Category: Culture/Art >> Folk Tradition

Problem description:

The Tujia nationality ranks seventh among the ethnic minorities.

Analysis:

In the rich and beautiful land of western Hunan and western Hubei in my country, a hardworking and brave brotherly nation has lived since ancient times. This is the Tujia nationality.

There are about 5.7 million Tujia people (in 1990). Yongshun, Longshan, Baojing, Guzhang and other counties in Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are the main settlement areas, and the rest are distributed In Laifeng, Lichuan, Hefeng, Xianfeng, Xuanen counties in Enshi Prefecture of Hubei Province and Tujia Autonomous Counties such as Shizhu Qianjiang and Pengshui in Sichuan.

The Tujia language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family, close to the Yi branch. There is no native language, and Chinese has been used for a long time. The vast majority of Tujia people speak Chinese, and some also speak Miao. Only some remote areas in Yongshun and Longshan can only speak Tujia.

The Tujia people call themselves "Bizka", which means local people. The Han people are called "Hakka". Two thousand years ago, they settled in what is now western Hunan and western Hubei. At that time, together with other ethnic minorities, they were insulted as "Wuling Barbarians" or "Wuxi Barbarians". There are different opinions about the origin of the Tujia people. One is that they are descendants of the ancient Ba people; another is that they are part of the Wuman who moved from Guizhou to western Hunan; another is that they are from the late Tang Dynasty to the early years of the Five Dynasties (1910 around), descendants of the craftsmen who moved from Jiangxi to western Hunan led by Peng Xian. These claims require further research. But one thing is certain. That is to say, after about five generations, the Tujia people in western Hunan and Hubei, a stable homogeneity of people, began to gradually form a single ethnic group.

The hilly areas of western Hunan and Hubei where the Tujia people live are mostly between 400 and 1,500 meters above sea level. The territory has overlapping mountains and dense hills. During this period, the Wuling Mountains traverse the Youshui and Li Rivers. Shui and Qingjiang rivers crisscross the area, with a mild climate and abundant rainfall. It has good conditions for the development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery. The mountainous areas are densely forested and full of terraces, where rice, corn, potatoes, wheat, etc. are grown; economic crops include sugar beet, ramie, cotton, tung oil, camellia oleifera, tea, etc. Among them, tung oil tung oil and camellia oleifera are the diversified businesses in the Tujia area. The main project plays an important role in the economic life of the Tujia people. Economic forest trees include pine, fir, nan, cypress, etc. In addition, it is also rich in valuable medicinal materials, aquatic products and underground mineral deposits. The specialty giant salamander is a precious animal famous both at home and abroad.

Tujia Folk Customs

Funeral Dance

Tujia people’s funeral dance is also called coffin-circling, coffin-circling and mourning-dance. Folk songs and dances passed down from ancient times. When an old man passes away, his coffin remains in front of the hall for several days, and relatives and neighbors come to express their condolences. At night, "beating drums and singing songs" are played all night long to increase the warm atmosphere, which is said to relieve the loneliness of the deceased and comfort the new ones. Tujia people love to dance funeral dances. "When I hear the sound of drums, my feet will itch." The characteristics of mourning dance are basically similar to those of the Tujia waving dance. The hands and feet are on the same side, the dance is clean and bold, the movements are smooth and soothing. The dancers dance to strong rhythmic instrumental music. The dancers dance and sing at the same time. The singing voice mostly uses a falsetto, which is similar to shouting. . It is suitable for men, women, old and young to dance together, and the dance vocabulary is healthy. It generally focuses on praising the deceased's life story, singing about upbringing and production and labor. Tujia funeral dance is a comprehensive folk art that integrates singing, dancing, playing and playing. Funeral dance is essentially a folk sacrificial activity that expresses the Tujia people's worship of their ancestors. 2. Bench Dragon

It is a dance formed by the Tujia people using a bench as a "dragon lantern". It can be performed by two people or three people. Two people dance in front and one behind, and three people dance in front two and one behind. The dance moves include "river eagle spreads its wings", "snowflakes cover the roof", "yellow dragon wraps around the waist", "tiger descends the mountain", etc. The activities usually take place from the 30th to the 15th day of the first lunar month. There are also festive holidays.

