On the Lahu and Bulang Nationalities

Brief introduction of nationalities

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Blang (BL)

Blang (BL)

Some Bulang people call themselves Brown and Gang, while others call themselves Awa, Alva, Iwa, Wa and Wenggong. Han or Dai people call it "Puman", "Puman" and "Meng".

General situation of nationalities

One of the ethnic minorities in China. The population is 82,000 (1990). Mainly distributed in Xishuangbanna, Lincang and Simao areas of Yunnan Province. Mainly engaged in agriculture. He has his own national language and can speak Dai. Believe in Hinayana Buddhism.

The Bulang people in China are mainly distributed in Menghai and Jinghong in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province and Shuangjiang, Yongde, Yunxian, Gengma, Lancang and Mojiang counties in Lincang area. According to the statistics of the fifth national census in 2000, the population of Bulang nationality is 9 1882. Brown language is used, belonging to the Wabenglong branch of the Mon-Khmer language family of South Asian language family, which is divided into two dialects: Brown and Awa. Some people can speak Dai, Wa or Chinese. If there is no mother tongue, some people can speak Chinese and Dai.

national history

Bulang nationality is an ancient nation. According to historical documents, Yongchang area is the area where Gupu people live. There are many tribes and they are widely distributed. They have been active in the Lancang River and Nujiang River basins for a long time. One of the "ordinary people" is probably the ancestor of the Bulang people today. Since the Western Han Dynasty set up Yizhou County in Yunnan to administer Xitang (Baoshan) and Buwei (south of Baoshan), the area where Pu people lived has been included in the counties of the Western Han Dynasty. During the Western Jin Dynasty, some Pu people in Yongchang moved southward to Zhenkang, Fengqing and Lincang. It was called "Puziman" in Tang Dynasty and "Puman" in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, so-called names such as "Pu Ren", "Pu Zi", "Pu Zi", "Pu Man" and "Pu Ren" appeared in the literature, which were more widely distributed. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Puren was ruled by Nanzhao and Dali regimes. In the Ming Dynasty, Shunning Prefecture was established, and Pu Touren was appointed as the local magistrate. Later, some ordinary people who originally lived in southern Yunnan developed into the Bulang people now.

After the founding of New China, according to the wishes of this nation, they were collectively called Bulang nationality. Before liberation, the Bulang people living on Brown Mountain still kept the remnants of the primitive commune to varying degrees. The Bulang people living in Pingba area entered the stage of economic development of feudal landlords because of the influence of the Han and Dai nationalities with relatively rapid economic and cultural development. The area where Bulang people live has a mild climate and rich products. They are mainly engaged in agricultural production and are good at planting tea trees, which is the origin of the famous Pu 'er tea. The Bulang nationality in Brown Mountain implements the mother-child joint name system. The child was named three days after birth, and the mother's name was linked with the child's name.

