Miao people's living customs

Miao people in huangping county have the custom of opening warehouses and collecting grain. Every year, except at night, every household closes its granary. On the first Earth Day in the first month of the following year (symbolizing abundant food), the housewife takes a dustpan, lights a column of incense, burns a few dollars and two bazan in front of the barn, then opens the barn door, pinches about half a catty of rice and feeds the chickens and ducks in the afternoon. Shimei is Man Cang, and six animals thrive.

Girl's "Stealing Vegetables" Festival

Every year on the 15th day of the first month, the girls in Miao Village of Ping Huang will go to the vegetable garden in groups of 351 and 781. There are rules for them to "steal vegetables": first, they are not allowed to steal from their own homes, only those with different surnames; Second, only steal cabbage, not other vegetables; The third is to steal only enough for everyone to eat a meal. When stealing vegetables, if the host finds out and scolds them, they think it is auspicious, and they just smile and leave. After washing the stolen vegetables, cook them together, but don't eat them. They can only eat vegetables and compete with each other to eat more. It is said that this year, the mother silkworm eats silkworm leaves. So, everyone is full.

Select fresh water

Carrying water is a traditional activity of Miao people in Ping Huang during the Spring Festival. On the morning of the second day of the first month of each year, the male owner of every household in Miao Village has to get up, hold incense paper, light a torch, carry a bucket to the well and get fresh water as soon as possible. Go to the well, put down the bucket, burn incense paper, and then scoop water. There are rules for picking new water. You can only scoop a single ladle, not a double ladle. You can only pick two and a half barrels. If it is too full and afraid of water waves, you will feel that you will lose money this year after going out.

After returning home, the man put down the bucket and went to the hall to set off some firecrackers. First of all, he congratulated himself on coming back with new water. The second is to let neighbors know that they have picked up new water. After hearing the gunfire, the boy in the neighbor's house invited a group of companions to his house to pay New Year greetings, singing: Happy New Year, Happy New Year, and good luck to the six animals; Good weather, good harvest in Man Cang.

The host invited them into the house, gave them candy or other food, and went out in turn after getting the candy to pay New Year greetings to other people.

After dawn, the host cooked old snacks for the whole family with new water, and the activity was over.

The reason why the Miao people in Ping Huang choose new water is this: A long time ago, there was a man named Baoxiang in the Miao village. He had dementia since he was a child and could not speak. Everyone says he is a fool. However, he suddenly became talkative and clever, which surprised everyone. When asked why, people realized that on the first night of the first month of that year, Baoxiang was lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Early the next morning, he got up, took a pole, and went up the mountain with a firewood knife to cut firewood. At first light, he had cut a handful of wood and returned to the hillside near the village. He put down the firewood to rest and went to the well on the hillside to find water to drink. After reaching the well, he put his head into the well and drank three sips of water. He felt the clouds cleared and the sky was clear, and Wan Li felt refreshed. And can send a few words, become flexible and smart. His parents were happy and surprised to see him change his stupid appearance and asked him why. Bao Xiang told the story from beginning to end, and his parents happily told the people in the village about it. As a result, everyone took it as an anecdote and spread it.

Since then, in order to make their children smart and hardworking, every family has gone to this well to draw water and drink. Since then, every year on the second day of the first month, chickens crow all over the world, and all the men in the village get up to fetch fresh water. This custom has been passed down to this day.

First, Miao acid altar

Almost every Miao compatriot living in the mountainous area has an acid altar. After the pig was slaughtered. Except for a small amount of fresh food and gifts to relatives and friends, the rest are made into bacon, and most of them are pickled into sour meat.

Second, the Miao people's "grabbing marriage"

Because Miao people live in scattered places and live together with other ethnic groups, marriage will inevitably be affected. In social life, there are two kinds of common marriages: autonomous marriage and arranged marriage, among which autonomous marriage is more common. In autonomous marriage, there are many forms such as stealing marriage and robbing marriage. Snatching marriage means that after young men and women fall in love by picking flowers or other social activities, the man is allowed to take the girl away quietly because the woman's family is poor and can't afford the banquet. Externally, it is said that the girl was stolen, and the woman's uncles and brothers pursued the girl under the pretext. The man apologizes to the pursuer and pays the pursuer an appropriate fee (i.e. sandals).

