What are the customs of the Qiang people?

Customs

1. Festivals

The Qiang people attach great importance to the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival, also known as "New Year's Eve", is an important day for Qiang people to reunite. Starting from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every household will sweep the dust, worship the stove, and prepare sumptuous new year goods. On New Year's Eve, pig head meat is roasted as an offering to ancestors and gods. The whole family sits together to have a lively New Year's Eve dinner, and then sits around the firepit to keep the New Year's Eve together. Generally, there is no work or going to the residence on the first day of the new year. Visits between relatives and friends begin after the second grade of junior high school. The Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the New Year is celebrated on the thirtieth day of the first lunar month. Every household is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and various entertainment activities are held.

In addition, the Qiang people also celebrate Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival and other festivals, but the most distinctive ones are the Qiang calendar year, mountain worship meeting and leading song festival.

In the Qiang calendar year, the Qiang language calls it "Ri Mei Ji", which means "a lucky and happy day". Also known as "celebrating the off-year". It was originally a major festival held after harvesting grain in autumn, to offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors, and to fulfill vows to gods. It is held every year on the first day of the tenth lunar month. The celebration time varies from place to place, usually lasting three to five days. In some villages, it lasts until the tenth day of the lunar month. The main activities are votive worship and feasting. The Qiang calendar year was discontinued for a time in the 1980s. It was restored in 1988 and became a common festival for the Qiang people. Various celebrations are held every year in various places in Qiang District.

The Mountain Sacrifice Festival is one of the most solemn traditional festivals of the Qiang people. It is also called Zhuanshan Hui, Pagoda Hui, Heaven-sacrifice Hui, Mountain King Hui, Mountain God Hui or Diao Diao Hui. It is an activity for the Qiang people to offer sacrifices to the White Stone God, which represents many gods such as gods and mountain gods. It is also a grand ceremony for people to pray for prosperity of humans and animals, abundant grains, local peace, and lush forests in the coming year. Due to climate differences in various places, the time and frequency of the festival are not uniform. They can be held in the first month, April, or May, or they can be held once or twice or three times a year.

Leading Song Festival is called "Wa'erzu" in Qiang language. It is mainly popular in Qugu area of ??Maoxian County. It is held every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (if a woman aged 13 to 50 dies in the village, it will not be held that year). It is to commemorate Sister Sharon, the goddess of singing and dancing in the sky. The entire festival lasts for 3 days. Women show their talents and dance happily, while men take care of farming and housework.

2. Marriage

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the marriage of Qiang men and women followed "the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker". Forms of marriage such as "marriage" and "sale marriage". Marriage pays attention to the right match, and there are customs of transferring houses, marrying into a bride, and marrying by robbery. After the founding of New China, independent marriages gradually became more common. But the traditional ceremonial procedures have been preserved to this day. With the economic development of Qiang Village, people's lives have improved, and new content has been added to the marriage rituals of the past. The combination of tradition and modernity brings the traditional culture of the Qiang people into full play and adds to the festive atmosphere.

The main wedding ceremonies include engagement and marriage. In Qiang Village, matchmakers are called "Hong Ye". If a man is interested in a woman, the man's family will prepare a gift and invite Mr. Hong to the woman's home to propose marriage. The bride's family must obtain the consent of her maternal uncle before allowing the marriage. Afterwards, Mr. Hong will bring pig fat, wine and other gifts to the woman's house to have "Xukou wine". Months or years later, the man's family invites Mr. Hong to bring gifts to the woman's house, entertains close relatives with a "small order of wine", and asks Shibi to calculate the birthdays of both parties to determine an auspicious date for the wedding. Immediately afterwards, the groom's family will prepare heavy gifts and go to the bride's family to report the date, and hold a banquet at the bride's house, that is, a "big banquet", as a formal engagement ceremony for the bride's entire family.

After that, the two families began preparations for the wedding, looking forward to the arrival of a good day with "a flower night at the girl's family and a formal banquet at the boy's family". "Flower Night" means a festive party held for the newlyweds, and is the most solemn process of marriage. Usually held on the night before the wedding, the man's party is called "Male Flower Night" and the woman's party is called "Female Flower Night". The man celebrates his wife's marriage and the woman sees her off. On this day, the bride's family is full of guests, and there are sipping wine and 12 "dry plates" (i.e. peanuts, walnuts, red dates, persimmons, apples, oranges, candies, etc., which are full of perfection, auspiciousness, and joy) on the table.

