What kind of festival is the bird worship festival of the Gelao people?

traditional festival of gelao nationality: bird worship festival.

"Bird Festival" is a traditional festival of the Gelao nationality that has been passed down for hundreds of years and occupies an important position in the cultural inheritance of the Gelao nationality. In the Gelao nationality, the elderly protect birds in particular and don't allow others to hurt them. The inheritance of "Bird Worship Festival" is extremely strict, which is also the main reason why "Bird Worship Festival" can continue to this day. So what does the "Bird Worship Festival" mean to the Gelao people?

Bird Worship Festival is a comprehensive folk activity handed down from generation to generation by the Gelao people in Shiqian. It only exists in Yaoshang Gelao Village at the foot of Foding Mountain in Pingshan Town, Shiqian County, Guizhou Province. The gelao people's bird worship festival is also called eagle worship festival. In ancient times, it was also called the Foundation Festival. In the ancient calendar, the activity time was the first day of February. It was once popular in the villages of the Gelao nationality in 11 of the 18 townships in Shiqian County. All Gelao families have the habit of celebrating this festival at home.

In the Year of the Rooster, the villagers of the Gelao people in Yaoshang will invite Buddhist and Taoist groups or groups to worship the sacred birds in ancestral temples and open-air places. Neighboring villages and villages brought performances edited by their own people to participate. Participants include non-governmental organizations, art groups, relatives and friends in neighboring counties and 18 townships in the county.

The Gelao Song and Bird Worship Festival in Shiqian is based on the zodiac. Every 12 years is a big sacrifice, and the rest years are small sacrifices. Small sacrifices are held by families, and big sacrifices are held by villages or families with the same name.

Historical origin

According to historical records, the Gelao nationality is the oldest nationality in Guizhou. It was developed by Pu people in Shang and Zhou Dynasties and Liao people in Warring States Period. In Han dynasty, Liao people were the main residents of Yelang country. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, some Liao people developed into a single nation-Gelao people. Historical data also show that Yelang County was established in Shiqian County as early as the 28th year of Zheng.

There is a saying among the Gelao people in Shiqian that as early as the year of the great flood, the southwest was flooded, and an eagle rescued the crying baby boy and baby girl from the giant gourd floating on the vast sea. Only then did the Gelao people flourish. After the war, the ancestors of the Gelao nationality were on the verge of extinction. On February 1st in the ancient calendar, a woman rescued a Gelao baby floating in a bamboo tube on a river in the west of Shiqian, and Yelang, the ancestor of Gelao, was born.

According to Yao Shang, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the ancestors of the Gelao nationality held a sacrificial ceremony for a pair of eagles and ancestors on February 1st of the lunar calendar every year to protect them and express their memory and worship. This activity has been handed down from generation to generation, not only in the form of a large-scale ceremony in the Year of the Rooster, but also in the rest of the year.

In addition, the content of this activity has developed from a single sacrificial ceremony to a grand festival integrating various folk cultural activities. According to historical records, the Deng family tree of Yao merchants can last for 15 generations, and the Gelao bird festival of Yao merchants has a history of more than 3 years. At the same time, the Gelao people interpret the worship of eagles as the protection of birds and other creatures, so as to regulate the weather and bring a bumper harvest, thus promoting the harmonious development between man and nature.

during the "cultural revolution", the bird worship festival was listed as the "fourth child" and was banned. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, some Gelao villages temporarily resumed the Bird Festival. After the reform and opening up, due to the impact of modern civilization, people's traditional cultural awareness has gradually become indifferent, and bird worship activities have gradually shrunk. At present, only a few old Gelao people in Pingshan Yao nationality are still active.

Festival content

1. On the first day of February in the small festival year, every household prepares offerings such as wine, meat and tofu, and invites the married aunt Li to prepare them with her children, daughter-in-law and son-in-law. On the morning of February 1, the elders in the family led their families and relatives to burn incense and pray for their ancestors. In the afternoon, local men and women and invited folk artists performed folk crafts together.

3. At the end of the festival, the host will give each guest, especially the children, a red egg or a mascot bird as a symbol of God's blessing and annual harvest.

4. Generally, the Gelao people strictly protect all kinds of birds, cherish all living things and resolutely oppose the invasion of exotic birds.

main value

1. It is an original ecological cultural activity integrating national consciousness and religious worship.

2. This is another example of studying the history, culture and cultural exchange of the ancient Gelao people.

3. His view of nature of "the unity of man and nature" is instructive for building a harmonious society today.

4. Its rich totem worship, nature worship and Buddhist and Taoist religious concepts are another important way to study the folk beliefs and religious psychology of the Gelao people.

5. The bird-worshipping festival of the Gelao nationality combines unique empty culture and national culture, which is not only a unique anthropological case, but also has important comparative research value.

Historical Heritage

The founder of the Bird Worship Festival is the Gelao people. Participants include not only the Gelao people, but also the Han, Dong, Miao and Tujia people. The inheritance of bird worship festival belongs to the natural inheritance pedigree. Strict teaching tradition has its own laws. Heirs must fulfill the rights and obligations stipulated by the festival host.