Lantern Opera

Lantern Opera is a local folk opera popular in Wuling Mountain. It has four characteristics: first, the costumes are simple, an official coat, a gauze hat, three pairs of mouthpieces, and a sword are enough; second, the characters are few, raw, dandy, and ugly, and the characters are usually one man and one woman. No more than 4 people at most; thirdly, there are not many instrumental music, only one person is required to accompany with a "big tube" in the literary field, and drums and gongs are added in the martial arts field. Fourthly, the performance venue is not chosen, including courtyards and squares. The lantern opera has different names due to different meanings of the performance. The New Year Lantern Festival is called "Happy New Year Lantern" to celebrate the festival, the Qingming Festival is called "Qingming Lantern", the birthday celebration is called "Shou Lantern", the marriage of men and women, the birth of children and grandchildren is called "Shou Lantern". "Public light".

There are more than 60 lantern dramas.

Daughter's Club

Daughter's Club was originally a traditional love festival for young people of the Tujia ethnic group (also the Miao ethnic group). It is held on the third day of the fifth month and the twelfth day of the seventh lunar month. Young men and women Dress up and go to the meeting. In the old days, girls were not allowed to go out, but they gathered at the gathering on this day, so it was called "daughter gathering". Girls who want to choose a husband should dress in multiple layers, long inside and short outside, so that all the good clothes can be seen. When rushing to a meeting, I would bring some local products and pretend to be selling at the market. The man who is looking for a partner carries an empty basket and pretends to be shopping. When the girl he likes comes close to "shopping". In an interesting "price calculation and counter-offer", everyone showed their intelligence and got to know each other better. If the price rises, it means that the girl will not agree, and the unfaithful guy should walk away, otherwise he will be scolded. On the contrary, it means that the girl acquiesces, and both parties withdraw from the busy city and find a quiet place to make their own lifelong events.

Gongs and drums for plowing grass

The Tujia people call paddy cultivating rice seedlings and corn cultivating plowing grass. These two agricultural tasks are performed in the middle of summer, and it is inevitable to be tired and sleepy. In order to cheer up the spirit and regulate the body and mind, they are accompanied by gongs and drums, so they are called grass-pulling and Luogu. The gongs and drums of the grass-cutting gongs and drums usually consist of one gong and one drum, which are played and sung by oneself. The lyrics are mostly about wishing for good weather and a good harvest, and there are also stories about history. In addition, rappers often improvise, joke and amuse, and serve as encouragement. 6. Indicate Rice Meat for the New Year

Tujia people wish for good luck in the new year: rice and meat, especially good bacon mixed with glutinous millet and steamed into a dish for family tasting during the "Reunion Year", with rice, Speak four words and eight sentences on the topic of meat to pray for good luck.

Nan Opera

Nan Opera is named after the word "Nan" in Shi Nan Mansion. And because its music system consists of three major tunes: "Nanlu" (similar to "Erhuang"), "Beilu" (similar to "Xipi"), and "Shanglu" (similar to "Qinqiang"), it is also closely related to Gongnuo Opera, Lantern Opera, The fusion of local folk songs and sacrificial music has made it a unique type of opera. The music of Southern Opera is composed of gongs and drums and Qupai music. The roles are divided into four major roles: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Qigong and martial arts are mixed among them. Most of the dramas are legendary dramas and historical story dramas, with nearly a thousand traditional dramas. 8. Nuo opera

Nuo opera evolved and developed based on the folk custom of honoring gods and fulfilling wishes. A kind of local opera characterized by wearing masks; Nuo opera is divided into two types: "Zheng Ba Chu" and "Wai Ba Chu". "Zheng Ba Chu" belongs to shamanistic rituals, and "Wai Ba Chu" is an excerpt and linked stage with a plot. It is a great drama. The roles are divided into four major types: Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou. The singing tunes are divided into high tune, plain tune, Huagu tune, and folk song tune. Nuo opera is popular among villagers for its simplicity, simplicity, and life style. Nuo operas are performed to worship ancestors, celebrate birthdays, have children, weddings and funerals, promotions, inscriptions on gold medals, games to welcome gods, and to eliminate disasters, seek blessings, and overcome difficulties.

Guoshe

The Tujia people attach great importance to the Spring Society, which is the fifth Wu day after the beginning of spring. There are two main activities of the Society. One is to visit the graves to worship ancestors, but sweeping new graves is not enough. The second is to eat "community rice", which is glutinous rice steamed with moxa sticks, wild garlic, ground rice, beans, and diced bacon as condiments. Relatives, neighbors and friends give gifts to each other to show harmony and unity. It is forbidden on commune days.

