Folk customs of Jinan

Landscape: From the provincial capital Kunming, where the '99 World Horticultural Expo was held, to the "romantic" Dali scenic spot; from the plateau water city Lijiang, the magical "Shangri-La" - Zhongdian, to Xishuangbanna where peacocks dance gracefully ; From the stone forest, which is the "most wonder in the world", to the Yuanmou Earth Forest in various forms, to the rare "Three Rivers" flowing side by side in the world, the Tiger Leaping Gorge with narrow rivers and fierce water, these completely different mountain scenery is like a natural landscape. Every visitor to the Natural History Museum will deeply feel that this is a magical place that is vast, passionate, profound and charming.

Beautiful and fertile Yunnan is a treasure land in the southwestern frontier of the motherland. It has vast land, magnificent mountains and rivers, and rich resources. It is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation. As early as 1.7 million years ago, Yuanmou people thrived here. This is an important passage and port on the "Southern Silk Road" in ancient China. Yunnan has 10 national-level scenic spots and 48 provincial-level scenic spots. Shandong Province has a mountain with an altitude of 6,740 meters and is covered with snow all year round. No one has been able to climb the peak yet; ancient and dense virgin forests, steep and deep canyons, stone forests formed by karst landforms and Jiuxiang caves and other wonders.

Raosanling

Also known as "Raosanling", it started in Nanzhao. It was originally a ritual of ancient religious sacrifices, and later gradually evolved into cultural, sports, entertainment and outings for the Bai people. The event is a national grand event. Every year from the 23rd to the 25th of April in the lunar calendar, the Bai people around Erhai Lake gather in red and green teams to participate in the event, hanging colorful silk, gourds, mosquito brooms, and Wearing fans and towels, one person sang the lead and the other beat the beat, followed by a man and a woman, singing tunes, beating the king's whip, playing the three-stringed qin and the yueqin, singing and dancing, from the eastern foot of Cangshan Mountain to Qingdong, Xizhou and Jinhe. Visiting the three capitals along the road is "going around the three spirits". The Three Spirits refer to the three capitals of Buddha, God and Immortal.

Ta Ge of the Yi Nationality

Ta Ge, also known as Ta Ge, is more popular in Weishan, Nanjian, Yangbi and other counties. It can be roughly divided into animal dances that simulate animal postures. There are two categories of fun dances to express emotions. Generally, songs are performed at weddings, funerals, and national festivals. The dance steps are mainly at the feet, including stepping, kicking, stomping, lifting, kicking, jumping, etc. You can dance and sing at will. Compile lyrics and add fixed lyrics. Possessed and harmonious, free and easy, when intense, enthusiastic and unrestrained, emotional. The tune of Dage is composed of two parts played by gourd sheng and bamboo flute. Combined with the tune of Dage sung by people, it forms a three-part Dage music. The musical effect is very strong. This special harmony, in It is rare among other Da Ge.

At the same time, "Three-day Street", "Torch Festival", "Butterfly Festival", "Flower Festival", "Shibaoshan Song Festival", "Water Splashing Festival", "Flower Boat Race", "Yao "Sea Hui", "Yutan Hui", "Chrysanthemum Hui", "Benzhu Festival", etc. are also famous folk customs in Yunnan.

Bai Customs

Bai men in the Dali area mostly wear white double-breasted tops, lace black-collared jackets, white or blue wide trousers, and white buns on their heads. Embroidered shoulder bag. Bai women wear white shirts, bright red, blue or light blue collared jackets, trousers made of gray-blue or green fabrics with embroidery and lace corners, embroidered shoes on their feet, and waistbands embroidered with patterns such as flowers and birds. Embroidered short apron.

Bai weddings are lively and complicated, usually lasting three days. The wedding day is called "the wedding day", the first day is called "stepping on the shed", and the day after is called "the individual guest". Among them, the first two days are more distinctive. On the night of "stepping on the shed", you have to sing "bench opera" at the groom's house.

The architecture of Bai folk houses in Dali area has unique local style and ethnic characteristics. Most of Bai folk houses are closed buildings. The courtyard wall opposite the main house is usually built with a screen wall. The scale of the screen wall is well proportioned and the appearance is very beautiful. . In addition to paying attention to the exquisite shape, the screen wall also pays great attention to decoration, making the screen wall appear more elegant and beautiful.

Mosuo Customs

The Mosuo, known as "Mosha" in ancient times, are one of the indigenous ethnic groups in Ninglang. Their origins belong to the ancient nomadic "Yak Qiang" in my country. The special social and geographical environment has enabled the Yongning Mosuo people to retain their unique and magical customs and etiquette. The legendary family marriage pattern of the Mosuo people on the banks of Lugu Lake has become the most mysterious and attractive matrilineal cultural wonder in this ancient land in the East, forming a confusing and distant dream. When the children of the Pumi and Mosuo people reach the age of 13, they must hold a coming-of-age ceremony.