The eloquent wedding team sent by the groom’s family will receive warm hospitality. Both sides should conduct a pansong competition according to customs. Pange means cross-examination by singing, with the form of one question and one answer. The content of the song is extensive, and the form is casual and interesting. Early the next morning, the uncle covered the bride in her wedding dress with red silk. The bride cried and said goodbye to her parents, brothers and clan members. When arriving at the door of the groom's house, Shibi performs a ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods, driving away the "evil spirits" attached to the bride, and then blesses the couple. Everyone held a "hanging red" ceremony for the newlyweds. The newlyweds salute in front of the shrine, firstly to their ancestors for their entrepreneurship, secondly to their parents for their upbringing, thirdly to their husband and wife for their long life together, fourthly to their descendants, then to their relatives and guests, and finally to each other as husband and wife.

After the ceremony, the bride officially becomes a member of the groom’s family. Afterwards, everyone had a feast. That night, the groom's parents lit incense to worship God and blessed the newlyweds. All the guests danced a cheerful Sharon dance around the roaring bonfire in the courtyard. The next day is the day of thanking guests, and the host prepares two more banquet tables to "thank guests." The newlyweds should bring a pig head and a pig tail to thank Mr. Hong, which means they have a head and a tail and are complete. On the third day after the wedding, the newlyweds have to "go home". The groom and his brothers take the bride home carrying wine and meat. The groom only stays at the bride's house for a few days, while the bride can stay for several days, months, or even longer before her husband takes her back and starts family life.

3. Funeral

The burial styles of the Qiang people include cremation, burial, and rock burial.

Cremation has the longest history. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu·Yi Shang" records: "The captives of the Di and Qiang are not worried about their ties, but worried about their death." "Taiping Yulan" Quoting the lost text of "Zhuangzi": "When Qiang people die, they burn and scatter their ashes." Until the middle of the Qing Dynasty, cremation was still preserved in Shaba, Chibusu, Jiaochang and other places in Maoxian County. Each family has its own fire cemetery.

Due to the influence of the Han people and the promotion of the feudal dynasty, most areas used burial as the main burial method, and it has been retained to this day. Every village has the custom of arriving uninvited and helping with funeral arrangements. The bereaved family must notify relatives in a timely manner, report the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased to the mother-in-law's family, ask Shibi to kill a sheep for sacrifice, and calculate the burial date. Usually three days later, everyone buries the deceased under the Feng Shui treasure. The family members should light a bonfire in front of the new grave, burn cypress branches, and offer incense, wax, tobacco, wine, and meat as a memorial. Three days after the burial, sacrifices are prepared and the cemetery is repaired. At this point, the funeral ceremony ended.

Cliff burials mainly exist in some places in Beichuan. If a child dies under the age of three, he or she is buried in a beehive bucket or a simple wooden box and placed in a rock cave.

Extended information:

History

Since the 1950s, people have successively settled in Jiangweicheng and Lizhou, Weizhou, Wenchuan County, in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River and along the Zagunao River. Neolithic cultural sites have been discovered in Jianshan Village, Yingpan Mountain, Maoxian County and other places. A large number of sarcophagus burials from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty have also been discovered, such as the Cuojishan sarcophagus burials in Maoxian County, the Moutuo sarcophagus burials and accompanying pits, and the Jiashan sarcophagus burials in Lixian County.

The unearthed artifacts include pottery, stoneware, woodware, bronzeware, etc. These archaeological discoveries not only prove that the areas where the Qiang people are distributed today have been inhabited and multiplied by humans for a long time, but also provide new information and clues for exploring the origins of ancient culture in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River.

The Qiang people originated from the ancient Qiang people. The ancient Qiang people are famous for their sheep herding. They are not only an important part of the Chinese nation, but also have a broad and far-reaching influence on the development of Chinese history and the formation of the Chinese nation.

"Qiang" was originally a general name used by ancient people for the nomadic tribes living in the western part of the motherland. The Yellow River, Huangshui River, Taohe River, Datong River and the upper reaches of Minjiang River in Sichuan in present-day Gansu and Qinghai were the activity centers of the ancient Qiang people. According to historical records, during the Yin and Shang Dynasties, Qiang was one of the "Fang Kingdoms", and its leaders held official positions in the court. Some of them live a nomadic life, and some are engaged in agricultural production.

The "Book of Songs·Song of Shang" records: "In the past, there was a soup, and the Di Qiang came from there. No one dared not to come and enjoy it, and no one dared not to come to the king...", which reflects the close relationship between the ancient Qiang and the Yin and Shang Dynasties. relation. Many records about "Qiang" in oracle bone inscriptions show that the Qiang people were very active on the historical stage at that time.

