicken's head with a knife and threw it into the inner hall to predict good or bad luck. When the bride enters the house, both parents sit in front of the couple, telling their children to be filial to their parents, be diligent in production, be diligent in housekeeping, and not steal or gamble. After the warning, the bride and groom raise their glasses and propose a toast to their relatives and elders. After the ceremony, the bride entered the new house. Before the banquet, the newlyweds will be led by an elder of the other party, and the other party will carry a tray of 1, followed by a pot and a glass of wine of 1. If the elders call guests, the newcomers will propose a toast 1 cup. After the marriage, all the guests were seated, guessing boxing orders and toasting all night.

Newlyweds don't wear special clothes, men wear headscarves and women wear triangular high hats or round hats.

The wedding lasted two days. 1 I received Hershey's guests that day and got married the next day.

When the woman gets married, her parents only give 1 wooden box as a dowry, which is used to pack the clothes agreed by both parties at the time of engagement and save the private money (the day before marriage, parents and relatives give 20 to 30 cents each).

On the wedding day, in addition to all the family members of parents, brothers and sisters, relatives also sent people to attend, so the number of people who saw relatives off ranged from 8 to 10 to 24. When going out, the unmarried girl covered her face with an umbrella and went to the man's house at the same time. On the way, she met the river and crossed the bridge. The bride must curtsy and put down a copper coin on the bridge.

All married people live in the man's house for one day and one night or two days and two nights. At the end of the wedding, the relatives of the woman will each give the groom 2 to 3 cents for firecrackers, and the man will give the married person about 2 to 3 kilograms of pork according to the amount of pork agreed at the time of engagement. At this point, the wedding ended and the guests dispersed.

After returning home, the woman can stay at the man's house for 7 days and then go back to her parents' house. The residence time is usually 3 to 5 days, or 8 to 10 days. When a man gets married, his wife visits her husband's family for the first time on February 30th, 65438 (lunar calendar), which is called "Zhuan". At that time, the woman's family will send people to the man's house to pick pork, chicken, wine, rice cakes and other things for the newlyweds, and set off firecrackers along the way. The relatives of the woman will also set off firecrackers to welcome them. At the beginning of the year, the new son-in-law will set off a string of extra-large firecrackers in the Shetan Temple outside the village, light a pair of big candles (the bigger the candles, the better), set wine for the relatives of the woman's family, each person 1 cup, and the drinker will give back 1 piece of pork. Afterwards, the bride's relatives hosted a banquet in turn to entertain the newlyweds, and the newlyweds gave their relatives 2 Jin of wine, 1 Jin of pork and 2 pots of rice cakes. Stay for up to 15 days. When she returned to China, the woman's relatives set off firecrackers to see her off, so the etiquette cost a lot. But if the husband's family is poor after marriage, he can wait until his wife gives birth to a child or his life is better.

(2) The wedding customs of Xibian Yao.

The marriage customs of the Yao nationality in the west are very different from those of the Yao nationality in the east, because the same surname cannot be married. Men and women are generally engaged at the age of 14, 15, and married at the age of 16 and 17. The wedding ceremony and procedure are similar to Dong's. The difference is that on the wedding day, the "stop-at-the-door meal" placed in front of the man's house must have a large amount of wine and food for all the people who give it to the bride until the wine and food are ready and there is a surplus. This is the most abundant meal in the wedding. There is also a "halfway meal" for people far away, that is, a banquet in the middle. "Stop eating" banquet, that is, "chop evil spirit" introduction. After the bride and all the brides entered the room, the man set up a "starter meal" in the room. However, this meal is more casual and doesn't care how much it costs. At the end of the wedding, before the betrothed leaves, the man should give money to Lishi, 1 Yuan, 2 jiao each or 2 yuan's 4 jiao each, and the rich should give 3 yuan 6 jiao each. If a man is adopted by his wife, the wedding will be simpler, and both parties will gather at the bride's house to have a casual meal and drink the bride's wine.

Divorce If there is only one child at the time of divorce, both parents should discuss which side the child belongs to. If it is the woman's, the woman will pay her husband 50 yuan to 100 yuan.

