I want information about the Miao ethnic costumes, dwellings, food, and festival customs.

The Miao nationality is one of the oldest ethnic groups in my country, with a large population and a vast distribution. The Miao nationality in western Hunan belongs to one of them. In the long-term historical development process, the Miao people have formed their own unique customs and habits in terms of clothing, festivals, weddings, funerals, entertainment, etiquette, taboos, and diet.

1. Clothing

The ancient costumes of the Miao people in western Hunan have little difference between men and women, and they are all "colorful"; they wear floral clothes on the upper body, pleated skirts on the lower body, and long hair. , wrapped in an ocher flower handkerchief, wearing boat-shaped floral shoes, and various silver ornaments.

During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, when the government ordered that "clothes should be divided into men and women," there were major changes, and many people even changed into Han costumes. For example, in today's Yongshun, Longshan and other counties, the Miao people's clothing is no different from that of the Han people. However, in Huayuan, Baojing, Fenghuang, Jishou, Guzhang, Luxi and other counties, the Miao costumes still have their own characteristics.

The clothes of Miao men are relatively simple; they wear cloth handkerchiefs on their heads, double-breasted clothes with long and small sleeves, short and large trousers, and like to have green foot bindings. There are two kinds of headbands: green handkerchiefs and flower handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs are more than one foot long, and some are as long as three feet long. When worn, they usually form an oblique cross shape and are as big as a bamboo hat. The colors of the clothes include plaid, all-green, all-blue, etc. Among them, plaid cloth is the most distinctive. There are usually seven buttons on clothes. Some young men, in order to make others admire their wealth and generosity, wear as many as seven pieces of clothing. Only button the bottom pair of buttons on the outermost layer of clothing, button the bottom two pairs of buttons on the second layer of clothing...and so on, until all seven pairs of buttons on the innermost layer are buttoned. In this way, all the layers of new clothes can be seen from the outside, giving it a unique taste.

Contrary to the simple clothing of Miao men, the clothing of Miao women is very exquisite and complicated.

Handkerchief: The headkerchief worn by Miao women varies from place to place. Miao women in Fenghuang County often wear a short handkerchief, one kong, more than three feet long, which is wrapped from the forehead to the back of the head, including the ears. Miao women in Huayuan and other counties like to use black handkerchiefs (those whose parents have died wear white handkerchiefs), fold them neatly, wrap them flatly and squarely, and tie them together at the end, just in line with the forehead and eyebrows. Miao women's headbands in Jishou County are more mixed. The area adjacent to Fenghuang County wears flower handkerchiefs, and the area adjacent to Huayuan County wears black handkerchiefs. Miao women in Luxi, Guzhang and eastern Jishou areas wear white headbands. There are four pairs of cyan flowers and butterflies embroidered on the handkerchief, which is simple, beautiful and unique in charm. The so-called "the four corners of the handkerchief on the head are embroidered with moths" refers to this kind of white handkerchief.

Jewelry: Miao women’s jewelry is exquisite in shape and comes in many varieties. In terms of raw materials, there are gold jewelry, silver jewelry, copper jewelry, aluminum jewelry, jade jewelry, etc., among which silver jewelry is the most common. From the parts worn: silver hats, silver basins, phoenix crowns, Sushan earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, toothpicks, buckles, etc. Bracelets and rings must be worn regularly. In terms of style, earrings alone include melon seed drop earrings, pomegranate earrings, plum blossom needle earrings, hoop earrings, dragon head earrings, plum blossom drop melon seed earrings, rake earrings, dragon head melon seed drop earrings, etc.

Clothes, pants and others: Miao women’s clothes are large and long beyond the waist, with large and short sleeves and no collar. The size of the cuffs is about one foot or more. It is customary to have piping, embroidery or yarn on the chest and cuffs, and add railing petals to them. Some also need to embroider cloud hooks on the edges of the opening and the front and rear sides. Clothing styles are always full-breasted, not double-breasted. Making a set of Miao women's clothes and trousers requires dozens of working days with exquisite sewing and embroidery work. The trousers are shorter and have larger hems. The piping, embroidery or yarn on the edges of the trousers is the same as the clothes. The ceremonial skirt is long and wide, with embroidered patterns all over the hem and legs, rolled railings and large and small petals, which are colorful and dazzling. The shoes are fully embroidered, with a pointed head and a large mouth, and a heel on the back for easy wearing.