socioeconomics

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the social development in Bulang ethnic areas was very unbalanced, which can be roughly divided into two types: Bulangshan, Xiding and Bada areas in Menghai, Xishuangbanna, where there were remnants of primitive communes to varying degrees; Influenced by the Han nationality and other ethnic groups, Lincang and Simao areas have developed rapidly in economy and culture, and have entered the stage of feudal landlord economy development. Most Bulang villages in Xishuangbanna have the characteristics of rural communes, consisting of several to a dozen families with different blood ties. Means of production, houses, livestock, etc. All of them are owned by individual families, and land ownership retains three types of family public ownership, village public ownership and private ownership to varying degrees. A few villages retain the characteristics of family communes. Family commune is composed of several small families from the same ancestor (called "sudden roll" in Brownian, that is, "clan or clan group"). The land, trees and pastures within the family are all owned by all members of "A Gung". Before spring sowing every year, the householder presides over the allocation of land by households, and the harvest belongs to each household respectively. This kind of land, whether it is a family or an individual, has only the right to use and cannot be bought or sold. The community far away from the village owns the land, which is directly managed by the village community, and all members of the village community are free to farm. In modern times, private ownership of land has emerged in the land owned by families and village communities. Cultivated land, homestead and tea garden in individual villages are transformed into the ownership of ancestors and rich households through buying and selling or looting in disguise. The head of the village community is generally elected; Ba, the leader of the village, was appointed by the Dai leader and regularly collected taxes and taxes for the Dai lords. The production level of Bulang people in this area is very low. In Lincang and Simao areas where feudal landlords developed economically, landlords and rich peasants brutally exploited poor peasants through usury, pawn, trading, mortgage and relying on political privileges. The Kuomintang government implemented the reactionary Baojia system, colluded with local landlords and bullies, blackmailed and paid Latin currency, which further deepened the suffering of the Bulang people. Bulang people are mainly engaged in agriculture, planting upland rice, corn and beans, and also planting tea and cotton more generally.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the Bulang people, under the leadership of China Producers' Party, realized their right to be masters of their own affairs. The Party and the government proceed from the reality of Bulang ethnic areas, distinguish different situations and carry out land reform in Bulang ethnic areas step by step. 1In the spring of 953, land reform was completed in economically developed areas, and in the autumn of 956, land reform was carried out peacefully in economically backward areas. For areas where there are still remnants of primitive communes, we will gradually eliminate the remnants of backward systems by vigorously developing production and carrying out mutual assistance and cooperation. With the help of the party and brothers, they gradually reclaimed paddy fields, built water conservancy projects, changed slash-and-burn cultivation into intensive cultivation, changed reclamation into fixed rotation, and agricultural production developed rapidly. The output of tea in the area of Menghai Palm Mountain has greatly increased, making it one of the main bases for China to export "Pu 'er tea". The commerce and trade in Bulang area has developed rapidly, and ethnic trading companies have been established in various places, and some villages have established buying and selling shops, and the total value of commodity sales has increased year by year. The culture, education and health in Bulang area have also made great progress. Primary schools have been generally established, and clinics and medical teams have been set up. Diseases such as dysentery and malaria, which were prevalent in the past, have been basically controlled, and people's health has been greatly improved.

Culture and art

The culture and art of Bulang nationality are rich and colorful, and there is rich oral literature among the people, with many beautiful and moving story poems and lyric narrative poems circulating, with a wide range of topics. Song and dance are greatly influenced by Dai people's songs and dances, and are accompanied by musical instruments such as elephant foot drums, cymbals and small three-stringed instruments. Brown people in Brown Mountain area are good at "knife dance", and their dance is vigorous and powerful. Boys and girls like dancing in circles. On holidays or wedding occasions, the Bulang people in Mojiang are popular with "dancing songs".

National marriage custom

The marriage of the Bulang nationality is outside the clan, and monogamy is practiced. Pure boys and girls are relatively free in love and marriage, but there are also phenomena of parental interference.

The Bulang people have the habit of living by their wives. When the boys and girls of Bulang nationality are 14 or 15 years old, they will hold a ceremony of "painting their teeth". At that time, boys and girls would get together and burn black smoke from mangroves with iron pots to dye each other's teeth for the opposite sex. Dyeing teeth means entering adulthood and being able to participate in social activities in the village openly.

"String girls" is the traditional love way of Bulang people. The love and marriage of Bulang youth are very free and supported by family and society. Whenever the moon rises, the boys put on their new clothes, hold the three sages, and come to the girl's bamboo building together, competing to impress the girl's heart with witty language and enthusiastic singing. Dressed-up girls also lit the fireplace early, opened the door, invited boys in, and expressed their love for their sweetheart in ingenious ways such as singing, handing out cigarettes and serving tea. A string of girls in the brown mountain area can go together or go alone at night. It is a common form of ideological, cultural and emotional communication between young men and women.

When men and women are deeply in love, men will propose to women. Many places in Brown Mountain use flowers as a medium to propose marriage. The young man gave the girl flowers picked from the mountain. When the girl confirmed that the young man really loved her, she chose the most beautiful flower from the bouquet and put it on her head to show her consent to the marriage.

