The customs of fifty-six nationalities!

With a long history and splendid national culture, there are more than 265,438+034,000 Yao people who are good at singing and dancing, hardworking and brave. Yao nationality has lived in the mountainous areas of Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hainan and other provinces in southern China for generations, and is a typical southern mountainous nationality. There is abundant rainfall, dense forests, rich natural resources, and unique plants, animals, minerals and other resources. For example, Jianghua Yaoshan, known as the "green treasure house", is known as the largest natural plant kingdom in Guangxi and the splendid Dayaoshan, the "hometown of Chinese fir" ...

Yao has its own language, which belongs to the Yao branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, but the situation is more complicated. More than half of the people speak Burmese, which belongs to the Yao branch of Miao language family. Two fifths of the people speak Bunu, which belongs to the branch of Miao language; Some people in Guangxi speak "Lajia" language, which belongs to Zhuang and Dong language family. He is proficient in Chinese and Zhuang language and has no mother tongue. Generally speaking, Chinese is widely used. Oral literature is extremely rich.

Yao people call themselves Mian, Men and People. 63 species, he said there are 390 species, such as Pan Yao, Indigo Yao and Hongtouyao. After People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded, it was collectively called Yao.

Limited by the living area, most Yao people still retain the primitive hunting, fishing and farming culture, as well as exquisite Yao brocade and costumes, ancient legends, beautiful Yao songs, beautiful dances, unique marriage customs and religious beliefs. Yao women are good at weaving, dyeing and embroidering, and their clothing patterns are exquisite and diverse. Clan appellation is mostly determined by clothing, such as the headdress supported by wooden boards, which is called Dingpan Yao; Those who wear indigo clothes are called indigo Yao. Yao dialect has complex branches, many dialects, no characters and common Chinese. To commemorate their ancestors, the Yao people designated 10 of the lunar calendar as "Wang Pan Festival". Yao people mainly believe in primitive religions, offering sacrifices to village gods, family gods, mountain gods and wind gods. , but also in life and production activities, divination auspicious day, sacrifice to the gods. Yao's religious beliefs are complex, and witchcraft, Taoism and primitive religion vary from place to place.

well-behaved

Compared with the Han area, the enthusiasm of Yao people is even worse. Anyone who enters the Yao family will be treated with respect and enthusiasm. Funny "hanging bags" and "melon wine" are typical etiquette for Yao family to entertain guests. When a guest arrives at Yao's house, as long as he hangs his carry-on bag on the hook on the main pillar of the main hall, he means to have dinner at this house. Without prior explanation, the host will naturally leave the guests at home for dinner. If you don't understand this rule, always keep your bag and other things with you, and the host will think that you are going to other places, and eating will often fail.

Yao people have great respect for their ancestors. Before eating, they are used to saying their ancestors' names, which means that ancestors should taste them first before future generations can enjoy them. This is especially true for rich meals. On holidays, there must be pork, chickens, ducks and wine for ancestor worship, and the number of seats for eating is also particular: the elderly and distinguished guests must sit in their seats. In case of guests, guests should be warmly treated with wine and meat, and in some places, cockscomb flowers should be dedicated to guests. When Yao people propose a toast to their guests, the girls usually raise their glasses to Mei Qi to show their respect for the guests. Some people and venerable old people propose a toast to their guests, which is regarded as a big gift.

The Yao family is generous and polite. Bacon, delicacies and local products are the most common dishes for Yao family to entertain guests. At the guest table, golden and thick bacon is regarded as the top grade, and the host will enthusiastically distribute large pieces of bacon to the guests. Guests should accept it whether they like it or not, so that the host will be happy.

Winter melon wine is a special wine for Yao family to entertain guests. This wine is made of glutinous rice. After being made into paste wine, it is blended with clear water or cold boiled water. When drinking, scoop it out with a ladle and pour it into a bowl. Drink the liquid and slag together. Alcohol content is not high, sweet and delicious. When having a meal, the youngest girl in the family pours wine and fills the rice, while the host frequently toasts the guests with food. At this time, guests need not be too modest and should drink freely. In this way, the host feels that the guests will be happier and more emotional if they speak highly of Yao's family. If you are a cautious stranger, you are not welcome.

