They mainly live in the southeastern part of Guizhou Province, Damiao Mountain in Guangxi, Hainan Island and the junction areas of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and other provinces. In ancient Chinese classics, there have long been records about the ancestors of the Miao people more than 5,000 years ago. These are the clans and tribes known as the "Southern Barbarians" from the Yellow River Basin to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
The Miao people have their own language. The Miao language is divided into three major dialects: Xiangxi, Eastern Guizhou and Sichuan-Guizhou-Dian. After 1956, a text scheme in the form of Latin letters was designed. Due to the long-term exchanges between the Miao people and the Han people, a large part of the Miao people are proficient in Chinese and use Chinese.
The Miao area is mainly based on agriculture, supplemented by hunting. The Miao people's arts and crafts such as cross-stitching, embroidery, brocade, batik, paper-cutting, and hand-made jewelry are magnificent and colorful and well-known at home and abroad. Among them, the batik craft of the Miao people has a history of thousands of years.
There are more than 130 kinds of Miao costumes, which can be compared with the costumes of any ethnic group in the world. The Miao people are good at singing and dancing, and are particularly famous for their love songs and drinking songs. Lusheng is the most representative musical instrument of the Miao people.
Customs
The Miao people attach great importance to etiquette. When guests come to visit, they will kill chickens and ducks to entertain them warmly. If they are distinguished guests from afar, the Miao people are accustomed to treating the guests to drink horn wine first. When eating chicken, the chicken head should be given to the elder among the guests, and the chicken legs should be given to the youngest guest. In some places, there is also the custom of dividing chicken hearts, that is, the eldest host in the family uses chopsticks to give chicken or duck hearts to the guests, but the guests cannot eat them themselves and must divide the chicken hearts equally among the elderly people present. If the guest is a light drinker and does not like to eat fat meat, it can explain the situation. If the host does not force the meal, but does not eat and drink enough, it will be regarded as looking down on the host.
Marriage Customs
Glutinous rice is also an indispensable food in the marriage process of young men and women. The Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan, give each other glutinous rice cakes with pictures of mandarin ducks as tokens. During a wedding, the bride and groom drink cups of wine, and the officiant invites the bride and groom to eat glutinous rice cakes with pictures of dragons, phoenixes and dolls.
Food customs
In most areas, rice is the staple food for the three meals a day of the Miao people. First, dry the rice in the sun and pour it into a pot to pound it to remove the bran. Eat it now, with 3 to 5 kilograms of rice pounded each time. Electricity and water power are now used to mill rice in many places.
Fried food is the most common fried food. To make fried daddy, sticky rice and a small amount of soybeans are first soaked and then beaten into a slurry. The thick slurry is then poured into a mold made of iron sheets and fried in boiling oil until golden brown. If you add some fresh meat and sauerkraut as filling, the taste will be more delicious.
Most of the meat comes from livestock and poultry breeding. The Miao people in Sichuan, Yunnan and other places like to eat dog meat. There is a saying that "the dogs of the Miao people are the wine of the Yi people". Dog meat is hot in nature, has the functions of warming the abdomen and strengthening the stomach, and is a strong and nourishing food. In addition to animal oil, the edible oils of the Miao family are mostly camellia oil and vegetable oil. Chili is used as the main condiment. In some areas, there is even a saying that "no dish is complete without spicy food".
The Miao people have a wide variety of dishes. Common vegetables include beans, melons, green vegetables, and radishes. Most of the Miao people are good at making soy products. The Miao people who live in high and cold mountainous areas like to boil vegetables in plain water into mussels and eat them. The Miao people in Sichuan also make soy milk into bean curds to entertain guests.
The Miao people in various places generally like to eat sour dishes, and sour soup is a must-have for every household. Sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water. After fermentation in an earthen pot for 3-5 days, it can be used to cook meat, fish, and vegetables. In summer in southeastern Guizhou, when a guest comes in, the host will always serve him sour soup first. After drinking it, he will feel sour and cool to quench his thirst.
The Miao people generally use pickling to preserve their food. Vegetables, chicken, duck, fish and meat all like to be pickled to make them sour. Almost every household of the Miao people has a jar for pickling food, collectively called a sour jar.
The Miao people have a long history of brewing wine and have a complete set of techniques from making koji, fermentation, distillation, blending and cellaring. Sipping wine is unique. When drinking, a bamboo tube is inserted into the urn. The drinkers form a circle along the urn. The elder drinks first, and then rotates from left to right. After the wine juice is absorbed, it can be poured into drinking water until it is light and tasteless. Once the wine is opened, the remaining wine, no matter how strong or light it is, will not be used again.