The Mosuo people still retain the matrilineal marriage form of human beings. There are two forms of Axia marriage popular among the Mosuo people, namely Axia exogamy and Axia cohabitation marriage. The Mosuo people worship nature and believe in gods. They believe that everything in the heaven and earth, the sun, moon, water, fire, wind, rain, thunder and lightning are controlled by the gods. Therefore, they have gradually formed various forms of sacrificial methods over a long period of time.

Mosuo people’s New Year celebrations are divided into big year and small year. The Little New Year is celebrated on the 12th day of the 11th lunar month every year. Every village drinks and eats meat, sings and dances carnivally, and the herders receive preferential treatment. The whole family will give gifts such as pig fat, sausages, eggs, and daddy to the herders. They also tie a red cloth on the tail of the livestock to mark the new year. Herders go to the mountains for picnics to worship the mountain gods, praying for abundant water and grass and prosperity for their livestock in the coming year. The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month every year. Two green pine trees should be planted in front of the main house in the yard, and pine branches and colorful prayer flags should be placed on the roof. Boiled pig heads are served on the table as offerings to ancestors and gods, and young people engage in activities such as wrestling, playing on swings, folk songs, and folk dances.

Their traditional festival is the Zhuanshan Festival. Every year on the 25th of the seventh lunar month, the Mosuo people by the lake dress up and go to the "Gem Goddess Mountain" to worship.

Benzhu worship

Benzhu worship is a universal religious belief unique to the Bai people. "Benzhu" is the owner of the local area, that is, the protector of a village or a certain region.

The Bai people have a long history of belief in their own master. Every village has regular grand festivals to worship the Lord every year, which is one of the major religious activities in the village. It is said that this day is the birthday of the Lord, and the worship time varies from place to place. The gods worshiped in different places are also different. There are gods worshiped by nature, heroes worshiped as gods, rulers of Nanzhao and Dali and their relatives, Nanzhao generals, etc.

Folk marriage customs

"Axia Marriage"

The Mosuo people living by the Hugu Lake still follow a custom of "a man will not marry a woman, but a woman will not marry him". The custom of "walking marriage". The Mosuo people call this kind of marriage "Axia marriage" ("Axia" means an intimate couple). After an adult man and woman fall in love and establish an "Axia" marriage relationship, the man goes to live in the woman's home at night and returns before dawn the next day, and each lives and works at his own home. The length of the "Asha" relationship depends on the feelings of both parties. Women occupy a dominant position in the family in production and childbirth. Children take their mother's surname and their bloodline is calculated based on their mother. This kind of "matrilineal family" and "Asha marriage" customs still exist on the earth, and they are called the living fossils of early human marriage.

Robbing or running away marriages

Robbing or running away marriages was a custom among the Naxi people in Lijiang before liberation. A man and a woman have feelings for each other through love and have made a private decision for life. However, they are opposed by the woman's parents, or they are worried about the objection of the woman's parents, so the man and woman adopt the practice of snatching the bride or running away from the marriage to get married. In ancient times, some of the reasons for kidnapping or running away marriages were that the woman's family had difficulty in life and was unable to provide a large dowry. Of course, this custom no longer exists today.

Coming of Age Ceremony

Mosuo and Pumi children must hold a coming of age ceremony when they reach the age of 13. The ceremony is always held in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and takes place under the two pillars below the fire pit in the main house of the home. The column on the right is the female column, and the column on the left is the male column. The boy stands under the male pillar and the girl stands under the female pillar, with one foot stepping on pig fat and the other on a grain bag, symbolizing inexhaustible food all year round. The girl is dressed in beautiful dresses, hair and accessories by her mother. The boy was given a sword by his uncle. After the coming-of-age ceremony, you are considered an adult and can participate in various social activities.

Fighting on the wedding night

The Yi wedding in Xiaoliangshan is quite special. On the night of the wedding, the newlyweds have to fight fiercely. The bride should poke the groom with bamboo sticks and catch the groom with her hands, leaving blood marks on the groom's hands and face to show the bride's chastity and dignity.

Yunnan’s “Eighteen Eccentrics”

Yunnan Province has many ethnic groups, and each ethnic group has its own unique social structure, lifestyle, and customs. The "Eighteen Yunnan Monsters", which are widely circulated and have many versions, are also a manifestation of Yunnan's national customs to a certain extent.

One version goes like this: "Eggs are sold on skewers with straw, rice cakes are cooked with bait cubes, three mosquitoes stir-fry vegetables, stones grow to the sky, and straw hats are taken off to use as pot lids. Wear the same clothes for all seasons, there are many old ladies who are good at farming, bamboo tubes can be used as hookahs, pocket ponies are capable, grasshoppers can be used as food for wine, good melons and vegetables are produced all year round, good cigarettes are smoked but not sold, thatch is sold well at home and abroad, and there are no trains The car is fast, the man takes the baby when he goes out, the cave can compete with the fairyland, everyone loves the rice noodles that cross the bridge, and the flowers bloom all year round." This jingle reflects the colorful ethnic customs of Yunnan to a certain extent.