In Dashanyao, we also like to entertain guests with camellia oleifera. When we have guests, we are used to toasting three bowls. It is called "one bowl is sparse, two bowls are close, and three bowls are sincere". Old Yao people also like to drink tea, so tea is also a hospitality drink. When entertaining guests, chicken, meat and salt should be placed in a bowl. Regardless of the host and guest, they should be eaten in turn and must not be confused. Every time a guest and an old man finish a bowl of rice, it is a woman who loads the rice. Salt plays a special role in Yao people's dietary customs. Yao area does not produce salt, but it cannot be short of salt. Salt is a great gift for Yao people to ask Taoist priests and their closest relatives, commonly known as "salt letter". Whoever receives the "salt letter" has to stay and keep the appointment on time, no matter how important it is.

Dress

In the past, Yao people used to call themselves Guo Shanyao, Hongtou Yao, Daban Yao, Pingtou Yao, Indigo Yao, Shayao and Baitou Yao because of their different characteristics in residence and dress. In terms of customs and habits, we have always maintained the traditional characteristics of our nation, especially in men's and women's clothing. Yao women are good at embroidery, embroidering exquisite patterns on skirts, cuffs and trouser legs. Hair is braided around the top of the head, surrounded by colorful beads, and the neck of the skirt is embroidered with colorful patterns all the way to the chest. Men, on the other hand, like to tie their hair in a bun, wrap it in red cloth or green cloth, and wear a long-sleeved dress with no collar and double-breasted buttons, with a white cloth "vest" slung diagonally over it, and trousers with large underpants. When Yao men and women reach the age of 15 or 16, they have to change their flower caps into baotoupa, which shows that their bodies have matured.

custom

When you visit Yao's home, you should also understand the local taboos, otherwise it will cause the host's disgust. These taboos are mainly: avoid using the pedal furnace bracket; Avoid burning paper with words in the stove; Don't wear white shoes and white hat when entering Yao's house, because it symbolizes funeral; Avoid sitting on the threshold; You can't wear sandals upstairs; Can't sit on a housewife's stool; On the raft, avoid "umbrella". When talking about "umbrella", say "rain cover" because "umbrella" is homophonic with "scattering"; When logging, avoid saying ominous words such as "eat meat" and "die".

In the past, the Yao people who worshipped Wang Pan were generally forbidden to eat dog meat. Yao people who worship "Miruotuo" did not eat mother pork and eagle meat in the past. In Chenxi County, southwest Hunan Province, cucumbers are fasted before the fifth day of the seventh lunar month. Most Yao people don't eat cat meat and snake meat. In some places, women do not eat lard in the first few days after delivery. Yao people generally sacrifice pigs, chickens, ducks, eggs, fish and other foods to the gods, and avoid dogs, snakes, cats and frogs.

marriage customs

Young men and women can communicate freely. Many young men and women in Yao take the opportunity of "playing songs" to choose the right person. Once a man and a woman fall in love, their parents can give gifts such as pork and wine through the matchmaker. When a wedding is held, there will be a grand banquet. According to the traditional custom, the elders in the village must be invited to the wedding banquet, and the bride and groom should drink a glass of wine. But don't marry other people. The family organization is monogamous and many cousins are married. Marriage with the same surname is not taboo. Lanyin Yao mostly adopted, while Baitou Yao was popular with the custom of "robbing marriage".

Yao people practice monogamous marriage system. Generally, they don't marry other ethnic groups, but they can marry outside the five generations of the net family. Some marriages are arranged by parents, and some are free love unions. Those who are arranged by their parents are often betrothed to others at a very young age. If their parents are dead, their brothers, sisters and uncles will decide. The main way to choose a spouse freely is singing.

The duet is usually performed during the Spring Festival and when young men and women from other villages come to our village to sing. Some young men in our village also invited each other to sing duets in the neighboring village. The location of the duet is generally chosen near the village, when men and women will form their own array and perform duets by asking and answering each other. The melody of folk songs is simple, but the lyrics are complex, which varies with the depth of feelings between men and women. After collective observation, comparison and consideration of the songs, if a young man has a good impression on a little girl, he can sing with the little girl alone, but the place can only be seen by everyone. After the two sides have a certain understanding, the man will reveal his proposal to the woman. If the two sides love each other, they can give each other small ornaments as a souvenir. In some areas of Yao nationality, when giving tokens to each other, little girls should bite young people's arms. If the young man's arm is bitten very thick, it means fate, otherwise marriage will be difficult.