After liberation, in some areas where Miao and Han live together, the Miao costumes were greatly influenced by the Han, and some young people have changed to Han costumes.

2. Festivals

The Miao people in western Hunan have many festivals and large-scale activities. Among them, the most representative ones are:

1. New Year's Eve. In the first month of the lunar calendar, the Miao people in western Hunan are most enthusiastic about attending the New Year Festival, and the date is decided by each place. Catch the New Year's Eve. On that day, men and women, young and old, dressed in festive costumes, invited each other and went to the market in groups.

The New Year's Eve fair was crowded with people, bustling and extremely lively. People can not only exchange materials, but also participate in or watch activities such as playing swings, lion dances, playing dragon lanterns, and climbing knife ladders. Young men and women also take advantage of this opportunity to have romantic relationships with each other. The singers and singers even showed off their skills, hanging out in small groups, talking about ancient ways and the present, singing loudly, singing to each other, or wrapping roots, congratulating each other, narrating traditional stories, or singing new lyrics impromptu. The more the singer sings, the more interested he becomes, and the more the listener listens, the more energetic he becomes. Even if it snows heavily and the weather is freezing cold, the New Year Festival will still be held as scheduled.

2. March 3rd. This is the traditional song and dance festival of the Miao people in western Hunan. On this day, the Miao people take the initiative to gather at the agreed song field to participate in antiphonal singing, listening to songs, dancing, watching dances, and having fun.

3. Catch the Qingming Festival. This is a large-scale singing festival unique to the Miao people in western Hunan, also known as the "Qingming Song Festival". According to legend, because most of the Miao people live scattered in remote mountains and mountains, all daily necessities must be exchanged in relatively distant Han areas, and they are often deceived*. Therefore, the Miao people make an appointment to use the Qingming Festival as their day to exchange materials and meet relatives and friends. so. Over time, today's "Qingming Song Festival" was formed.

The Qingming Festival has a traditional central venue. The Miao people in the east of Jishou City celebrate the Qingming Festival, and the central venue is the Qingming Festival in Danqing every year. When the time comes, the Miao singers will hold their chins in their hands and sing loudly. You sing and I sing, beaming with joy. Some sang until nightfall and refused to leave the meeting, singing all night long.

4. See the dragon farm. Counting from the day of Grain Rain in the third month of the lunar calendar every year, it is the day to watch the dragon El on Chen, which is customarily called the first dragon watch. Twelve days later, it turns to Chen day. On the day of watching the dragon again, men, women, old and young all take a day off and enjoy the day. join. If you do farm work on this day, it is a taboo. Therefore, the Miao people attach great importance to "watching dragons".

5. April 8. "April 8th" is the name of a hilltop in Luochaojing Township, Fenghuang County. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a Miao leader named "Yayi" who led the Miao people to fight against the rulers. He once organized the Miao leaders of each village to drink chicken blood at the current "Drinking Blood Ao" place and vowed to unite with the Communist Party and fight to the end. They also agreed to gather a crowd on a certain mountain to revolt on April 8. After the uprising, the rebels won successive victories and reached Sichuan and Guizhou. On April 8 of the following year, Yayi Buxin died in battle near the fountain in Guiyang City. In order to commemorate this national hero, the Miao people hold commemorative activities on April 8th every year to recall Yayi's achievements and sweep the graves of the war dead. After the Qianjia Miao uprising in the Qing Dynasty, the rulers prohibited the Miao people in Xiangxi from holding this event, causing the Miao people to lose an extremely meaningful traditional festival. After liberation, with the approval of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, "April 8th" was designated as a unified festival for the Miao people.

6. June 6. This is an ancient custom. It is an ancestor worship activity for the Miao people to commemorate their six male and female ancestors and hope that they can also have six boys and six girls to reproduce future generations. Every year on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Miao people in the Luochiaojing area of ??Fenghuang County hold a grand singing party on Gouliang Mountain. Miao people from neighboring counties such as Huayuan and Jishou as well as Songtao and Tongren in Guizhou also came to participate. The number of attendees often reaches as many as 20,000 to 30,000 people.

7. July 7th. This is a traditional drum gathering of the Miao people, and it is the most popular in the Jishou, Aizhaipo and Guzhang Chuandong areas. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Miao people dress up and gather in the drum field to beat drums, dance and have fun.