Brown's wedding is also unusual. A couple's wedding will be held two or three times. After the first engagement, the girl was taken to the man's house to tie the thread. After that, the bride and groom went home. Although the groom will stay at his father's house every night, he will still go back to his home to work and live during the day. It was not until the second wedding that the bride officially married into her husband's family as a daughter-in-law. The third wedding is usually held after the child is born. This time, we must kill pigs and cattle, and have a wedding banquet to entertain relatives and friends in the village.

national costume

The Bulang people wear simple clothes, and the clothing of the Bulang people is similar everywhere. The man wears a double-breasted collarless coat, black trousers and black or white cloth on his head. Women's clothes are similar to Dai people, wearing tight collarless tops, red, green or black skirts, a bun and a big bun. The dress of Bulang women in JD.COM is basically the same as that of the local Han nationality. In the past, Bulang men had the custom of tattooing, with various patterns tattooed on their limbs, chest and abdomen. Women like to wear big earrings, silver bracelets and other decorations. Girls love wild flowers or homemade colorful flowers and dye their cheeks red. Men usually wear black or cyan trousers and a hooded double-breasted collarless coat. Both men and women like drinking, dyeing their hair and smoking.

Ethnic diet

Rice is the staple food, supplemented by corn, wheat, soybeans, peas and other miscellaneous grains. I like hot and sour food, and I like alcohol and tobacco. Women have the habit of chewing betel nut, and it is beautiful to dye their teeth black. I like to stew rice into rice with gongs or clay pots. Especially good at cooking bamboo rice. When cooking, choose a fresh section of bamboo, fill it with rice and appropriate amount of water, cook it with fire, cut open the bamboo tube and use half as a bowl. Rice dipped in bamboo pulp, with the fragrance of Hsinchu and charcoal, is delicious.

Cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens are the most common meats, and they often prey on game and insects. The cooking techniques of dishes are mostly stir-fried and cold salad. Many game, fish, shrimp, crabs, cicadas, insects and other foods are generally cooked by frying, frying and steaming. Such as: crab, fried spider, cicada sauce, etc. Sour food, such as sour bamboo shoots, sour meat, sour fish, etc. , often pickled. The production method is basically the same as that of other local ethnic groups such as Dai, but Bulang people often put a layer of rice on pickled cabbage.

I like drinking, most of which are brewed at home. Among them, jade wine is the most famous. This wine is green after being filtered by the leaves of a plant called Rubus, which is very similar to the color of jade, hence the name. The Bulang people are bold and straightforward, and there is a custom among friends that "anyone who drinks will get drunk".

Drinking tea is another hobby of Bulang people. They are good at making tea. Bamboo tea and yogurt tea are unique to Bulang people. Folk also often make sour tea as a gift for relatives and friends.

Brown women living in Brown Mountain in Xishuangbanna, especially pregnant women, are addicted to local red soil, which is said to have the effect of stopping vomiting, removing fishy smell and refreshing themselves.

National architecture

Bulang people's housing construction is a dry bamboo building, which is divided into two floors, with livestock closed downstairs and people living upstairs. Brown village is usually home to three, five to dozens of families with the same blood. The house is a two-story tile-roofed house with bamboo and wood structure. There are purlins, bedrooms and terraces upstairs. The lower floor is generally used as a warehouse and a place for raising livestock. There is a fire pit in the center of the house. The fire pit is a place where the family eats and entertains guests, and beds are placed around the fire pit at night.

Social customs and habits

The funeral customs of Bulang nationality are basically the same everywhere. After death, please ask the Buddha or mage to recite the scriptures to exorcise ghosts and have a funeral within three days. Generally, there are public cemeteries in villages, which are divided by family or surname. Burials are common, but the dead are killed and cremation is practiced in some places.

Bulang nationality is a nation that can sing and dance well. They often sing and dance to celebrate grand festivals. Accompanied by various musical instruments, as well as martial arts and acrobatics.

Young Bulang people have to learn to sing all kinds of songs and play all kinds of musical instruments since childhood. The music tunes of Bulang nationality can be divided into four types: throwing, killing, pulling and composing. Its characteristic is sensational; The slaughter is in high spirits and very lively; Chorus customized songs adapted by Suo, with small three strings; Tunes are used to praise national heroes and vigorous freshmen, and are used in duets in grand concerts. The lead singer often improvises lyrics according to the scene.