Accompanying the Ten Sisters

Accompanying the Ten Sisters is a unique way for Tujia girls to cry when they get married. On the night before the bride gets married, her parents invite her neighbors. Nine unmarried girls, including the bride and groom, sit around the banquet and sing all night, so it is called the Song of Accompanying the Ten Sisters. The ten sisters sit at the same table. First, the bride cries "ten pendulums", and then the bride cries "one pendulum". The chef puts a dish on the table, and after it is done, the other nine sisters take turns crying, and finally the bride cries "Ten Collection". The chef then puts the food and wine in one by one. After the dishes are put away, the crying activity with the ten sisters comes to an end. There are many lyrics about marriage, such as "Ten Swings" and "Ten Harvests", which express the virtues of ancestors, the kindness of parents, the friendship of sisters, the kindness of brothers and sisters, the love of homeland, etc. Sometimes they also cry and curse the matchmaker. A jingle with eight sentences.

Xilan Kapu

Xilan Kapu is an ancient traditional Tujia craft brocade spread in the Tujia distribution center in Wuling Mountain. , "Xilan" means bedding, and "Kapu" means flower. Xilan Kapu is the flower bedding of the Tujia people. It is the crystallization of the wisdom and hard work of the Tujia people and is known as one of the best arts and crafts of the Tujia people. Flowers. Xilankapu became famous in the Northern Song Dynasty. This kind of cloth made of colorful cotton yarn was used as a tribute by the Tujia people to worship the emperor. At the same time, it was also used by Tujia people to beautify their clothes.

In modern times, with warm and vivid colors and rich patterns, it has become one of the dowry items for Tujia girls. It is said that this kind of dowry must be woven by a new bride, and the pattern is conceived by the bride herself. The pattern is flowers, birds, insects, fish and various geometric diagrams. The weavers are fine, the colors are gorgeous, the style is simple and elegant, and the texture is excellent. Xilankapu pays attention to patterns and fine workmanship. The patterns on the quilt surface are woven from various colored silk threads, and there are more than 100 kinds of flowers and patterns. Each Xilan Kapu is generally about 50 centimeters wide. Three consecutive pieces can be used as quilt tops, and a single piece can be used as pillow covers, aprons, table mats, foot quilts, etc.

After half a month

The Tujia people pay more attention to the half month, and they are known as "the year is small and the month is half old". Originally, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Half-Moon Festival. However, since the whole family must be reunited after the Half-Moon Festival and take back the married girl, there is a saying in terms of time that "the mother-in-law's family cannot leave after the Half-Moon Festival, and the mother-in-law's family must go to the Half-Moon Festival." There was a contradiction, so the dates were set from the first to the fifteenth day of July, which are all in the first half of the month. The main activity during the first half of the lunar month is to worship ancestors. Seal a package with paper money, write the name of the deceased relative, burn it outdoors, shout out the name and express condolences to show respect and send money, and put incense and candles all over the path, called road candles. Put money in the wild and give it to the lonely ghosts.

Dongkequin

It is a small musical instrument popular among young men and women of the Tujia ethnic group. Its production is simple, just use a small bamboo section three or four inches long and chisel it. Four small holes, with a small movable tongue inside, can be played.

Young men and women of the Tujia nationality all play the winter quill. They usually squat under an old tree, stand by a stream or in a bamboo forest, or play in unison with three or five people during their work breaks or in their spare time. One person plays a solo, they look into the sky and play their own heart tune. The melodious tune created by ancient methods is intoxicating.

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a Tujia woman named Dongdong. She was hard-working, kind-hearted, and handy. She often helped others weave native flower quilts, weave snakeskin ribbons, make shoes, and sew clothes. Therefore, the Tujia people all love Dongdong. Later, Dongdong's husband was arrested and brought to the palace of Prince Tu. Before leaving, Dongdong's husband said, "I will come back when the peach blossoms bloom." In spring, Dongdong sat under the peach tree and looked at the peach blossoms. She opened the door and waited for her husband to come back. Feeling depressed, she casually broke off a moso bamboo, cut out the small eyes, and left a living tongue. Play to the peach blossoms to express your longing for your husband. The peach blossoms have bloomed and fallen, but my husband has not come back yet. The same happened in the second year. In the third year, when Dongdong was blowing a small bamboo pipe, a little magpie flew over and rested on a peach branch. He reported to Dongdong: "Stop blowing, my husband is dead. Stop blowing, my husband is dead." "It turns out that Dongdong's husband was tortured to death. After hearing the bad news, Dongdong also cried to death under the peach tree. After Dongdong died, whenever the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and in the quieter nights, this melodious and sad voice could still be heard.