Camellia oleifera is the most common daily beverage. The Miao people in western Hunan also make a special kind of Wanhua tea. In addition to tea, sour soup is also a common drink.
Typical foods mainly include: blood soup, chili bone, Miaoxiang turtle and phoenix soup, cotton cake, insect tea, Wanhua tea, pounded fish, fish in sour soup, etc.
Festivals
The Miao people used to believe in animism, worship nature, and worship their ancestors. There are many festivals. In addition to traditional New Year festivals and sacrificial festivals, there are also festivals specifically related to eating. Such as: Duck Eating Festival, New Eating Festival, Fish Killing Festival, Tea Picking Festival, etc. In addition to preparing wine and meat for the festival, seasonal food is also necessary.
The Miao Year usually begins on the first Mao day of the first lunar month and lasts for three, five or fifteen days. Before the New Year, every household must prepare a sumptuous New Year's meal. In addition to slaughtering pigs and sheep (cows), they must also prepare plenty of glutinous rice wine. The New Year's meal is rich, with emphasis on "all seven colors" and "all five flavors", and the best glutinous rice is used to make "New Year cake". Treat each other to feasts and gifts.
The Fish Killing Festival is usually held on the riverside. Women bring rice, bacon, sausages and other food and drinks. As soon as they catch a fish, they light a bonfire and cook the fish until they are satisfied.
The "Drum Sacrifice Festival" is the largest sacrificial activity among the Miao people. Generally, there is a small sacrifice every seven years and a big sacrifice every thirteen years. It is held on Yihai day from October to November of the lunar calendar. At that time, a Guzi ox will be killed, the Lusheng dance will be performed, and the ancestors will be paid homage to. Invite relatives and friends to gather together during meals in order to enhance feelings and family harmony.
Glutinous rice is a must-have food in Miao festivals and social activities. Miao people in many areas often use glutinous rice noodles to make glutinous rice balls, which are also a kind of food during festivals. Regardless of weddings or funerals, wine, sour meat, and sour fish must be prepared, otherwise it will be considered disrespectful.
Lusheng Culture
The golden autumn is a good time for the Miao family to make reeds. At this time, the Miao young men would cut down the golden Sheng bamboo from the mountain and begin to cut the bamboo, make springs, and install hoops. So Lushengs of different sizes were made by a new generation of Lusheng hands, and they played melodious tunes, attracting the girl's laughter and favor.
The Lusheng is a traditional reed instrument of the Miao ethnic group and is widely circulated in the Miao ethnic area. According to literature, Lusheng has a history of more than 3,000 years. As far back as the Tang Dynasty, Lusheng was played in the court. At that time, Lusheng was called "Lao Sheng". Lu Ciyun of the Qing Dynasty made a detailed description of the shape of the reed and the scene of Miao men and women playing the reed during the "moon dance" in his book "Dongxi Xianzhi": "(The male) holds the reed. The sheng has six pipes and is made of two feet. . . . The sound of the sheng is uneven, while it is playing and singing, the hands are soaring, the feet are flying, the legs are turning back, and the spirit is swinging. "This shows the role and status of the Lusheng in the lives of the ancient Miao people. Nowadays, the shape of the reed has undergone great changes, and it is divided into large, medium and small types. They are composed of three parts: pipe, pipe and reed. There are 6 commonly used reed pipes with sound holes on the outside. A copper spring is installed at the lower end and inserted into a long wooden gourd. Each spring has one tone. A bamboo pipe is placed on the top of every two or three sheng pipes as a syringe. The tube length of a small Lusheng is more than ten centimeters, and the length of a large Lusheng ranges from four to five meters. Among the bass reeds, there is a thin bamboo tube installed inside a large bamboo tube, which is called "lusheng tube" by the pronunciator. Now after reform, the number of sheng pipes has been increased to more than 20. The upper end of each pipe is covered with a syringe made of thin copper sheet, and the sound range can reach two octaves and five degrees. The reed has a bright and rich sound and can be played by both men and women. Whenever there is a New Year, a wedding, a house or a house, people always hold the Lusheng in their hands, sing and dance to express their joy and emotions.