Bulang dance includes festival dance and Buddhist ritual dance. The dance is called different places, Xishuangbanna, Shidian, Zhenkang, Yunxian, Jingdong and Mojiang. "Dancing" means dancing and singing. Because Bulang men love martial arts, martial arts are often integrated with singing and dancing. Such as long knife dance, throwing stick dance, boxing dance, etc. , neat action, strong fitness. The elephant-foot drum dance, clapping dance, monkey dance and tea affairs of Bulang nationality in Xishuangbanna mostly come from people's production and life practice, and their dances are beautiful, cheerful and vivid.

The dance of Bulang nationality is universal, and white-haired old people and children will dance whenever they hear bamboo flutes. And young people especially like to dance in circles. First, the young man who can sing and dance leads the dance. With the rhythm of gongs and elephant-foot drums, girls and boys form a circle, with their knees slightly undulating. Soft hands dance gently on both sides of shoulders or back and forth, and move your feet counterclockwise while dancing. At the same time, a group of young people are doing a rhythmic tiger step jump in the circle. Sometimes they are scattered in front of girls and whispering to each other, and sometimes they get together and have a tiger jump. Repeat this cycle and express your joy.

National festivals

Many traditional festivals are mostly related to religious activities. Among them, the most distinctive festivals are: New Year's Day, offering sacrifices to the gods and washing the feet of cattle.

Other festival customs of Bulang nationality are similar to those of Dai nationality, such as "celebrating the New Year", "entering the depression" and "leaving the depression". In the Dai calendar, people worship Buddha on January 15th and altar on August 15th. "Huang" is a language, which refers to the offerings made by secular beings to monks or ancestors. Buddhism is commonly known as "giving" or "alms". According to the legend of the Bulang people, they and the Dai people are brothers. Bulang people are brothers, living in mountainous areas and planting mountains, while Dai people are brothers, living in bazi and planting paddy fields. Therefore, Bulang people invite Dai Buddha to go up the mountain every time they "worship Buddha", and Dai people "worship Buddha" also invite Bulang Buddha to go down the mountain.

Chinese New Year: The Bulang people call it "Jingbimai" in Dai language, which is the most solemn festival of the Bulang people. On this day, every household will eat brown sugar and glutinous rice Baba, wrapped in banana leaves into two parts, each part with a pair of wax strips and two flowers, and placed in the president's house: one part is placed in the "tire rolling" (family shrine) hanging above the family sofa. The other is dedicated to Gao Gagong (the head of the family). All male parents should take off their headscarves and kowtow to the family leader as the representative of the whole "Gagong" (family). And symbolically baptized the patriarch from head to toe with water to congratulate him on his longevity, good fortune and peace. The head of the family also blessed the people: "The children of the whole family come to pray every holiday. This is an ancient gift handed down by ancestors and should not be forgotten. The old year has passed and the new year has arrived. You are blessed when all your children and grandchildren come to say goodbye to you and pay a New Year call. I wish you a prosperous crop and a prosperous population. " At the end of the ceremony, the head of the family prayed and sacrificed for "Tega Gungun" (the god of the family) to replace the god of socks. The village community takes the family as the unit, and then holds a dripping ceremony in the direction of sunset.

Closing day: Bulang people are also called "Haowasha" like Dai people. On this day, as usual, the family will send a flower and a pair of wax strips to the head of the family to worship the "rolling tire" and run to hold a ceremony to wash hands and feet for the head of the family to express their blessings. The whole family, men, women and children, also offered two pairs of wax sticks as sacrifices to the ghost "Su Ma" (kowtow) with broken doors, stairs and furniture, praying for the safety of people and animals.

Religious belief

Bulang people used to believe in Hinayana Buddhism and worship their ancestors. There are many Buddhist activities during the festival. In addition to welcoming the Japanese, people also go to Buddhist temples to hold activities such as "opening festivals", "closing festivals", "making Buddha", "building sand", "bathing Buddha" and "splashing water".