To commemorate Dongdong, the Tujia people also played the small bamboo tube made by Dongdong before his death. At the same time, they named the small instrument "Dongdongquin". "Quin" is the word for "blow". umlaut.

Celebrating the New Year

Southerners often call the Spring Festival "Celebrating the New Year", while the Tujia people's Spring Festival is called "Celebrating the New Year". Catch the New Year is the most solemn festival of the year for the Tujia people. The most significant feature of the so-called "catch up with the New Year" is to celebrate the New Year one or two days earlier (i.e. the 28th or 29th of the twelfth lunar month). The Tujia people have their own legends and explanations for this.

According to legend, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the ancestors of the Tujia nationality followed General Hu Zongxian to attack Japanese pirates. One year, the Spring Festival was approaching, but the Japanese pirates were not eliminated. The Tujia people who were far away from home celebrated the New Year early on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. The commander-in-chief rewarded the soldiers to boost their fighting spirit. After the rich celebration, the soldiers recharged their batteries and their military morale was boosted. The next day (New Year's Eve), when the Japanese pirates were unprepared, they launched an attack and won the war. In order to commemorate their ancestors, the Tujia people always celebrate the New Year in advance and call it the New Year. This is the grandest festival every year.

During the New Year, Tujia people also kill New Year pigs, make spring glutinous rice cakes, and make snacks. Especially this New Year glutinous rice cake is very unique. The glutinous rice cake making is mostly held on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, and often several families from the neighborhood gather together to make glutinous rice cakes, filled with laughter and harmony. The method is: steam the glutinous rice, pound it with a special trough and hammer, and then press it into a flat shape. After the glutinous rice cakes are made, they are always strung together in groups of five, and five large glutinous rice cakes are also made. They call them "Kunong glutinous rice cakes". It turned out that this kind of daddy was used to pay tribute to Tu Wu. Later, Tu Wu disappeared, but the custom became a custom and it is still used today. It is said that if any house does not make big glutinous rice cakes, it will be unlucky for the year.

June 6th

The sixth day of June in the ancient calendar is a grand festival for the Tujia people to commemorate the ancient hero Tan Li.

On this day, the Tujia village was full of joy. They killed pigs, slaughtered sheep, made glutinous rice cakes, made tofu, and welcomed guests from far away. The clothes at home were all taken out to dry, and women washed their hair in the stream. At night, lanterns and torches were used. , and also dance the hand-waving dance in the hand-waving hall.

Legend has it that one year, there was a famine in the area where the Tujia people lived, and Tan Li’s mother starved to death. One night, she gave Tan Li a dream, asking him to plant a mountain of Nanzhu and practice in the main room for three years. Six months of arrows, when the chickens and dogs come to the house, shoot the arrows to the north, and you can kill the emperor and ascend to the emperor's seat. After listening to his mother's words, Tan Li planted Nanzhu in the back hill, closed the door and practiced archery in the main room. He asked his sister-in-law to wait until three years and six months and call him when he saw chickens flying and dogs coming to the house. Three years later, my sister-in-law got impatient and put the black dog on the house, driving the chickens all over the house. Then she shouted to Tan Li, saying that it had been three years and six months, and the chickens were flying and the dogs were coming to the house. Hearing his sister-in-law's shout, Tan Li opened the door in a panic, then fully drew his bow and fired three arrows towards the north. As soon as the arrow was shot, the roots of the bamboo in the back mountain exploded. Before they could get on their horses, the arrow failed to hit the emperor. The emperor pulled out the simple pole nailed to the dragon throne and saw that it had the four characters "Huguang Tan Li" on it, so he sent Marshal Ma with 5,000 soldiers to go to Hunan to capture Tan Li. Tan Li and his sister-in-law hid in the mountains for three years and six months. The military marshal seemed to be searching for a needle in the sea, but found no trace of Tan Li. He arranged a return date. Unexpectedly, Tan Li was taking a bath in the ravine with three men on his back. Wu Jinlong was seen by the officers and soldiers, so he was captured and taken to the capital and imprisoned. His sister-in-law also followed him to the capital to visit Tan Li. The sister-in-law told Tan Li: "You only need to say that the golden dragon on your back is painted. The emperor will let you go." The emperor interrogated him personally the next day. When the emperor saw the golden dragon on Tan Li's back, he didn't dare to kill him. He asked if it was natural or painted. Tan Li remembered his sister-in-law's instructions and agreed that it was painted. When the emperor heard that it was painted, he smiled slightly and ordered the sword and axe. After dragging her hands out and beheading her, her sister-in-law rushed to the killing place, hugged Tan Li and cried bitterly, with blood splattering on her clothes and hair. After Tan Li was killed, there was no separation between heaven and earth, the sun and the moon were unknown, and the chickens and dogs did not bark. The emperor knew that the killing was wrong. Tianlong position, be the emperor for a day.