According to the traditional marriage habits of Yao people, the Yao people in the west and the Yao people in the east never marry, while the Yao people in the west are allowed to marry the Han people. But it is also limited to "inviting people into the house." It is extremely rare for Yao women to get married in Han areas, while Yao and Han people in the east never get married at all. At present, Yao and Han can intermarry, and marriage and divorce are carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Marriage Law.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) folk belief

There is ancestor worship centered on Wang Pan in the history of Yao nationality. "Yao people recognize their ancestors as Pangu, and the Wang Pan God they worship not only represents Pangu, but also represents the souls of all ancestors." [2] Generally speaking, when it comes to weddings, funerals, Chinese New Year holidays and abuse of power for personal gain, we should all worship Wang Pan. The ghosts and gods they superstitious and revere can be divided into two categories: one is the devil they most fear and hate, which they think can cause illness or death; Second, they think they can exorcise ghosts and eliminate disasters. These two kinds of ghosts and gods are found in some Yao Scriptures (also called Yao Books), such as Jade Emperor, Yuan God, King Zhende, Arctic God, Zhang Daoxue, Zhao Erlang, Zhao and so on. They are all immortals who can exorcise evil spirits and cure diseases. Zhang Daoxue, who said in the Book of Medicine that he could "behave like a charm and serve evil spirits", seems to be the founder of Taoism, Zhang Daoling. The demons that Yao people hate most are: Yan Luowang, General Sunset, Mr. Wang and Mr. Dianbu, all of which are death-inducing ghosts, including drowning ghosts, coffin spirits, vagrants, poisonous ghosts (that is, committing suicide by taking poison), hanging-neck ghosts and sick kings. These demons are the objects of Taoist practice in Taoism. "Nothing in the hearts of Yao people is more terrible than the death of plague or disease, so they always need gods who can drive away the plague as their spiritual protectors." [3] This is a form for Yao people to seek spiritual liberation in a helpless state in struggle for existence, without lofty religious ideals. They also believe in animism, such as the old tree Gu Teng, rocks, birds and beasts, bridges and pigsty. , can be an idol. They believe that every natural thing is endowed with a god who specializes in it, which is the inheritance of primitive worship.

(1) Worship the king, also called counter-offer. This is because when crossing the sea, I was in distress and made a wish to Wang Pan. "Twelve surnames, Yao Ban, crossed the shore, consulted with Daqi, settled down, and slowly appreciated Pan Huangzhi's kindness. Three Weng divide and rule, twisting (supporting) the South China Sea; One thought (branch) crosses the toe; I am bent on (supporting) settling in Lechang County, Shaozhou County, Guangdong Province. He also cultivated land and everyone built houses to live in. I am also grateful to him (Pan Huang) for his spiritual god. He didn't lift the censer until he was twelve years old, and everyone paid tribute to Pan Huangweng separately. " [4] Later, in order to pray for the blessings of ancestors and gods, so that people can live a long life and be prosperous, a ceremony was gradually formed. Generally, one family is the main one, and several families are invited to jointly hold it, or one family is held alone. This family-based worship of the king is only held once every three years at the earliest, but people in big villages hold worship of the king every year. When the "worship of the king" is held, most relatives and friends are invited to participate. Finally, the guests were sent away, and the host gave each family and friend 2 to 3 pieces of pork, each weighing about two or three times. At the beginning of the year, people who want to worship the king must invite two masters, 1 "Gem" (a woman who specializes in singing Yao classics) and several cooks (the victim finds a good candidate, wraps some salt in bamboo shells, and goes to his house to put it in the kitchen, even if it is agreed, Yao people call it "salt letter" without asking for permission), and three or four married women (unmarried young people) are not invited in advance. On the day of the ceremony, it is usually a winter break. Please predict divination in advance and choose the auspicious day of the ecliptic to open the altar. When the time comes, invite the whole village to attend, eat and drink for three days and nights, and don't fast. A visit to the king costs hundreds of dollars and a few hundred catties of pork.

In addition, there are worships to the "Half-way King" and the "Millennium King". Midway king is also called Midway Hall. According to legend, when twelve brothers of Yao nationality migrated across the sea, six surnames capsized and sank into the sea, and the other six surnames made a wish to pray for God's peace. When the boat arrives at the beach, they have to make a wish, so there is a saying that "a deer makes a wish, and a mouse makes a wish." On the way, Wang took the village as a unit, and each family donated money to set up an altar outside the village. There is a whole pig in front of the altar, regardless of size. There are twelve paper flowers on the pig, representing twelve brothers. The touts in the village automatically assumed the responsibility of asking God to jump over the king, and the feast lasted for two days and two nights.