Astronomical calendar

After years of practice in production struggle, the ancestors of Bulang people accumulated a lot of knowledge about astronomy, calendar and weather changes, and summed up the original method of distinguishing orientation, season and climate.

The Bulang people have their own names for the sun, the moon and the stars. They know the orientation according to the ups and downs of the sun, the moon and the stars and the back of the tree. Usually at night, you can tell the direction and time by the position of the Big Dipper. You can tell the direction by the direction of sunlight during the day. On cloudy days, you can tell the direction by the growth of plants. For example, the smooth side of bark under direct sunlight is the east, the trunk behind sunlight is light green, and the side with some fresh moss is the west. More interestingly, the Bulang people still retain some primitive methods to distinguish between seasons and climate change. For example, an agricultural proverb says, "It rains when the moon holds an umbrella, and it dries when the sun holds an umbrella"; "Long sunny munches, rainy days come, long rainy munches, and the sky clears up"; Frogs cackle in the river, it's going to rain; "Flying ants fly to the sky, it will rain heavily" and so on. There is a bird in the mountains, and its name is Yue in Brownlee. It lives in seclusion in the forest on rainy days. If you see the bird jumping out of the forest on a cloudy day, it indicates that it will clear up.

Lahu people

I. Overview of the country

One of the ethnic minorities in China. The existing population is more than 4 1 10,000. Lahu nationality originated from Guganqing Qiang nationality and lived a nomadic life in the early days. Later, it gradually moved south and finally settled in the Lancang River Basin. Its clothing also reflects this historical and cultural change, which not only has the characteristics of early northern nomadic culture, but also embodies the style and characteristics of modern southern farming culture. It is mainly distributed in Simao and Lincang areas of Lancang River Basin in Yunnan Province, and also distributed in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Yuxi area nearby. Among them, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County and Menglian Dai Lahu Autonomous County are the most important settlements. In addition, as a cross-border ethnic group, there are more than 6.5438+0.6 million Lahu people living in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and other countries. They are mainly engaged in agriculture.

Lahu nationality has its own language, belonging to Yi branch of Tibeto-Burman language family of Sino-Tibetan language family, which is divided into Na language of Lahu nationality and Xi language of Lahu nationality. In the past, there were no words. At the beginning of the 20th century, western missionaries created words spelled with Latin letters, which were not scientific enough to be popularized. After the founding of New China, new pinyin characters were created.

The Lahu people's economy is dominated by hoeing agriculture, with dry valleys, rice and corn as the main crops. Local industries such as agricultural machinery, sugar, tea and mining have also been established.

Lahu nationality has a long history, and its ancestors "belong to the ancient Qiang nationality", and gradually moved southward from Qinghai and Gansu to Yunnan and Indochina Peninsula. Lahu people call themselves "Lahu", and there are Lahu Na (Black Lahu), Lahu West (Yellow Lahu), Lahu Pu (White Lahu) and other branches. History is called Sejong, Yeguzong, Kucong, Luohei, Maha, Muka and Mushe. 1April, 953, when Lancang Lahu Autonomous County was established, it was named "Lahu" according to the wishes of the people.

Second, living habits.

Lahu people are hardworking and kind, and respect etiquette. In the long-term social production and life, many ethical concepts and behavioral norms have gradually formed to deal with interpersonal relationships and standardize social life. It has maintained a good atmosphere of social stability and mutual respect, friendship and harmony among people.

"There is something to drink on the wine table, say it in person." Lahu people advocate honesty and integrity, aboveboard, do not tell lies and empty words, and do not swear at will. "Drink on the wine table and say it to your face" is their consistent creed. Neighbors and friends occasionally have friction or misunderstanding. Afterwards, they exchange a cigarette and drink a glass of wine, and they will be reconciled. Friends will argue over the merits of something. If it's hard to decide, let's have a "win or lose" wrestling. People who fall are unreasonable and have nothing to say. Narrow-minded and selfish villains are not welcome. Lahu people often say: "The sun and the moon are the first to be seen by the oldest people;" Grain Gu Mi was first planted by the oldest people; Wild flowers and fruits were first discovered by the oldest people; The oldest people in the world know the most. "Therefore, respecting the elderly, respecting the elderly and loving the elderly are the common moral principles of the Lahu people. Either way, the bed of the old man must be placed next to the warmest fireplace in the house, and the seating arrangement on the dining table is also in the middle; The younger generation can't walk back and forth where the old man is sitting and lying; When the old man speaks, he can't interrupt casually, let alone interrupt; Before the opening of the new valley every year, the first person to taste new things must be the old man; The "new water" recited on New Year's Day should also be used to wash the face and feet of the elderly. This is true in both family and society. Even a young village head should be polite to the elderly, otherwise, it will be difficult for him to gain everyone's trust and support.