Duige is a long-term popular form of free marriage in Yao society, so in the long-term development process, some rules have gradually formed. Just as young men and women in the village can't desire each other, old people can't sing to each other when they are present; People in their own family can't sing; Men and women are not allowed to sing alone or in secluded places. In Yao marriage, matchmaker's words are very popular, even couples who choose by singing must get engaged through matchmaker's words. When making a matchmaker, the man usually sends the matchmaker's tobacco leaves to the woman's house to show his proposal, which is called "asking for cigarettes". The woman's parents accept the tobacco leaves and agree to propose marriage. If the tobacco leaves are returned, they refuse. There are also people who choose songs and then get married by matchmaking.

In Yao marriage, my uncle has the priority to marry my niece as a daughter-in-law, and only when my uncle has no children can he marry others. If the eldest daughter gets married, her uncle and aunt will preside over the wedding. If the second daughter gets married, her sister and brother-in-law will preside over the wedding, and my sister will comb her hair. If there is no male heir in the family, the general practice is to get married. Widows generally sympathize with society and can remarry. If they are neglected, their property will be divided equally between their ex-husbands and brothers, and widows can take their personal belongings. Customary law is the criterion to maintain the marriage life of Yao family. If unmarried men and women commit adultery, if they are found, they must ask Yao Mu to kill the chicken and "wash their faces" and apologize. If the woman is pregnant and gives birth to a child, she will usually get married. If a married man commits adultery with an unmarried woman and becomes pregnant, he can take the man as his concubine; otherwise, he will be punished. My husband found that a married woman had committed adultery with a married woman, and was fined five and a half yuan by Yaomu (a commodity in Yunnan before liberation) and returned to her husband. If you continue to commit adultery, you will be severely punished. Yao people think that divorce is a serious matter. If the two sides really can't reconcile, Yao and Mu must be separated, otherwise they will be condemned by the villagers. If both parties divorce voluntarily, when divorcing, each party will take a chopping knife and a bamboo slip (or a piece of wood), break the bamboo tube in half on the mountain, each holding half, and immediately walk away in the opposite direction, indicating that both parties will go their separate ways and never look back; Or a piece of silk thread, cut with a knife, each holding a piece, indicating a clean break. If one party files for divorce and the other party does not agree, when the other party gets married, the one who files for divorce must return part of the gift money.

Dietary customs

Yao people have three meals a day, usually two meals and one porridge or two porridge and one meal, and they can eat three meals in busy farming season. In the past, Yao people often added corn, millet, sweet potato, cassava, taro and beans to rice porridge or rice. Sometimes, we also use "stew" or "roast" methods to process food, such as stewing sweet potatoes and other potatoes, stewing bitter bamboo shoots, roasting tender corn, baking Baba and so on. Yao people living in mountainous areas have the habit of cold food, and the preparation of food is easy to carry and preserve. So Zongba and bamboo rice, which are both staple food and non-staple food, are their favorite foods. At work, Yao people have picnics on the spot, and everyone gets together to take out their own food and eat their own staple food.

The vegetables we often eat are all kinds of melons, beans, vegetables, radishes and peppers, as well as bamboo shoots, mushrooms, fungus, bracken, Chinese toon and yellow flowers. Yao area is also rich in all kinds of fruits. Vegetables are often made into dried vegetables or pickles. Some Yao people in Yunnan like to make their dishes very light, and they are basically cooked with salt. Some are directly boiled in white water and soaked in water prepared with salt and pepper to keep the original flavor of various vegetables; Meat is often processed into bacon. Yao people in Guangxi usually cook meat by dry frying, boiling, seasoning with salt and less seasoning. Meat should be made into a very rich dish, fresh meat or bacon, fried brown first, and then cooked.

Yao people like to eat insect pupae, often eating pine pupae, kudzu pupae, wild bee pupae, bee pupae and so on. Yao people also like to make their own cane sugar, sweet potato sugar, bee sugar and so on by using the characteristics of mountainous areas.

Most Yao people like drinking. Generally, rice, corn, sweet potato and so on are used. And often drink it two or three times a day. Yao people in Yunnan like to brew water wine with mash. When they go out, they often use bamboo tubes to hold water when drinking water.

Yao people in Guangxi also like to cook tea with cinnamon and galangal, which they think can refresh their minds and eliminate fatigue. Yao people in many areas like to play with Camellia oleifera, not only eating and drinking by themselves every day, but also entertaining guests with Camellia oleifera.