The Millennium King is the biggest kind of sacrifice, which is jointly organized by several villages. Moreover, we should find out the surnames of Zhao, Pan, Deng, Li, Huang and Feng, and choose a moderate village to erect an altar, which is slightly different from the way to go. But the scene is big and there are many people. There are only seven or eight touts, and there must be the most authoritative person to open the altar. It was held once in the past 30 years, but no such ceremony has been held in modern times.

2 tailor-made, also known as "fighting." "'Tailored' is a big gift for Yao people, or called' big exam', which means that people who are tailored have improved their knowledge and skills and can be valued by villagers. People who are village heads must be tailored. After death, his soul can go to heaven, which is also heaven. " [1] A tailor-made Yao girl is called "Niang" after her death. The ceremony was held with a family of ancestors or a group of relatives and friends, and they were invited to play for 7 days and 7 nights. Invited guests should bring pork, rice, wine and any other amount of food. Those who visit or assist from outside can also get a full meal. The custom-made ceremony has certain rules and regulations, which takes 7 days and 7 nights. Tailor-made people must fast for 4 days and 4 nights and are not allowed to serve meat until the fifth day. During this period, the tailor-made people have the ceremony of "going to the mountain" and "opening the sky", being taught and warned to be filial and do good.

(3) Hanging lanterns is a ceremony organized by a single family, which is short in time, simple in ceremony and low in cost. Because there are seven oil lamps at the scene, it is named hanging lanterns. The host invited two or three masters to hold a "chandelier" ceremony in front of the shrine to clear the name of Buddhism. At the same time, please ask the brother or uncle of the dharma name taker to be a witness. The ceremony usually ends in two or three hours. After the ceremony, the host family will invite the host and the witness to dinner, and give the host 3 Jin of pork and the witness's 1 pig head. You can hold the name of "hanging lanterns" when you worship the king or measure.

Intransitive verb funeral

In Yao nationality, after death, people wipe their heads, faces and limbs with wet towels, and then arrange their clothes (the rich have shroud and the poor only wear daily clothes) for burial, and there are no other funerary objects. During the funeral service, two or six touts are invited to attend the mourning hall (the deceased had been tailor-made for two days before his death, but the one who was not tailor-made 1 day), and the children and daughter-in-law wear white cloth to show Dai Xiao's wake 1 day, and the funeral will be held the next day.

At the funeral, the coffin was carried to the shoulders by more than a dozen people and walked slowly without wooden poles. On the coffin of one of tout's assistants, Sagou, a woman covered the head of the coffin with an umbrella. (If the deceased has no children, they are grandchildren. If the deceased has no children, his next of kin can be generations) to the cemetery.

At the beginning of the trip, two touts took the lead and attacked at the same time with wooden axes and sticks in their hands. Carry the coffin to the cemetery, put it in the grave and cover it with soil; There are also coffins covered with fir bark, but not with soil.

After returning to China, the master did things with the names of: worshipping the four directions, jumping to the gods, persuading wine, receiving gods, exorcising ghosts, sending gods, etc. At the end of each program, burn paper money. After all the homework is finished, all the paper ashes are wrapped in white cloth. At this time, touts and their assistants will carry rice jars, tile bowls and grey bags to the grave. One person peeled off the fir skin of the coffin, one person pried open the lower end of the coffin lid with a hoe, and the other person threw the ash bag into the coffin and buried it with soil. After the burial, the rice jar was placed on the east side of the grave, and all the bowls were piled up beside the jar. Two wooden axes and four wooden sticks were inserted beside the grave to guide the funeral. One Bao inquired about chanting, playing the trumpet, burning paper to pay for it, and then came back. When he came home, he held a ceremony to send God. At the same time, all the placards and white stripes hanging in the hall were torn off and burned, and the paper horse statue was also removed. The dutiful son also took off the white cloth on his head, and the funeral ceremony was over.

On the seventh day, the funeral was held in the evening. Favourite sat at the table and whispered for a long time, and then read Family First again, and the funeral ceremony was all over.

The dutiful son is not allowed to have his hair cut for a month, and he is not allowed to post red paper couplets at the door that year.

After three or four years, the bones will be picked up and buried in the cylinder, not exceeding five years at most.