The other is that the girl falls in love with the boy, and the boy is very satisfied with the girl. In the case of mutual love, the girl will follow the young man to live in his house. When the woman's parents found the girl "missing", they invited her uncle to look for her. Arriving at the man's door, she pretended to wander around the house, and everyone said that she was looking for the lost cow. When the man's owner knew it, he politely welcomed her into the house and killed the chicken as a treat. Then talk about marriage.

Third, the Miao people's "robbing marriage"

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were two different situations of "robbing marriage" in Miao areas. One is that the local powerful and lawless people rob the marriage because the woman doesn't agree; The other is that both men and women marry voluntarily. However, because the woman's parents hold different opinions, or because of the man's financial difficulties, the two sides agreed on the time and place. The man found several good partners to "rob" the girl home at the designated place, and invited the matchmaker to the woman's house three days later. According to the negotiation between the matchmaker and the woman's parents, the man should pay the woman's parents a certain amount of money as a reward for the kindness of her parents.

Fourthly, the marriage customs of Miao nationality.

Miao people have the custom of intermarriage with different surnames. They think that the same surname is handed down from the same ancestor, so it is forbidden to marry with the same surname. Before the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Miao people did not marry other nationalities, otherwise it was considered immoral. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), with the development of society, the communication between people and tourists has become increasingly frequent, and the traditional forbidden area of intermarriage has been broken. They not only intermarry with different branches of their own nation, but also with other nationalities other than their own.

On the wedding day, Miao girls were accompanied by relatives and female companions. At this time, the man's door burned a pile of prosperous fire, indicating good luck and prosperity. Sometimes, put a sieve at the entrance of the bride. The bride stepped on the sieve and the guests walked around it to show the difference. After entering the house, I didn't worship heaven and earth, but the host first offered a toast to a leading female companion who accompanied the bride, and then offered a bowl of wine for the bride and groom to drink. After that, the wedding will be ended by the host saying something auspicious. When night falls, the bride and groom will invite their own singers to spend the night together. The man sings, the woman answers and you sing with me. Singing is endless. Singers express their true feelings through vivid metaphors and rich associations, and often both men and women who sing get married in the end.

The bride and groom can't sleep alone on their wedding night. They must stay as listeners until dawn. At midnight, the host will cook glutinous rice liqueur to entertain the guests, and everyone present will drink it all at once. At dawn, the guests dispersed and the wedding was over.

Five, Miao people's split heart and "smart card"

Chicken and duck are the delicacies of Miao family to entertain guests, and chicken heart or duck heart is regarded as the most valuable part. As long as you do something good for the toast people, celebrate a holiday, or get married and build a house, they will invite you home to kill chickens and ducks and entertain you. When you eat, the most prestigious person from your parents' family will give you chicken and duck hearts with chopsticks. However, you can't eat it right away. You must share it with the old people present according to the Miao custom. Otherwise, you will lose the trust of the Miao people.

In Miao village, sometimes couples of young men and women gather at the entrance of the village, beside trees or ravines, singing "songs" at the top of their voices. So, you don't have to trip over the rope or set up obstacles, and you're stuck there. This is the Miao family's famous "smart card".

After you get stuck, you can return the song. This question and answer is actually a test of your intelligence and reaction ability.

Intransitive verb Miao funeral

Under normal circumstances, old people are dying. They are surrounded by children and other relatives. Once the old man dies, one of these guardians will blow the horn. A braggart must stand at the door of a room with one foot, and blow three times with one foot in front of the door, so as to let the low voice spread as far as possible, in order to inform the villagers that our old man has passed away. Please come and help with the funeral.

At the same time, someone bathed the dead and put on new clothes. New clothes can be more or less, depending on the financial situation of the deceased's family, but they must be worn alone. Then, put a little gold or silver in the dead man's mouth. It is said that one is to ward off evil spirits, and the other is to let the deceased be "born in the afterlife" early after asking questions.