"When a family has something to do, the whole village helps each other" is also the traditional custom and spiritual fashion of the Lahu people. Regardless of daily production and life, or building houses, weddings and funerals, the Lahu people's simple, kind, generous and enthusiastic folk customs can be reflected everywhere.

"Don't drink tea, you'll hurt your head." Lahu area is rich in tea, which is a famous hometown of tea. Lahu people are good at growing tea and like drinking tea. Tea is their daily necessities. Drinking tea every day before going out to work and after coming back in the evening is their living habit and a great pleasure. They can go without food for a day, but they can't go without tea for a day. They said, "Not drinking tea will hurt your head." . Lahu people also have a unique way of drinking tea: put tea in a small ceramic teapot and bake it with slow fire. When the pot is hot and fragrant, it is called "baking tea" or "simmering tea" when boiling water is poured in and then poured out for drinking. When the guests arrive, be sure to entertain them with roasted tea. However, according to the custom, the first sip of tea is generally not given to the guests, but the host drinks it himself to show that this tea is non-toxic. Please feel free to drink it. The second course of tea is rich in aroma and tea flavor, and it is dedicated to the guests.

Clothing features: Both men and women of Lahu nationality in ancient times wore robes. In modern times, men usually wear black collarless jackets, light-colored or white shirts, baggy pants, long scarves or melon caps. Women's clothing varies from place to place. There are two main types: one is a long scarf wrapped around her head and a long gown with high slits on both sides. Silver bubbles or silver medals are embedded in lapels, colored geometric stripes or pieces of cloth are embedded in lapels, cuffs and seams, and pants are worn underneath. Women in some areas also like to tie ribbons around their waists. This type retains the characteristics of northern ethnic robes. The other is a typical southern national costume, wearing a short coat with narrow sleeves, a skirt below, black cloth on the legs and a long towel on the head.

The Lahu people advocate black and regard black as beauty. Therefore, most clothes are mainly black cloth, and all kinds of patterns are embroidered with colored lines or colored strips and pieces. The whole color is deep and in sharp contrast, giving people infinite beauty.

Residential characteristics: Lahu traditional residential houses mainly include floor-standing huts and dry column piles on bamboo buildings. This hut is simple in structure and easy to build. During construction, several pillars with forks are erected on the foundation, beams are placed on the forks, rafters are placed on the beams, and the rafters are covered with thatch. It is quite ancient to use bamboo basketry or wooden fence as a wall around the column. Ganlan Bamboo Building is a double inclined bamboo building built on wooden stakes. There is a difference in size. The big bamboo house is a matriarchal family residence, while the small bamboo house is an individual family residence. The structures of the two bamboo buildings are basically the same, but the larger ones are longer and occupy more land, so they are usually called "long houses". The long room is generally about six or seven meters high, with an area of 890 square meters to 2300 square meters, which is rectangular. There is a wide corridor on the sunny side of the room, and on the other side, it is divided into several rooms with wooden boards according to the population, and each individual family lives in 1 to 2 rooms. There are several fireplaces in the corridor for the family to cook and keep warm. The living form of longhu reflects the remnants of Lahu people's primitive matriarchal marriage and family organization and concept, which has important academic research value.

Third, holiday customs.

Lahu festivals include Spring Festival, Pagoda Extension Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Nianwei Festival, Torch Festival, Xinmi Festival, Ancestor Festival, Kara Festival, Bridge Crossing Festival and Hulu Festival. In addition, Lahu people have other interesting customs, which are the main carrier of Lahu people's cultural continuity and dissemination, and condense Lahu people's cultural psychology, ethics and values.