8. Catch the autumn. Catch the Autumn Festival is one of the large-scale festive festivals of the Miao people in western Hunan. Every year on the day of "Beginning of Autumn", the Miao people stop farm work, dress in festive costumes, invite friends, and happily flock to the autumn fields from all directions to participate in or watch various cultural and entertainment activities. Traditional autumn venues include Aizhaichang in Jishou County, Malichang in Huayuan County, Gouliangshan in Fenghuang County, Tanxi and Liangjiatan in Luxi County, etc. On this day, the autumn field was crowded with people. The surrounding hillsides were swaying with shadows, flowers were blooming, singing and laughter were flowing, and it was very lively.

The origin of catching up with autumn, some say it is catching up with the "beginning of autumn", and some say it is "catching up with the swing". According to legend, a long time ago, there was a Miao villager named Bagui. The young people of Darak are upright, brave and good at shooting, and are deeply admired by everyone.

One day, he went out hunting and saw an eagle flying through the sky. He drew his bow and shot the eagle with an arrow, and at the same time a flower shoe fell. This floral shoe has extremely exquisite embroidery work. You can tell at a glance that it was made by a smart and beautiful girl from the Miao family. Baguidare was determined to find the owner of the flower shoe. With the help of his fellow villagers, he designed and manufactured a windmill-shaped swing that could seat eight people at the same time, named it "Eight People Autumn". On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, he invited men and women from villages near and far to come and have fun in the autumn. Playing on the swing is the favorite activity of Miao girls. Baguida thought that the girl who made floral shoes would definitely come. Sure enough, Baguidare's wish came true. In the autumn field, he found the owner of the flower shoe - the beautiful girl Qiniang. The two of them established a relationship by singing Miao songs due to each other, became a couple, and lived a very happy life. Since then, people have followed this example and held this event once a year to choose a good match, forming a grand gathering of "catch the autumn".

9. Cherry Club. There are many cherry trees in Miao Mountain. Whenever the cherries are ripe in spring, young Miao men and women gather together to sing folk songs and engage in social activities in the cherry groves. This kind of activity is called "Liubiwa" in Miao language, which literally means "cherry picking" in Chinese. Some Miao villages in Huayuan County and Baojing County are the most popular.

10. Incense dancing party. The incense dancing party is popular in Jishou, Guzhang, Luxi and Yuanling areas. When this party is held, dancing is the main activity, and other entertainment activities are also included.

The Miao people are an ancient and colorful ethnic group, calling themselves "Mu", "Meng", "Damu" and "Daji". He said there are several situations, one is called "red seedlings", "flower seedlings", "white seedlings", "black seedlings", etc. based on the color of their clothing; the other is called "highland seedlings", "eight seedlings" based on their place of residence or the crops they grow. "Zhai seedlings", "planted ginger seedlings", etc.; the third is the insulting names given to them by the rulers in the old times, such as "raw seedlings", "ripe seedlings", "linen seedlings", etc. After the founding of New China, they were collectively called "Miao". The Miao people in Guangxi account for 5.5% of the national Miao population and 1% of Guangxi's population. They rank fourth among the various ethnic groups in Guangxi after the Han, Zhuang and Yao people. The main distribution areas of the Miao nationality are in Guizhou and Hunan. The Miao in Guangxi mainly live in the mountainous areas in the north, northwest and west of Guangxi bordering Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan. The biggest characteristic of the Miao people is that they are rich in various types of wood and local products and maintain a splendid and simple traditional national culture.

Miao classic culture

Miao culture

The Miao people have rich folk literature. Since there has been no writing for thousands of years, this kind of literature can only be created, performed and passed down orally. Therefore, oral literature has become the most common form of expression of Miao literature, with a vast amount of it. Among the many forms of oral literature, there are poems, stories, fables, riddles, jokes, jingles and other forms.

Miao poetry emphasizes phonology, including five-character style, seven-character style, and long and short sentences. The language is concise, harmonious, well-proportioned, easy to understand, can express rich thoughts and feelings, and has strong artistic appeal. It is the most important form of expression of Miao folk literature and has a wide range of uses. For example, close relatives and friends are welcomed and sent off, men and women talk about love, and even act as matchmakers, mediate disputes, formulate rural rules and regulations, educate children, narrate family trees and family rules, and sometimes express them in poetry. Poetry is also used to entertain people when working, and to relieve fatigue after working.

