What are the customs and habits of the Manchu people?
Clothes
The Manchu people have a long history and developed culture. Its costumes are elegant and gorgeous, unique in China's national costume culture, and have had a great influence on the development of China's costume culture.
Due to the cold living environment and the needs of hunting life, in the past, Manchus, both men and women, mostly wore "horseshoe sleeve" robes. After Nurhaci established the Eight Banners system, the attire of the "banner people" became "cheongsam" (called "yijie" in Manchu).
In the early Qing Dynasty, the style of cheongsam was generally collarless, large lapel, waistband, left vent, and slits on all sides. The clothes fit well and are conducive to horse riding and shooting. When going hunting, you can also put dry food and other things into the front. This kind of cheongsam has two outstanding features. One is that it is collarless. In order to unify the clothing and crown, Nurhachi once formulated the clothing and crown system, stipulating that "all court uniforms should have a shawl collar, and ordinary people only have robes." That is, ordinary clothes cannot have collars, and only court clothes worn when entering the court can have a large collar shaped like a shawl; secondly, there is a half-moon-shaped sleeve head with a long top and short bottom attached to the narrow cuffs, which is shaped like a horse's hoof, commonly known as " Horseshoe sleeves". It is usually tied up and put down when hunting or fighting in winter, so that it covers the back of the hand. It not only plays a role of keeping warm like a glove, but also does not affect the bow and arrow shooting, so it is also called "arrow sleeve" (called "wow" in Manchu). ha"). After the Manchus took over the Central Plains, "letting wah ha" became a prescribed action in the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty. When officials entered the court to see the emperor or other princes and ministers, they had to flick down their horseshoe sleeves first, and then kneel down with their hands on the ground to salute.
The cheongsam is also customarily worn with a short coat with a round collar, body length reaching the navel, and sleeves reaching the elbow. Because this kind of short coat was originally worn when riding and shooting, it was not only convenient for riding but also able to withstand wind and cold, so it was named "horse coat". In the early Qing Dynasty, the mandarin jacket was the "military uniform" of the Eight Banners soldiers. Later, it became popular among the people and took on the characteristics of formal dress and regular clothes. Its styles and fabrics became more diverse. Manchu people also like to wear a waistcoat outside their cheongsam. Waistcoats are generally divided into cotton, quilted and leather types and are used to keep warm. There are many styles such as double lapel, pipa lapel, twist lapel and so on.
As a "fashion" of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu women's cheongsam has developed a lot. At that time, the practice of "eighteen trimmings" was popular in Beijing and other places, that is, eighteen lines of trimming were considered good-looking, and the style became a wide robe with large sleeves. After the Revolution of 1911, the style of cheongsam changed from fat to thin; in the 1930s, Influenced by Western short skirts in the early 1900s, the length was shortened, almost to the knees, and the cuffs were narrowed; in the mid-1930s, it was lengthened, with high slits on both sides, highlighting the beauty of the curves; in the 1940s, it was shortened again, with short-sleeved or sleeveless cheongsam appearing, with a streamlined appearance . Later, the front and back parts of the garment were separated, with shoulder seams and sleeve-style cheongsam skirts. A wide range of materials are available, including cotton, wool, silk, linen and various chemical fiber clothing materials. In addition to long and short sleeves, cheongsam is also available in leather, cotton, single and clip styles, making it easy to wear in different seasons. The general style of cheongsam, which has been continuously improved, is roughly as follows: straight collar, narrow sleeves, large placket on the right side, button fastening, tight waist, length below the knee, and slits on both sides. Pay attention to workmanship and color matching, mostly on the collar, cuffs and The edges of the clothes are embroidered with lace with various patterns. This not only brings out the beauty of the female figure, but also looks elegant and generous. The oriental-colored cheongsam has now become a popular Chinese garment among Chinese women.
The combination of cheongsam, "flag head" and "flag shoes" constitutes the typical traditional clothing of Manchu women.
"Flag head" refers to a hairstyle, also called a hair crown. It is similar to a fan shape, with iron wire or bamboo rattan as the hat frame, green satin, green velvet or green yarn as the surface, and wrapped in a fan-shaped crown about 30 cm long and more than 10 cm wide. Just fix it on your bun when wearing it. It is often embroidered with patterns, inlaid with jewelry or decorated with various flowers, and hung with long tassels. The "flag head" is mostly used by upper-class Manchu women, and is generally worn as a decoration by women from private families when they get married. Wearing this wide and long hair crown limits the twisting of the neck and makes the body straight, making it appear extra dignified and steady, suitable for grand occasions.