During the Zhou Dynasty, the Qiang species "ginger" had a close relationship with the Zhou Dynasty, and a large number of Qiang people integrated into China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Yiqu State founded by the Qiang people included present-day eastern Gansu, northern Shaanxi, Ningxia and the area south of Hetao. It was an important force that united the Central Plains countries and fought a war with Qin for more than 170 years. . The Rong groups, whose main components were the Qiang people, were gradually integrated into the Qin state.

The Qiang people living in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Huangshui River Basin in Gansu and Qinghai are still in a state of "less grain, more livestock, and hunting as their main occupation". In the "Book of the Later Han·Biography of the Western Qiang", it is said that during the reign of Duke Li of Qin, the Qiang people were captured without Yi Yuanjian. After escaping back to their hometown, they taught the Qiang people how to "field animals". From then on, the Qiang people began to have primitive agricultural production, which increased their population. An account of economic development.

After that, the Qiang people further developed and differentiated. "Book of the Later Han·Biography of the Western Qiang" records: "At the time of Ren, the great grandson of Yuanjian, Duke Xiang of Qin was first established... and his people were attached to the south, and they were thousands of miles west of the Qizhi River. They were far away from others and no longer had any communication with them. After that, the descendants each raised their own species, and they could do whatever they wanted. They might be called the Yaoxian breed, which is the Yuexi Qiang; they might be called the Baima breed, which is the Guanghan Qiang; or they could be called the Shenlang breed, which is the Wudu Qiang. "This period. , the Qiang people in the northwest carried out large-scale, long-distance migrations under pressure from the Qin State.

The Qiang people in the Han Dynasty were widely distributed and had many tribes. In order to isolate the contact between the Huns and the Qiang people, the Han Dynasty established four counties in the Hexi Corridor: Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Zhangye and Wuwei. It established a local administrative system and established important official positions such as Qiang school captains to manage Qiang affairs. At the same time, a large number of surrendered Qiang people moved inward and were divided into Eastern Qiang and Western Qiang geographically.

The Eastern Qiang who entered the Central Plains settled in the Senei and mixed with the Han people, intermarried, and integrated, engaged in agricultural production, and the private economy developed to a certain extent, and gradually entered a feudal society. Most of the Western Qiang that have not entered the Central Plains are scattered in the northwest and southwest regions, including the Nuo Qiang in the southern edge of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, the Fa Qiang and Tang Yak in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, and the Yak Qiang, Baima Qiang, Qingyi Qiang, Shenlang Qiang and others in the southwestern region. There are many Qiang tribes in Ranganqiang. Among them, the Yak Qiang was first distributed in Shenli County (the county is located in Jiuxiang Town, Hanyuan County, Sichuan), and then continued southward to Yuexi County (now the Anning River Basin and the lower reaches of the Yalong River in Sichuan).

Baima Qiang is mainly distributed in the northwest of Mianyang City, Sichuan and the south of Wudu City, Gansu. The Qingyi Qiang lived in the area of ??Ya'an City in present-day western Sichuan. Shenlangqiang is mainly found in Wudu City, Gansu Province, especially in the Bailongjiang area. The Ranqiang Qiang are distributed in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River and the vast area in northwest Sichuan. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of the Nanman and Southwest Yi" records: "The Ranqiang people were founded by Emperor Wu. In the sixth year of Yuanding, they were named Wenshan County...There are six barbarians in the mountain." Qiang, Qi Qiang, and Jiu Di each have their own tribes." This shows that the Qiang people account for a large proportion among them, and the development level of each tribe is very uneven, and most of them are still in the clan and tribe stage.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Di people Fu Jian established the Pre-Qin regime, and the Nan'an Qiang Yao family established the Post-Qin regime. The power of the Later Qin regime was located in the south of the Northern Wei Dynasty and in the north of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It ruled the Qiang people and other ethnic groups in the Central Plains for 33 years. After that, several Qiang tribes emerged one after another. That is, the Dangchang Qiang in Longnan, and the Dengzhi Qiang on the Sichuan-Gansu border and in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River. Both of them have existed for more than 140 years. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the late Western Jin Dynasty, most of the Qiang people in the north had basically integrated into the Han nationality.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Qiang tribes active in Gansu and Qinghai and the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau included Dangxiang, Dongnu, Bailan, Xishan Baguo, Baigou, Fuguo, etc. Among them, the Xishan Baguo were located west of the Chengdu Plain and The collective name for the various mountains in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River. They were between the Central Plains dynasty and the Tubo forces. Some were assimilated to the Tibetan people, some were attached to the Central Plains Dynasty, or were assimilated to the Han people, or they survived in the cracks. They were able to survive and develop independently under the long-term and uncertain situation of war between Tang and Tibet.