The Tujia people dry their clothes on this day, which is also called drying dragon robes. This is the legend that Tan Li became emperor for a day. Women wash their hair on this day because of the story that the blood oil left on the hair of their sisters-in-law. . Nowadays, there is a story circulating in the Tujia area, such as "I have been waiting for three years, but I can't wait for six months" and other common sayings, all referring to Tan Li's story.

Ox King Festival

The ancestors of the Tujia people engaged in farming early, and have developed a tradition of caring for and respecting cattle since ancient times. Every year, April 18th in the ancient calendar is designated as the birthday of the Ox. On this day, the Tujia people celebrate their cattle’s birthday. Even if they are very busy with spring plowing and production, on April 18th, all the cattle will have to rest for a day, and they will have to cook porridge for them. The owner will also respectfully say A poem "Congratulations to the Ox King". It is said that after reading this, the old cow burst into tears, feeling that the master was talking about its innermost feelings.

According to legend, the Ox King was originally a divine general of Heaven. One day, he accompanied the Jade Emperor to watch the mortal scenery at Nantianmen. When he saw that the mortals had no food to eat and were all sallow and thin, he begged the Jade Emperor to send grain seeds to the mortals so that they could eat their bellies. The Jade Emperor agreed to the Ox King's request, but asked: "Let the mortals eat one meal every three days." The Ox King came to the mortal world happily, gave many seeds to the mortals, and taught them farming methods, but he panicked. Zhang mistook the Jade Emperor's words and said that he should eat three meals a day. Mortals have food, eat three meals a day, have full stomachs, and live a good life. They all eat fat and have nothing to do. They bang the lids of cauldrons and sing, which makes the Jade Emperor restless. One day, the Jade Emperor said to the Ox King: "Mortals have nothing to do after eating. You go to the grain field and sow some grass seeds. The grain field is full of green grass. So go and grass it." This time the Ox King again The Jade Emperor misheard what he said, so he took one step and sowed three handfuls of grass seeds. Later, the grain field was covered with green grass, and there was no end to the grass. People scolded the Jade Emperor for killing mortals, which made the Jade Emperor impatient. . One day, the Jade Emperor called the Ox King and said: "It's you who have done bad things. Mortals can't finish their work. You go down to the world and help mortals pull plows and rakes to make spring. When you are hungry, eat the grass on the ground." April. On the eighteenth day, the Ox King descended to earth. From then on, the queen worked honestly for the mortals, helping them drag plows and harrows, and worked hard for a year without rest. When you are hungry, eat green stuffed food into your belly. In order to repay the Ox King, people designated April 18 as the Ox King's birthday. "On April 18th, the cows stop driving." This ancient custom is still firmly maintained until now.

Main Hall

Tujia Fajus are generally built against the mountains, with the layout of the three dark kings in Ming Dynasty. There are two stilted buildings. The main room is in the middle of the main room. There is an incense box (shrine) on the main room to enshrine the name. Road God Lord. The hall is a sacred place for Tujia people’s sacrificial activities and a place for important weddings and funerals. Especially when there is a funeral for an old person who dies, the Tujia people will hold a funeral dance in the main room to commemorate the death. The Tujia people believe that "all things have animism" and "the soul is immortal," so they hold funerals happily and mourn the deceased with cheerful and enthusiastic funeral dances to liven up the atmosphere. Therefore, "Sui Shu" records: "When an old man dies, he places his body in a coffin. He leads the young men around, each holding a bow and arrow, and sings around the coffin. The bow is clasped with arrows as a knot, and he sings about the joys of his life until his death." From this point on. According to Duan Shizhi, this is probably the earliest "funeral dance" of the Ba people, which means that ancient people used bows and arrows to ward off evil spirits and ward off ghosts, and sang praises for the deceased, similar to how people today hold memorial services for the deceased.