Spring Festival, also known as China New Year, is called "Quanihani" in Lahu language. The time is from the first day to the ninth day of the first lunar month, which is basically the same as the Spring Festival of the Han nationality. But Lahu people divide Chinese New Year into Chinese New Year and Chinese New Year. New Year's Day is from the first day of the first month to the fifth day of the first month, also known as the "year of women"; Off-year is from the seventh day of the first month to the ninth day of the first month, which is also called "Year of People". Legend has it that there used to be only big years, but no small years. Years ago, men always went hunting in groups and often came back late. Men, after a long journey to comfort women, always prepare wine, meat and food again and again to meet the needs of the New Year, and then gradually follow the habit. Because this is a year for men, it is called "off-year" and "year for men". The first year was called "New Year" and "Year of Women". Regarding the formation of the two New Year customs, there are also legends that the Lahu people in ancient times were often harassed by foreigners. In order to crack down on the enemy and defend their homeland, men once left their hometown for an expedition. When they came back victorious, a year had passed. But in order to celebrate the victory and the reunion of thousands of families, people sang and danced and celebrated the New Year again. Since then, they have become accustomed to each other and have been passed down to this day.

"Grab new water" and "Lusheng Dance Party" are important and unique festival activities of Lahu people during the Spring Festival. "Grab new water" refers to the first day of the new year, that is, in the early morning of the first day of the first month, going to the mountain spring to pick up "new water". This is the top New Year activity that Lahu people attach great importance to. They think that new water is the most sacred and a symbol of good luck and happiness. Whoever gets fresh water first, whose grain and fruit are cooked first, will be more blessed. Therefore, every year in the early morning of the first day of the first month, when chickens crow, representatives of various families carry bamboo tubes and gourds full of water and rush to the spring to grab fresh water. The new water you receive should be offered to your ancestors first, and then the old people should be washed.

Pagoda expansion festival is the most grand, lively and joyful traditional annual festival of Lahu nationality. Also known as the Lahu New Year, it is held on the first day of the first lunar month every year, and the festival lasts for nine days. On New Year's Eve before the festival, every household registered to clean the village outside. People kill pigs and soak rice, and put the prepared Baba on plows, machetes, hoes and other agricultural tools to show that they have worked hard for a year and should share the joy of the festival with their owners. People will also add delicious food to mow the grass for cows to show comfort.

In the evening, the whole family bathed themselves and each village fired three muskets. In the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, young men and women from all villages rushed to the mountain spring to "get fresh water". Lahu people believe that at the beginning of a year, the spring water is the latest and purest, and whoever grabs the new water first is the happiest person. According to the custom of Lahu nationality, outsiders are not allowed to enter the village on the first day, and they can visit relatives and friends and pay New Year greetings to each other on the second day. In the festival carnival, girls and boys play cucurbits and dance colorful folk dances. In the evening, spectators left one after another, and piles of bonfires rose on the hillside. Young couples fall in love and are immersed in happiness and joy.

Torch Festival Torch Festival also has a unique national flavor. At that time, pine trees will burn and torches will burn together, which is very spectacular. Young men and women dressed in festive costumes will be singing and dancing by the campfire.

The New Year Tasting Festival is a festival for Lahu people to celebrate the harvest. During the annual flavor festival, the whole village kills pigs and cooks wine, and men, women and children rest for two days. Before the festival, a part of Gu Mi will be harvested and brought home, and the ancestors will be sacrificed first, and then the sickle will be officially harvested.

Hospitality custom Lahu nationality is a very hospitable nation. On holidays, people from Dai, Hani, Bulang and other ethnic groups should be invited to drink and have a reunion dinner. At this time, the whole village slaughtered livestock, and each household had to divide a large intestine and several spoonfuls of blood, with salt and pepper, and cut them up and eat them raw. Lahu people think that "chopping raw meat" is the best dish to entertain guests. After the banquet, the host will also wrap the "partial meat" with banana leaves and send it back to the guests.