When the villagers heard the horn, they rushed in, and everyone helped to carry the dead to the main house and lay it flat on a board. Filial sons and relatives began to discuss the specific contents of the funeral, such as sending people home, asking people to buy things, digging graves up the mountain and so on. After the funeral was agreed, it started the funeral of the deceased.

First, cut two bamboos more than two meters long, weave them into a single frame, put a small piece of wood horizontally on the single frame, spread a large piece of yellow linen on the bamboo basket, and then carry the dead on the single frame, pillow a small piece of wood on his head, wrap the body with linen, and cover the wall with a red cloth. On both sides of the dead man's head, near the wall, stood an uncontrollable red rooster who didn't pluck his hair. Put a ladle on the other side. Chicken is a sacrifice for the younger generation to the older generation, and ladle is used to accept sacrifices brought by relatives and friends.

After hanging the dead on the wall, a person will sing the song of death where the dead died, to the effect that whoever wants to arrest you will be the king of hell. Who can get you sick? Rebecca is ill. The king of Yan sent a golden messenger with a chain in his left hand and a hemp rope in his right, and took your ghost away. You got this disease, and you were taken away.

After the singing, a man blew the lusheng from the original place and went to the place where the dead were hanged, followed by his filial son and daughter and other relatives and younger generations, kneeling on the ground. Kowtow again and again. After that, another person will sing instructions to the effect that:

When going to the trough, there are three ways: first, buying and selling livestock, you can't go; Second, you can't take the road of selling cloth and paper; The middle one is the way to find the ancestors. You take this. Shepherd is your male milk. They are the same. Who sent you? You said the man with eyes as big as a wine glass and feet as big as a chopping board gave it to me. The man came up from the slate and went back from the water. You can't find his footprints.

After singing, put sandals on the dead. In this way, the deceased was hanged for three days before being carried up the mountain for burial.

Over there. Someone blew the reed back to the pile of dead people. Those eight or nine people have hung up a drum and knocked. Lusheng is accompanied by singing. The drums are low and desolate, and the lusheng is clear and elegant, creating an atmosphere of sadness and joy. Reality and ancient times are * * *. With the agitation of the music, the players relaxed and danced, very cheerful. That's it. From the time when the Lusheng drum sounded to the time when the deceased was carried up the mountain, in addition to changing the thugs. I can't stop for a moment.

After the deceased is hanged, it needs to be guarded by an immediate family member of the deceased. This man is called "self-proclaimed Lang" in Miao language, and his task is to receive relatives and friends who come to pay homage.

The mourner came, calling himself Lang, and kowtowed three times in a row. Then they poured two glasses of wine for everyone, and people responded with the same etiquette and offered sacrifices brought from home. Sacrifices are usually three sticks of incense, three pieces of paper money and a small bag of fried rice with eggs. "Claiming to be Lang" took it and made a divination. These hexagrams are made of bamboo pieces the thickness of a pen. Throw it into the ground, and the two halves of bamboo with two skins up or two hearts up are called reverse divination, and vice versa. The divination indicates that the deceased agreed to accept the sacrifice. At this time, "self-proclaimed Lang" can order incense money and put a small packet of fried rice with eggs in the ladle next to the head of the deceased. Reverse divination means that the deceased is unwilling to accept sacrifices. You need to call again until it is convenient.

During the parking period, meals should be provided to the deceased every morning, noon and evening. When offering meals, three people will sing the tune of breakfast, lunch and dinner. One person plays the trumpet, one carries a bow and arrow, one carries an quiver, and runs four times around the house and three times in reverse. It is said that a long time ago, there was chaos and war. The soldiers were hungry and tired, fighting for food everywhere. In order to prevent the sacrificial rice from being robbed of food, the horn was sounded, the bow and arrow to be sent were brought, and the soldiers and horses who came to rob food were beaten back.

On the third day, at dawn in the east, people killed pigs and sheep to pay homage to the dead and entertain everyone. On this day, people who come to help blow the awn sound, beat gongs and drums should put on flower clothes (flower farmers have a unique style of Miao nationality, which was embroidered by their wives before marriage to show their sincere love for their husbands). At noon, the relatives of the deceased toasted and kowtowed to these people and said, "There is no one at home, so we have to rely on your help for such a big thing." After drinking, each of these people played a lusheng, blowing and dancing from the inside out. The purpose is to create a festive atmosphere and add luster to the death of the elderly.