Creation Song: It is a very ancient mythological story song, which mainly describes the origin of heaven, earth, sun and moon, and the emergence of all things. Such songs include "Song of the Creation of Heaven and Earth", "Song of the Origin of All Things", etc.

Ancestral songs: mainly describe the birth of human beings, the origin and migration of nations, such as "Song of the Origin of Humanity", "The Flood", etc. The themes of this type of songs are aggressive and progressive, and to a certain extent they reflect the real history in a tortuous way, and are valuable for historical data research.

Marriage songs: reflect the evolution process of the Miao people from clan endogamy to clan exogamy, from matrilineal system to patriarchal system. They are rare materials for studying the history of marriage. Among the more famous ones are the "Brother and Sister Marriage" that is widely circulated in various places, the "Wedding Song", "The Marriage of a Man and a Woman" and the "Marriage Exchange Song" (a woman marries a man) in southeastern Guizhou, and the "Getting a Son-in-law" from Zunyi in northern Guizhou. ”, “Song of Farewell”, etc.

Migration Song: It exists in large numbers among the Miao people. The Miao people in various places have their own migration history, so they all have their own migration songs.

Among them, the famous ones include "Traveling Mountains and Crossing Rivers" in southeastern Guizhou, "Xiuxianxiuma" in Songtao and Tongren areas, "Yangluhua" in northwest Guizhou, and "Grogesang" in Guiyang area, etc. The migration songs of Songtao and Qiandongnan reflect the grand scene and express the fierce struggle between people and between people and nature. It is a heroic epic and is of great value to the study of Miao history.

Lige and Yilangci: reflect the ancient social organization of the Miao people, mainly describing various social ethics and behavioral norms, and advising people to avoid evil and do good.

Production and labor songs: found everywhere. Among them, those from southeastern Guizhou are the most complete, such as "Embroidery Song", "Cotton Planting Song", "Spinning and Weaving Song", "Batik Song", "Wine Making Song", "Shipbuilding Song", etc. The themes are positive, and most of them are works that encourage people to work hard and create a better life.

Bitter Song: It is a poem describing class* and nation*. Some accused the chieftain*, some accused the landlords and bullies, and many criticized the government angrily.

Uprising and struggle songs: Also known as anti-songs, they mostly accuse the old revolution and praise the people’s resistance struggle. For example, "Song of Zhang Xiumei" from southeastern Guizhou, "Liu Tiancheng" from southern Guizhou, and "Tao Xinchun" from northwest Guizhou are all very representative. This type of song has an exciting mood and is full of fighting spirit.

Love songs: These are songs sung by young men and women when they are in love. The wording is subtle, beautiful and lyrical. There are confession style, question and answer style, etc. Most of them are about supporting things and expressing emotions.

Due to the lack of writing, the written literature of the Miao people was mostly written in Chinese throughout history, and the amount is very small. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, more were found only in Hunan and eastern Sichuan. In recent years, some poems by Miao literati have also been discovered in Guizhou. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Yingqian, Zhang Yingsong, Zhang Yide and Zhang Mande were born in Meijiang, Xiaolimi County, present-day Daozhen County. All four members of the same family had literary reputations, and one of them was the author of "Yinyu Shanfang Poetry Manuscript". Poems and essays by Long Shaona, a Miao literati from the Qing Dynasty, were also discovered in Liangjiang Township, Jinping County. Among them, the four volumes of "Liangchuan Collection" published in 1878 collected the author's main poems and essays. The content mostly describes the customs and customs of Miao and Dong villages, with a strong local flavor. During the Republic of China, Liang Juwu, a famous Miao scholar in Leishan County, also wrote some poems. His political papers were full of emotions of the oppressed ethnic groups, revealing the political powerlessness and economic hardship of ethnic minorities. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the care and cultivation of the party and the government, the Miao people began to have their own written literature creation team, and a group of Miao writers emerged. Many of their works have won awards at home, and some have been translated and introduced abroad, and have been well received. . In the research, collection, arrangement, translation and publication of folk literature, we also have a group of talents of our own and have made many achievements.

Music

Miao music includes folk songs, Lusheng tunes, suona tunes and Xiaoqin tunes, among which folk songs and Lusheng tunes are the most common.