If a pregnant woman dies of dystocia or a serious infectious disease, her body will be carried to the wild and cremated with 12 bundle of firewood. If the victim dies or the cause of death is unknown, the mortuary will not be buried until the case is ascertained.

At present, bad funeral habits have been abandoned.

Seven. festival

(1) The traditional festivals of the Dong people are:

1, Spring Festival, this festival lasts for a long time, from February 24, 65438, when the villages beat gongs and ended at midnight on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Every night from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, every family has to worship their ancestors. People living in the same room and their families can hold it together, burn incense and paper money, and have dinner together after the whole family worships. On the second, third and fourth days of the New Year, adults, especially unmarried young people, in Dong Tian, Daliao Gorge, Yang Peng, Wushi Gorge and Sankeng Village put on new clothes and rushed to their accustomed places to play. No matter how far it was, they arrived at their destination on time. There are groups of people in groups of three or five, some in pairs, some chatting and laughing, some singing folk songs or pouring out their worries. In short, they are all happy. Men and women are congenial, that is, both men and women can go home or live with relatives nearby.

Send the lazy one day. The fifth day of the lunar new year is lazy day. At dawn, the master cleaned the house and said a spell. After sweeping, put the garbage in the dung dustpan, then string pork and a rice cake with a chopstick, insert it on it, send it out of the house, close the door behind you, dump the garbage on the roadside, burn incense and set off firecrackers.

2. The first day of the first month to the tenth day of the first month is "God sends the day". Pork, tofu, wine and so on. Show it in the hall, light incense, light candles and burn paper money. Ask the master to send "the ancestral home to the underworld first" and the festival will be over. If you don't go out to visit relatives on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, you can't go home on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, which means "seven don't go, eight don't come back".

3. Woby Festival The first day of February is Woby (Sparrow) Festival, also called beak seal. On this day, we should stick white paper on the stick and insert it on the base of the whole field to drive away birds and protect crops from them, so there is no need to sacrifice to God.

4. Tomb-Sweeping Day built a grave, placed glutinous rice, pork and live chickens in front of the grave, burned incense and made paper money for ancestor worship. If you visit Gong * * *' s grave, please ask touts to handle affairs, use divination to distinguish good and bad luck, and go home for dinner after the sacrifice.

5. Ghost Festival July 15 is "Ghost Festival". Cut white paper into clothes, put them at the fork in the road, kill chickens to get blood, and then cremate them, offering sacrifices to "lonely souls without owners" in all directions. However, the Yao people in Dongping and Shibei do not have this kind of sacrifice. They just make bamboo leaves and worship their ancestors' "family ancestors" at home or in many halls.

6. Taste the New Year Festival. The first day of October is a festival to taste the New Year, commonly known as the October Dynasty. Sacrificing the family to celebrate the harvest first means feeding the cows every day, sticking horns, tying the waist and tying the tail. /kloc-after 0/5 days, in order to "release bison", let them go home without being monitored. If you don't come back at night, go up the mountain and look for it. Cattle farmers are not responsible for eating crops. However, the frost period in Yaoshan is early, and the winter harvest is generally completed at this time.

The Yao people in Dongping celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival because they are close to the Han area.

(2) The festivals of Yaos in the west.

Almost like the festivals of the Han nationality, the Lantern Festival on the first and fifteenth day of the first month, the fifth day of May, the fifteenth day of July and the winter solstice in November are all big festivals.

Eight, art

(1) Embroidery Yao embroidery is mostly used in clothing, such as clothes, headscarves, women's belts, aprons, children's hats, etc., all of which are embroidered with various bright and dazzling patterns. According to the traditional customs of Yao nationality, headscarf is a precious gift for young women when they get married and fall in love. Therefore, most Yao girls began to learn embroidery at the age of eleven or twelve. Young and middle-aged women carry sewing kits into the mountains to work, and take them out carefully whenever they have time. This habit is passed down from generation to generation. Clothing with embroidery patterns:

1. There are two kinds of headscarves: white and cyan. A square with a length of 2 meters and a width of 30.5 cm, and patterns with a width of 3 cm are embroidered at both ends. Each row of the square has animal-shaped patterns, and the four corners have characters or stamens, and the chrysanthemum patterns, gardenia patterns, animal-shaped patterns and human-shaped patterns at both ends cooperate to form a belt-shaped pattern.

2. The fabric and pattern of the belt are the same as the headscarf, but the difference is that there are many patterns embroidered in the middle of the belt. Men and women wear the same belt.