After the Song Dynasty, some of the Qiang people who migrated south and the Qiang people in the Western Mountains developed into Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, and some developed into the current Qiang ethnic group. The widely circulated narrative poem "Qiangge War" of the Qiang people records: In ancient times, the Qiang people once lived in the northwest prairie. Due to wars and natural disasters, they were forced to move westward and southward. A group of Qiang people who moved south encountered The strong "Gorgi people" fought on both sides. The Qiang people were defeated repeatedly. They were about to abandon their land and move away. However, they received God's revelation in their dreams. They tied woolen threads around their necks as a symbol of peace. Mark, using hard dolomite and wooden sticks as weapons, defeated the "Gogi people", and finally was able to live and work in peace and contentment, and was divided into nine branches and scattered throughout the country. This legend reflects a period of migration history of the Qiang people. Combined with historical documents and archaeological data, it confirms the origin of the Qiang people.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, some Qiang people moved from Sichuan to the Tongren area of ??Guizhou. At this point, the distribution pattern of the Qiang people was basically formed.

After 1840, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country. Like other ethnic groups in the country, the Qiang people also faced imperialist aggression and exploitation and oppression by the feudal ruling class. To this end, the Qiang people, together with people of other ethnic groups, fought bravely and unyieldingly against imperialism, reactionary officials and the feudal ruling class, and made their own contributions to the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation.

In 1841, during the Opium War, the Qiang people and the Tibetan and Yi people formed an army of 2,000 people and marched to the front line in Zhejiang. In the Battle of Zhenhai, Ningbo, they severely damaged the British invading army. In 1894, the remnants of a chieftain named Kun in the Qiang area relied on feudal privileges to exploit the people they belonged to, arousing strong opposition from more than 170 Qiang households in Heihu Village and other places.

They unanimously listed 23 crimes against Tusi Kun to the Qing government, launched a face-to-face struggle with the remnants of the feudal chieftain, and finally forced the Qing Dynasty to "remove the crown of Tusi Kun and hand it over to the state for inspection." In 1905, the Qing Dynasty established the "Official Salt Store" in Maozhou and implemented a monopoly on the sale of salt. The profits from the operation aroused the armed resistance of the Qiang people, forcing the Qing government to announce the cancellation of the "Official Salt Store" and allow the free sale of salt.

After the birth of the Communist Party of China in 1921, the Qiang people's anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle entered a new historical stage. The Qiang people in Jiashanzhai, Tonghua Township, Li County and other places, in order to resist the exorbitant taxes imposed by the Kuomintang government, rallied to kill the head of the regiment who had committed many crimes. From 1924 to 1926, the Tibetan and Qiang people in Li County resisted the oppression of the feudal warlords by exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. More than 2,000 people captured the county seat of Li County, and also attacked Wenchuan, Maoxian, Songpan and other places. The struggle lasted for three years and dealt a severe blow. The arrogance of the Kuomintang reactionaries.

In 1935, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army passed through the Qiang ethnic areas on their Long March. Under the leadership of the Party, the Qiang people established a workers’ and peasants’ revolutionary regime and launched a vigorous agrarian revolution. They love the people's army and actively join the army to support the frontline. In Maoxian County alone, more than 1,000 people participated in the Red Army's march north to fight against Japan, and tens of thousands of migrant workers provided logistical support for the Red Army. After the Red Army went north to resist Japan, the Kuomintang came back and implemented a white terror rule in the Qiang areas. The Qiang people, tempered by the revolution, continued to wage a heroic and unyielding struggle against the reactionaries.

In 1942, the "Maobei Incident" broke out in Maoxian County. The commissioner and county magistrate of Maoxian County sent troops to loot some villages in Canling Township, North Road, Maoxian County in the name of "sweeping smoke", which aroused strong indignation among the local Qiang and Han people. They eliminated the security squadron that went to search, and took advantage of the situation to directly attack the county seat of Maoxian County, defeating the Kuomintang troops defending the city and surrounding the county seat. Although this struggle ultimately failed due to the bribery and division of the Kuomintang, the momentum of the struggle dealt a powerful blow to the enemy and demonstrated the indomitable revolutionary struggle spirit of the Qiang people.

In 1947, the Qiang people in Longping, Sanqi and other townships in Mao County launched another armed uprising known as the "Longping Incident". The incident originated from the conflict between the Kuomintang government and some Qiang upper-class ruling classes, and later developed into an armed uprising of the Qiang people against the Kuomintang rule. This struggle ultimately failed due to the betrayal of the Qiang ruling class, but once again demonstrated the great power of the people.

Reference: Qiang_Baidu Encyclopedia