Typical food: Yao people have a large population and are widely distributed, and there are unique foods in various places, among which the typical foods are: Camellia oleifera; Zomba; Dutch seasoning.

Holidays and festivals

Besides Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, Yao people also have their own unique traditional festivals, such as Wang Pan Festival, Spring Festival group worship festival, Da Nu Festival, Gege Hall and Pawa Festival. Because there are many people in the festival, rice is generally not cooked in an iron pan, but steamed in a wooden steamer, which has a stronger aroma. Every holiday. Yao people still have to do Baba. Holiday dishes are mainly chicken, duck, fish, pork, tofu and vermicelli. In some places, Yao people still cook black rice on April 8. Yao girls in Jiang Shui County, Hunan Province eat flower eggs, make flower cakes and eat flower candy every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. Boys are not allowed to peek when girls are eating eggs, candy and Baba, and offenders will be punished.

Playing karaoke hall is a large-scale entertainment activity to worship ancestors and celebrate harvest in Liannan Paiyao. Most of them are held after the lunar calendar1October 16, and the duration varies from 3 days to 9 days. At that time, every household will have water, wine and glutinous rice Baba to entertain guests. Yao people usually sacrifice food such as pigs, chickens, ducks, eggs and fish to the gods, and dogs, snakes, cats and frogs are forbidden. When Yao people hold funerals, they all have to cut cattle for sacrifice. The number of cattle cut depends on the family situation, and some kill as many as 7 or 8 heads. In some places, pork and tofu are the main funeral banquets.

Wang Pan Festival of Yao Nationality: October 16th of the lunar calendar is the biggest Wang Pan Festival Song Festival of Yao Nationality. In ancient times, King Ping of Yaoshan fought with King Gao. Comment on the king's reward for recruiting talents and talents. Whoever can take the high king's head will be willing to marry the most beautiful Yincui gorge. Unexpectedly, the next day, a colored dog named Pan Hu actually took Gao Wang's head away. Wang Ping kept his promise and betrothed his beloved Yincui gorge to Qicai Dog, and named it Qicai Dog King. On the wedding night, the dog turned into a tall and strong man, and the princess was overjoyed. Later, the princess gave birth to six men and six women for King Pan, and handed down the twelve surnames of Yao. One day, King Pan went hunting in the mountains and was accidentally touched by an antelope and died. When the children heard the news, they caught the antelope, skinned the sheep and made them into long drums, and danced angrily to avenge their father. In the future, on this day, Yao people will get together to sing and dance in memory of King Pan. Today, "Wang Pan Festival" has gradually developed into a fraternity to celebrate the harvest. Young men and women take this opportunity to express their feelings with songs and find a good partner.

Girl Street: It is a traditional festival of Yao people, and it is held every year after the Spring Festival. In this street period, girls of all ethnic groups put on gorgeous national costumes and flocked to the market from all directions. There is a joyful atmosphere in this festive town. In the square, girls of all ethnic groups form a circle, singing and dancing with the accompaniment of musical instruments. And the top competition is also very eye-catching. The top is made of hardwood. During the competition, the two groups are separated by a certain distance, and the people in each group take turns to hit each other's rotating gyro with their own rotating gyro. After the hit, the hit gyro is still spinning, and the winner wins. In addition, the streets and alleys are filled with colorful silk thread, lace, silverware, jewelry and other commodities and various delicious snacks. Men and women, bustling, crowded with streets. Among the happy people, there are Yao girls dressed in peach blossoms, earrings and bracelets; There are Miao girls wearing big-necked shirts and pleated skirts with three or four necklaces around their necks, Kazak girls wearing black underwear and a big silver ring on their chests, and Yi girls wearing dresses with lace and beautiful patterns and a silver bubble "cockscomb hat". They go together in groups, sell their own agricultural and sideline products in the market, and buy silver ornaments such as lace, colored silk thread, earrings and bracelets in front of the booth. As the sun sets, people in the town disperse one after another, but the fields outside the city are singing beautifully. Pairs of young men and women of all ethnic groups are singing heartily on hillsides, under trees, by streams and by lakes. Singing, piano sound and laughter are intertwined and rippling on the "girl street". There is a unique and interesting activity in the Spring Festival of Yao nationality-"Agricultural Drama". On the first day of New Year's Day, people first gather in the village square to watch "Agricultural Drama". The "agricultural drama" consists of a person dressed as a cow, a person accompanying a farmer carrying a plow, a person dressed as a farmer carrying a hoe, and three people singing and dancing. After watching it, the young men and women indulged in singing and dancing. In the process of singing and dancing, if the girls take a fancy to the right person, they hang their carefully embroidered flower ribbons or silver ornaments on the young man's waist to show their love. In some areas, Yao newlyweds will bring gifts to their father-in-law's house during the Spring Festival, and the bride's house must host a banquet. During the dinner, my father-in-law sang folk songs, wishing the newlyweds hard work, live in harmony and grow old together.