Since ancient times, playing the reed has to be accompanied by dancing, playing and dancing at the same time. However, the performance of Lusheng also varies according to the customs of various regions. The "Stepping on Lusheng" in the Miao area of ??southeastern Guizhou is grand in scale, with tall reeds. The reeds played by the reed team have rich music, strong sounds, majestic momentum and touching people. While playing the reed, the reed players skillfully performed difficult movements such as handstands, rolls, hangings, backwards, climbing poles, and stacking arhats. In some areas, Lusheng solo dance and duet dance are common, with bright melody, free rhythm, skillful skills and fascinating. In some areas, the reed is smaller, and men play it while women dance. The rhythm is steady and soothing, which is intriguing. These different customs of Lusheng skills are gathered into a bunch of artistic wonders with national characteristics, which are passed down from generation to generation and will never decline.
In addition, the Lusheng is not only a simple national musical instrument, but also an important "medium" for young Miao men and women to get married.
Through it, young people in their prime can understand each other, develop admiration, and get married. Every time on a clear moonlit night, a loving young man holds his beloved Lusheng and plays a melodious love song. When the girls hear the sound, they will understand it and sing to each other in a crisp voice. This kind of love style is incomprehensible to outsiders. For an expert, it will be self-evident upon hearing it. Therefore, Lusheng is sacred and precious in the eyes of the Miao people, and every family cannot live without it.
Flowered clothes and silver clothes
If the Miao girls in costumes gather together, it will definitely become a beautiful silver world. It is the nature of Miao girls to wear silver ornaments. They put their hair in a bun on the top of their heads and wear exquisite silver corollas about 20 centimeters high. There are 6 uneven silver wings in the front of the corolla, most of which are decorated with silver ornaments. Two dragons playing with beads pattern. In some areas, in addition to silver pieces, silver horns about 1 meter high are also inserted into the silver crowns. The tips of the horns are decorated with colorful flowers, which makes them more noble and gorgeous. On the lower edge of the silver crown, a silver flower belt hangs, and a row of small silver flower pendants hangs down. There are several layers of silver necklaces worn around the neck, mostly made of silver flowers and small silver rings. He wears a silver lock and a silver collar on his chest, a silver cloak on his chest and back, and many small silver bells hanging down. Earrings and bracelets are all made of silver. Only two sleeves show embroidery with fiery red as the main tone, but the cuffs are also inlaid with a wider circle of silver ornaments. The costumes worn by Miao girls often weigh several kilograms, and some of them are accumulated and inherited by generations of people. It is known as the "fairy in colorful clothes and silver costumes". The craftsmanship of Miao silver jewelry is gorgeous, sophisticated and ingenious, fully demonstrating the wisdom and talent of the Miao people.
Miao girls’ skirts are called pleated skirts, but in fact there are more than 500 pleats on a skirt, and there are many layers, some as many as thirty or forty layers. These skirts, from weaving to bleaching, dyeing and sewing, to the final drawing and embroidery, are all done by the girls themselves. Together with the hand-embroidered flower belts and flower breast pockets, they are really colorful and beautiful.
Guzang Festival
The Miao people hold many festivals, and there are hundreds of festivals held in various places in a year. The more common ones are the New Year Festival, the New (Grain) Eating Festival, and the Lusheng Festival. , April 8th Festival, Autumn Festival, Sisters’ Rice Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, etc. However, the oldest and most magical thing is the Guzang Festival, which has not happened in several years.
The Guzang Festival, also known as the Drum Society Festival, Lagu Festival, and Drum Sacrifice Festival, is a grand traditional sacrificial festival in the Miao area. The cycles of festivals vary from place to place. Some are held once every 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, 9 years, 11 years, 13 years, and some are held every 30 years. Due to the huge cost, most of them are held every 11 or 13 years. The festival usually falls from late September to early November of the lunar calendar.
Qianhu Miao Village in Xijiang, Leishan County, Guizhou Province, the largest Miao village in the country, celebrates the Guzang Festival every 13 years. The most recent one was held on September 22nd of the lunar calendar in 1986 (the Year of the Tiger). of. In the first two years before the festival, the villages of the same clan jointly elect the drum master, commonly known as Gu Zangtou, who is a respected old man with many children and grandchildren. The drum master takes charge of the preparation of the drum sacrifice supplies. The first step is to select the sacrifice cow, feed it well, and not use it for labor. On an auspicious day in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the drum used in the previous session is carried back to the village from the Tibetan drum cave and placed in the drum field, which is called "awakening drum". Then the big nanmu was cut to build a new drum, and the new drum was carried into the Tibetan Drum Cave, announcing the use of the new drum and discarding the old drum. During the Guzang Festival, cattle are sacrificed to the drums in the drum field. The horns of the cattle, together with the skull and forehead bones, are the main sacrifices. Thirteen days later, 30,000 to 40,000 people of all ethnic groups gathered together to play the Lusheng for 7 to 9 days. Bronze drums, important sacrificial vessels that are not usually allowed to be used, are also brought out to accompany singing and dancing, which is called bronze drum dancing.