Historical songs: mostly sung by middle-aged and elderly people, with a recitation form, often with one part sung and one part spoken. The lyrics are also very long, ranging from dozens to hundreds of lines to thousands or more. Such as "Song of the Creation of the World", "Song of the Migration of Ancestors", "Song of the Origin of Marriage", "Song of Reasons" and so on. Among the historical songs from Southeast Guizhou, they are the most complete and representative, with rich tunes, clear beats, and vigorous vigor.

Love song: It is a type of folk song, sung by young men and women. There are many tunes, the melody is soft and beautiful, the tune is lyrical, and they are usually sung in a low voice. In some places, such as the Miao love songs of Liuzhi and Qinglong, they also have the characteristics of high-pitched and bold music.

Fei Ge: Named for its high-pitched singing voice and loud tone. It is usually a duet performed by young men and women during social interactions. Some of them sing impromptu solos or choruses after work to express their happy mood. Even if the listener is hundreds of meters away, he can still hear the lyrics clearly. This type of song is most famous in southeastern Guizhou.

Funeral song: It is a kind of mourning song for the normal death of the elderly. The melody is sad and the lyrics are desolate. When singers sing in sorrow, they often burst into tears, and listeners often burst into tears. There are Miao ethnic groups in southeastern Guizhou, central and southern Guizhou, northwest Guizhou, and northern Guizhou. The Liupanshui Miao people's mourning songs are even more famous.

Most of the Miao music tunes inherit traditional singing methods. The main achievements of famous singers are not the updating of tunes, but the creation, modification and improvement of lyrics, so there are very few changes in tunes. There are famous singers everywhere.

The late Tang Dehai, a Miao singer from Leishan County in southeastern Guizhou, was one of the best. He has mastered the singing methods of traditional Miao songs and folk songs proficiently, and can sing several folk tunes. He composed thousands of lyrics, including more than 1,300 new songs of Miao and Han Dynasties alone.

Musical Instruments

Lusheng: It is the most representative traditional musical instrument of the Miao people. It was very popular among all the Miao people in ancient times. In modern times, except for the Miao people in the border areas of the four provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou, which have been completely lost, the Miao people in other places are still commonly used. Lusheng tunes are also the most representative tunes in Miao music, and they often vary from place to place. Traditional tunes include dance music, generation songs, inquiry songs, sacrificial songs, etc. Each type has several tunes. The rhythm of dance music is relatively brisk, giving people a clear sense of ups and downs. The melody of modern songs is soft and melodious, with a coda. The inquiry song has a slow melody and a clear rhythm.

In addition to the reed, there are also suona, mangtong, qin, Xiao, flute, gong and drum. Suona is commonly used everywhere and is equipped with tuba and leather drum. Suona is widely used in Songtao, Tongren, and Sinan areas. It is a representative musical instrument of the Miao people in this area. It is often played during festivals and celebrations, with more than 30 tunes. In other areas, it is mainly used to play funeral songs during funerals. Mangtong is popular in Leishan, Danzhai and other counties. Its structure is to install a copper spring on a single tube and penetrate it into a bamboo tube. The large one is hollowed out from a tree trunk, about six feet long and six or seven inches in diameter. The smaller one is made of a bamboo tube two to three feet long and about three to four inches in diameter. It plays a deep sound when played. The flute, flute, and flute are made of a single branch of small bamboo, and generally have only five tones. Bronze drums are no longer used in Songtao, Tongren, Sinan and other places, but they are still used in other areas, mostly in Leishan, Taijiang, Majiang, Pingtang and other counties. Qin is not common among the Miao people. Only Yueqin is found in Weining and Taijiang, and ancient ladle Qin is found in Danzhai area. There is also a harmonica made of bamboo in western Guizhou, which is about three inches long. Gongs and drums are commonly found in various places, varying in size, and are mostly used during festivals.

Dance

Lusheng dance: It is the most representative traditional program of the Miao people in the province except Tongren area. It has a long history and was performed by the imperial court in the Northern Song Dynasty. There are two main types of large formations: two rows in a straight line and a circle. Dozens of young men played the sheng in front to guide them, and dozens to more than a hundred young women played the music on the reed, followed behind, taking three steps forward and one step back, advancing around the venue in an orderly manner.