The "flag shoe" has a unique style and is a kind of high wooden sole embroidered shoe, also known as "high sole shoe", "flowerpot sole shoe", "horse hoof sole shoe", etc. The wooden-soled heels are generally about 5-10 cm high, some can reach 14-16 cm, and the highest ones can reach about 25 cm. It is usually wrapped in white cloth and then set in the middle of the sole of the shoe.
One month after the wedding, the bride returns to her parents' home to live for a month, which is called living in the opposite month. By this time, the wedding ceremony was over.
These complicated marriage procedures have been simplified and integrated with modern forms in areas where Manchus live today. For example, jumping into a car has evolved into young men and women riding bicycles or motorcycles, each accompanied by a wedding team. They start from their own homes. When they meet on the way, they exchange bicycles or motorcycles and then go to the groom's house together. There is also worship of ancestors, and in some places it has evolved into the practice of newlyweds worshiping both parents. Although there have been changes, it still has strong national characteristics. In addition, the marriage rituals of the Manchus vary slightly depending on the region they live in. They are not completely consistent, but the main procedures are roughly the same.
The parenting customs of the Manchu people are quite special. A boy will hang a bow and arrow on the left side of the door, a girl will hang a colorful strip of cloth on the right side of the door, and her family will give her a carriage. When a baby is three days old, relatives and friends send congratulatory gifts, commonly known as "breastfeeding". And held a baptism, called "washing three". When the moon is full, guests should be invited to "make the full moon", and the bows and arrows or cloth strips should be removed and hung on the "descendants rope". On the 100th day, colored cloth strips obtained from each house are used to make a lock, called a padlock. When the child is one year old, a more solemn ceremony should be held to let the child "grasp the week". Generally, at the age of 16, boys shave their heads and girls wear their hair in a bun. To this day, traditional customs such as "breastfeeding", "washing three times", "making the full moon" and "catching the week" are still preserved in the Manchu-inhabited areas in Northeast China.
Funeral customs
Manchu funerals are mainly burial and cremation. Both burial and cremation have a long history. Before the Manchus entered the customs, cremation was the main method. This was mainly due to their frequent migration. In addition, many soldiers of the Eight Banners died in battle in the early Qing Dynasty, and it was inconvenient to send their bones back to their hometowns, so they were often cremated. After the Manchus entered the customs, changes gradually occurred, from the combination of cremation and burial to mainly burial. The funeral ceremony is that the deceased wears a shroud before death, usually a robe or a mandarin jacket, in odd numbers. The spirit is placed in the house, usually within 7 days. Make a funeral bed out of wooden boards, with the head to the west and the feet to the east. The spiritual flag is made of about 3 feet of red cloth, decorated with black tassels, and hung on a high pole in the courtyard. The coffins used by the Manchus have a special shape, with a raised upper part, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, which is called "flag material".
During the mourning period, the whole family mourns and holds memorial ceremonies. When the person is buried, gold and silver are placed in the coffin. For the poor, gold and silver foil ingots are used instead. Copper coins or jade are placed in the mouth. The spiritual tools are placed in the mourning shed in the courtyard. For funerals, a single day in the lunar calendar can be chosen. There are 16, 32 and 64 lines for carrying the spirit. After the funeral, thank those who helped and treat them to a meal. After burial, go to the grave and burn paper every 7 days, 7 times in a row. When it comes to a hundred days, it is necessary to burn the hundred days, and when it is an anniversary, it is necessary to burn the anniversary. Manchu burning paper is to fold paper into a pocket shape, commonly known as burning pocket. Tomb-sweeping Day involves visiting graves, burning bags and inserting Buddhist altars. In the past 30 years, Manchu funerals have been mainly cremated. However, many ancient traditions are still retained in the rituals of paying homage to relatives, such as burning pockets, inserting Buddhist altars, burning for seven days, burning for hundreds of days, and burning for anniversaries during Qingming Festival, etc., all remain the same.
Taboos
Manchus have many taboos. Blasphemy against gods and ancestors is not allowed. For example, the Manchu people value the west, and the ancestral box is placed on the Western Kang. No one is allowed to live in the Western Kang, no one is allowed to put debris there, and no disrespectful behavior is allowed. It is not allowed to beat dogs, and it is even more forbidden to kill dogs, eat dog meat, wear dog skin hats, and foreigners are not allowed to wear dog skin hats into the house. Legend has it that Nurhaci once told his people, "There are many wild beasts in the mountains, and you can hunt them for food. However, from now on, you are not allowed to eat dog meat or wear dog skins. When a dog dies, you must bury it, because dogs understand human nature, can save the savior, and are righteous dogs." "From then on, loving and respecting dogs became a Manchu custom. In addition, the Manchus not only do not eat the meat of crows, but also have the custom of feeding and sacrificing crows.