"Bird-catching Festival": On the first day of February every year, it is the "Bird-catching Festival" of the Yao people. Every year, on this day, young men and women in Wuli mountain village in Fiona Fang, rain or shine, put on national costumes with sapphire lining and white edges, put on colorful headscarves, put on embroidered shoes and socks, put up green cloth umbrellas, and gather in groups of three or five. For men and women, or four men and four women, sitting on the green lawn, on the rock head, or snuggling under the tea tree and pine tree, singing love songs, folk songs, word guessing songs and riddle songs sweetly. From sunrise to full moon, if you are thirsty, drink a handful of water; if you are hungry, eat some rakes. The bird forgot to go home, and the singer didn't want to go home until the night dew soaked his head. They didn't send men and women, sent men and women across the mountains, gave them a ride, sang a song, and soon entered the village entrance, and then broke up with deep affection. On this day, young people are busy catching up with each other and looking for bosom friends; At home, the old people knead glutinous rice made overnight into copper coins, poke them on bamboo branches, and insert them near the altar or the door of the hall, named "bird rake" for neighbors and children to eat. It is said that blackbirds will stick their mouths and shells together when pecking and harrowing, and will never spoil food again. In the evening, people in Gengshan pass through the village to string fire ponds and taste the "bird rakes" of various families, hoping to have a good omen.

Draft reversal festival: October 16 of the lunar calendar is a traditional day for Yao people to celebrate the harvest. At this time, rice, sweet potatoes, corn, millet and other crops have all been harvested, and the Yao people designated this day as the "Draft-reversing Festival". Before this day, whoever plants and harvests is not allowed to cut down and collect indiscriminately, otherwise it will be fined according to rural regulations. After this day, anyone can collect the fruits in the fields under the mountains, and no one can interfere.

Songtang Festival: It is a festival for young Yao men and women to talk about love, sing and courtship. Traditionally, it is held every three to five years. It is usually held on October 16 of the lunar calendar and lasts for three or nine days. Before the festival comes, every household must inform relatives and friends from far and near to visit in advance. On the night of the festival, young men and women sang love songs around the bonfire and expressed their feelings with songs, which lasted for a long time until they stayed up all night. On festivals, people put on new clothes, new headscarves and brocade chicken feathers. The streets and alleys are bustling and lively. At the beginning of the "karaoke room", the ancestral tablets were first carried out from the temple for procession and worship. Accompanied by gongs and drums and waist drum teams, local bronze cannons were set off. When middle-aged and elderly people marched in the streets carrying the statue of Gong Zu, groups of young women and young men gathered in the square, singing to young girls in groups of two or three. Sometimes there are eighty or ninety young people singing. One boy after another, the girls carefully looked at the singing boy and secretly chose the one they liked. Boys also sing heartily to win the hearts of girls. After meeting in karaoke bars during the day, you can sing alone to woo girls at night. During the festival, every family will make 20 to 30 kilograms of glutinous rice cakes to entertain relatives and friends. Each household is also given a number of water wine (about seven pounds) for people to drink at will.

build

Yao folk houses are good at adapting to local conditions and can be divided into "half-building style", "whole-building style" and "quadrangle style".

A "half-story building" is generally five columns and three rooms, with a mansion at both ends, or a mansion at one end or a wing extending forward at the other end. Most of the gates are on the upper floor of the house. Most of these buildings were built by Yao Hong.

"The whole building" is called "half building"; Generally built on a flat foundation along the river or halfway up the mountain. The scale and ancillary buildings are the same as the "half building". Huayao and Pan Yao live in the whole building.

"Siheyuan" is called "Siheyuan" because it connects four "whole buildings" with a small square yard in the middle. This kind of building is only inhabited by wealthy families along the river in Yao Hong.