This shirt is embroidered with a square pattern. Men's embroidered chest is a square with a side length of about 10 cm, and the back is a square with a side length of 20-25 cm. Women's coats are embroidered only on the back, and the pattern size is exactly the same as that of men. The pattern of jacket embroidery consists of animal pattern, stamen pattern, human figure pattern, square pattern and gardenia pattern. The patterns of men's and women's coats are somewhat different, and the layout is exactly the same.

4. A piece of cloth embroidered on the top of the bonnet, about 30 cm long and 50-60 cm wide. It is embroidered on a long piece of cloth with patterns and triangular patterns on it. Children's hats are only embroidered with brim and crown.

5. The center of the apron is embroidered with an apron, which is about 10cm long and 3-4 cm wide, and consists of deformed Shou Ziwen, humanoid pattern and ribbon pattern.

Types of embroidery

1, simulating natural form. There are quadrupeds (Yao people interpret it as deer) and people.

2. Evolution of geometric forms. There are square, right triangle, tooth shape, tower shape and so on.

3. There are chrysanthemums, gardenias and Shou Ziwen, a plant handed down from other ethnic groups.

Embroidery method: Embroider in five colors: red, green, yellow, white and black, mainly red and yellow. There are strict rules on color matching. Animal patterns and humanoid patterns are only embroidered in black or white, and no other colors are selected. There are two kinds of fabrics: one is white cotton cloth, and the other is dark blue Beijing green cloth. According to the background color of the cloth, different colors are used for embroidery, so the patterns of various patterns are bright, beautiful and unique.

Nine, music and dance

Yao nationality has created folk music and dance with unique form, content and style in the long historical years. Through these music, dances and programs, Yao people sing praises to history, reflect life and express their joy, pain and wishes.

① Music

1, there are few kinds of Yao musical instruments, and they are usually playing and percussion instruments. Musical instruments include suona, horn and conch. Percussion instruments include long drums, gongs and cymbals. Suona Yao language is called "Fanxi", which is similar in structure to Han nationality, but there are two types: straight and curved.

2. Niu Jiao Yao language is called "Enjiang" or "Enguo", which makes a purr when playing, and is generally used as a signal.

3. Conch Yao language is called "falling fire", which is made of natural conch top opening and is generally used for accompaniment and signaling.

4. Long drum, also known as Fan Xiao drum, is called "Zhuo Da" in Yao language. It is made of logs, about 78-80 cm long, with thick ends and thin middle. When making, dig a shallow hole at both ends and cover it with Mengniu skin. When singing and dancing, it is staggered with the beat.

5. In Yao language, gong is called "falling in winter" and its diameter is about 30-40 cm. There are two holes on the side of the gong, which are hung with ropes and struck with mallets.

6. In Yao language, cymbals are called "farewell". The shape of cymbals is the same as that of Han nationality. Large diameter is about 30 cm, only for fun, small diameter 10-20 cm. You can dance while playing.

(2) Dance

Yao dance has the characteristics of simplicity, simplicity and strong sense of rhythm, and its movements have not changed much. With the rhythm of music, every movement has four directions: southeast, northwest and so on. This traditional dance mainly includes:

1 bronze drum dance (also known as worshipping Wu Wang or dancing king Wu) consists of eight men or half men and half women. Two of them held two bronze bells in their right hands and the king's whip in their left. One of them was wearing a dance costume and holding a bronze bell, while the other four were squatting in circles with cymbals to celebrate the harvest, indicating that life was getting better.

2. Straw mat dance (also known as Huotang) Whenever a big event is held in the cottage, the living room of the main village is covered with portraits of ancestors and 12 oil lamps. Three men danced with straw mats and sang straw mats.

Horse riding dance consists of three men and three women. First, a man stood in the center with a bronze bell in his hand, and others danced around him happily. Then men and women hand in hand in a circle, sometimes jumping up and down, sometimes rotating back and forth, shouting. The atmosphere is warm, expressing gratitude to the ancestors for their gifts. After the harvest every year, the Yao people in the villages of "October Dynasty" will get together to indulge in singing and dancing, celebrate the harvest and thank their ancestors.

4, cymbal dance, also known as string tease dance, consists of four men holding cymbals, dancing and singing around the square table, sometimes facing the table, sometimes facing the outside. Every festival, in memory of their ancestors, people will dance with cymbals.