In festivals, when killing a pig, you say "kiss the official"; when you use a knife, you say "bring the leaves"; when roasting a pig with straw, you say "bring a quilt to the official to cover you"; when you are full, It is said to be "full of warehouses"; opening pig brains is said to be "opening the warehouse door". In short, you should speak for wealth and good luck.
Dance the bronze drum and play the Lusheng at the same time. Most of the people in the Bronze Drum Field are middle-aged and elderly people, and in the Lusheng Field there are mostly young men and women. The young men who play the Lusheng take turns leading the dance for the girls. The girls, dressed in colorful and silver costumes, form a large circle on three levels inside and three outside, step on the steps and wave their hands to dance. During the last two days of playing the Lusheng, a young man can ask for a flower belt from the girl he likes. Girls will even hang valuable silver necklaces, watches, etc. as tokens on the reed pipe of their loved ones. Whenever this happens, the whole audience cheers and sincerely congratulates.
There are two large vats of rice wine in the center of the bronze drum field. Two young men hold large horn cups filled with wine, tap the horns with bamboo sticks, and choose the person to toast among the dancers. The chosen one must drink from the cup and cannot take the cup with his hands, otherwise he will have to start all over again. This way of drinking is called "feeding the cow" because cows are highly respected.
The "Gu Zang Festival" is generally not easily held because it takes a long time every other year. Therefore, whenever a festival comes, people are extremely excited. In order to watch this magical traditional festival, there are often huge crowds of people in Guzang Square.
Miaoshan Horse Fighting
Rongshui Damiao Mountain in Guangxi is a majestic and beautiful mountain with continuous barriers. In an open dam at the foot of the mountain, people cheered and watched a unique horse fighting competition.
Horse fighting is a folk entertainment activity of the Miao people in Guangxi. It is held on December 26 every year and lasts for three days.
On the first day, people were busy releasing water into the fields to catch fish, cooking fresh fish porridge to try new things; they also steamed glutinous rice, brewed sweet wine, and slaughtered chickens and ducks to entertain relatives and friends from far away.
The horse fighting is on the 2nd day and the horse racing is on the 3rd day. The horse fighting is a fascinating game. At about 10 o'clock in the morning, after a row of "crossing the mountain" gunshots were fired, the reeds were played, the lion dance and the dragon tumbling up and down, followed by the majestic horse team, majestically entering the arena. Miao, Yao and Dong girls in costumes hold colorful ribbons to form a circle outside their hands and dance to the rhythm of the reed. Horses gathered in the arena. Dozens of carefully selected horses were all fat and strong. They were eager to compete on the sidelines, waiting to go on stage. As soon as the referee announces the list of horses to enter, each of the two horse teams pulls out a horse and unties the rope. The two horses immediately rush towards each other, confront each other with their feet in the air, bite each other, or suddenly turn around, lift their hind legs, and kick violently. other side. The intense and interesting fighting scenes occasionally aroused bursts of applause and cheers from the surrounding audience. After several rounds of duel, the arena was filled with smoke and sand, and the winner was decided when one horse fell to the ground or lost. Then he led two other horses into the field. Duel each other in a round robin, and finally determine the top three winners. At this time, people gathered around to watch the winning horse covered in sweat and admire it. The owner of the winning horse also accepted people's congratulations with a smile on his face. Surrounded by the crowd, the organizer covered the winning horse with red and embroidered colors and distributed prizes to the horse's owner.
Horse racing is a severe test of the bravery and skills of the riders. In the Miao mountainous area, the mountains are high, the roads are steep, and the trails are rugged. It requires competitors to be bold, careful and skillful in riding. When the competition begins, the riders are five or six meters away, running forward quickly and mounting their horses in the air. The horse has no saddle on its back, and the rider's legs clamp the horse's body. The horse gallops forward on the winding mountain path. The thrilling scene is eye-catching and refreshing. The rider who reaches the finish line first is praised and rewarded.
On the days of horse fighting, the boys and girls were very active. They gathered on the hillside and carried out activities such as playing Lusheng and "stepping on the hall". More than 20,000 people of all ethnic groups came from Guizhou and nearby villages to participate in the horse fighting event. Many people also brought mushrooms, fungus, animal skins, medicinal materials, dried bamboo shoots and other local specialties for exchange, adding to the lively atmosphere. .
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