There was also a ceremony that night, that is, singing a song to kill cattle for the next day, to the effect that:

Birds in the world are afraid of eagles and kites, and people in the world are afraid of evil spirits. Xxx, you are dead, leaving your children alive. The trees cut by others are thick, and the houses built are bright and wide. All you left behind were small logs, and the houses you built were very narrow. People can afford to build a square tile house, with wine and meat to eat. Your children can't afford to build a square tile house. There is no wine and meat to entertain relatives and friends. Please be lenient with your mother and uncle, and kill cows to entertain relatives and friends tomorrow. Take you up the hill.

On the fourth day, after breakfast, they sent the dead away after a fierce noise of gongs and drums. Beating gongs and drums. Lusheng blew to lead the way, followed by the people who carried the dead, followed by the funeral procession. They left the village and came to a wide and flat land. Circle four times in the same direction on the flat ground, and put the dead man in the middle after three times in the opposite direction. Fold palm leaves and cover them on the dead to keep out the sun. Plant a stake near the dead, hang gongs and drums on it, and Lusheng players are still playing the piano and dancing.

At this time, someone brought a cow's head, tied it to a corner of the square, put a long hemp rope in the nose of the cow and took it in the hands of the deceased. This means that the deceased should take the cow to Wen Yin. With cows, we can not be bullied by others, plow and rake the ground, and have food.

People began to toast the dead seven times, all of which were thrown on the ground above their heads. Burn incense three times and burn paper for countless money. After divination, if there is a straight divination, it means that the deceased is willing to lead the cow. "Claiming to be Lang" sent a gourd ladle of clear water and sprinkled it on the ground. He shouted "Kill that cow".

As a result, two people came out of the crowd. One was carrying a big axe and slammed the cow's head several times, causing the cow to fall to the ground and die.

At this time, the two men once again picked up the bow and arrow, blew the horn, and ran four times and three times around the dead man in the opposite direction to show off the ghost who came to rob the cow and let the dead man lead the cow to the underworld smoothly.

There began to peel cowhide, set up a big iron pot and cook beef on the spot. Sing a lunch song at lunch to the effect that:

The sun is about to cross the mountain. Your dutiful son brought you lunch, with seven bowls of meat in his left hand and seven bowls of wine in his right hand. After lunch, hold the ox rope in your left hand and the ox stick in your right hand. When you got up, you went to the Palace of Hades. You turned around and saw your child crying.

Eat after singing. After dinner, undertaker carried the dead almost to the mountain, so as to bury the dead before sunset.

Filial piety is a must. When he is buried, he will personally put the deceased in the coffin and say, "Don't worry. If other dead fools come to rob you, you will say that everything is rotten. " After that, the dutiful son personally covered the coffin board, dug a few hoes to cover the coffin, and then the people built the earth and built the grave. Before burial, a person must take some dirt from the cemetery and put it at the foot of the bed where the deceased slept.

On the third day after burial, the dutiful son took three bamboo tubes, one for water, one for rice and one for vegetables, and came to the grave to pay homage to the dead. After the memorial service, I folded a stick in front of the grave and said to it-I'll take you home. "Take out about half the distance, stick the stick in the ground and say," You wait here and I'll pick you up tomorrow. "I picked it up again the next day, walked a third of the way in the same way, and returned home on the third day. When you enter the house, say to the stick, "I'll take you home!" "Then you can throw away the stick.

Since then, when eating every day, the family has to offer a bowl of rice and put a pair of chopsticks in it to show that the deceased are invited to eat together. This custom cannot be lifted until the deceased is crossed over.

In the whole funeral custom of Miao nationality, every sacrifice custom must be accompanied by wine, and wine is accompanied by the whole process of funeral custom of Miao nationality. In addition, no matter how busy the farm work is these days, people in the stockade go to help with the funeral and don't go out to work until the funeral is finished.