Chapter 5 CHAPTER 4 THE FESTIVAL OF REFERENCE

The ethnic minorities in our country have produced countless heroes in history.In order to protect the interests of the people, they resisted the oppression and exploitation of the ruling class, and led the masses to wage epic struggles. Many people gave their precious lives for the interests of the nation.There are also some heroes in folklore. Although it is difficult to verify from historical records, they have lived in the hearts of the people for a long time and have been recited orally by the masses for thousands of years.Some of these heroes are upper-class figures, some are ordinary people, but they all have a touching story that has infected people for a long time.Some festivals evolved from major events recalled by people such as the Great Migration in the history of the nation.Various commemorative festivals have been incorporated into various ceremonies or singing and dancing activities, becoming a part of national festivals.This kind of festival is not only a mass traditional day of a nation, but also a day for all nations to look back on history, respect their ancestors, and carry forward the fearless spirit of ancient heroes.Commemorating festivals is an important heritage of all ethnic groups.

The famous Torch Festival, popular among Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lisu and other ethnic groups, is a commemorative festival with many moving legends.Except for the Yi people in Guizhou who celebrate the festival on the third or sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the other ethnic groups start around June 24th and spend three to seven days. According to folklore of the Bai nationality, there was a lieutenant general named Guo Shizhong in the Tang Dynasty who killed Manana, the chief of Dali, and wanted to occupy his wife Anan.Anan was forced to have no choice but to pretend to agree, but he had to pay homage to his deceased husband before marrying Guo Shizhong.After paying homage to the soul of his late husband, Anan lit the mourning hall and jumped into the raging fire.Later generations admire Anan's loyalty, so every June 24th, the anniversary of her death, they light torches and visit villages.Later, they became a habit and formed a festival.Because the torch looks like thousands of stars in the field, it is very similar to the stars returning to the earth, so it is also called "Star Returning Festival".Another legend is that the king of Mengshe (now Weishan) among the six imperial edicts in the Dali area of ​​the Tang Dynasty had the ambition to annex the other five imperial edicts. The king built a pine tower with oily pine wood, and invited the leaders of the five edicts to drink together.Deng Yu (dan Dan) Zhao (now Eryuan, Dengchuan area) Wang knew of his conspiracy, but he dared not not go.His wife ordered someone to cast an iron bracelet and put it on her husband's wrist.That night, the Songming Building really caught fire, and the five imperial edicts were burned.Five wives of Zhao Wang came to look for her husband, and only Mrs. Deng Chao Zhao Wang recognized her husband's remains from the iron bracelet.After returning to her hometown, she revolted with troops. After three months of struggle, she ran out of soldiers and food, and her wife died of hunger strike.Since then, people will set up a Songminglou style torch every June 24th to commemorate it.

According to the legend of the Yi people in Liangshan, Sichuan, there used to be a fierce god Sire Abi in the sky, who often went to the world to search for money.Atilaba, a hero of the Yi family, stepped forward and fought with the fierce god for nine days and nine nights, and finally killed the fierce god.After hearing the news, the king of heaven released the worms to the lower realm to avenge the evil god, and wanted to destroy the crops of the Yi family.At that time, it was the tiger month in the Yi calendar. The buckwheat seeds in Liangshan were blooming, the yams were bearing fruit, and the ears of corn were showing. A large number of worms ate for three days and three nights, and the crops were about to fail.So the Yi people came up with the method of "holding a torch and burning the insects", and finally saved the crops.But the remaining celestial insects burrowed into the ground, and came out again in the next year to destroy them, so the Yi people lit torches to drive them away. Over time, the Torch Festival was formed.

According to the legend of the Yi people in Lunan, Yunnan Province, in ancient times, there was a demon king who oppressed the people cruelly. Everyone rebelled, tied torches to the horns and hind legs of the sheep, drove the sheep into the fortress of the demon king, and defeated the demon king.So from then on, every June 24, people will play with torches to celebrate this victory. Among the Naxi people in northwestern Yunnan, there is a legend that the Emperor of Heaven once closed the gate of heaven for a long time and did not know the situation in the world.Once ordered to open the gate of heaven, and found the lower realm green mountains and green waters, flowers and birds contending for fragrance, crops everywhere, laughter loudly, felt very jealous.So he ordered Vulcan to set fire to burn up the world.The Vulcan came down to earth and saw such a beautiful world, he couldn't bear to do it, and lied to the sky about the situation, saying that it had been burned up.Soon the Emperor of Heaven visited Tianmen again, and found that the world was as beautiful as ever, so he beheaded the Vulcan in a rage.The blood of the Vulcan fell on the world and turned into a child. Everyone told everyone that the Emperor of Heaven would send a general to burn down the world on June 24, so that the news would spread throughout the world.On that day, everyone set up big torches in front of the gate and waved small torches in their hands. The Emperor of Heaven looked from the sky and saw a sea of ​​flames in the world, so he happily closed the gate of heaven.Since then, the Torch Festival will be held on the 24th, 25th and 26th day of the sixth lunar month every year to avoid bad luck.

The same Torch Festival, some are to praise Mrs. Anan's loyalty;These emperors in the sky are jealous of the beauty of the world, release insects, send fire gods, and try their best to destroy them, which is the reflection of those officials and emperors in the world who harm the people.It can be seen from this that the Torch Festival is a commemorative festival for pursuing happiness, protecting one's own rights, and advocating the unyielding spirit. Some scholars believe that the Torch Festival is a remnant of the ancient customs of sacrificing fire and praying for peace and a good harvest.Before the festival, the Yi people living in central and western Yunnan not only have to make torches from pine wood about three meters high, but also the whole village has to work together to build a torch more than ten meters high on the square, where two or three people embrace each other. Big torches, lit on festive nights.People take small torches to the corners of the fields to light a fire, and sprinkle rosin powder on the torches as they walk to make them set off bursts of fireworks to show that devils and evils are driven away, which is called "sending ghosts".Later, it developed into an activity of "splashing fire" with rosin powder thrown at the other party when people were not paying attention, forming a "splashing fire" activity, which became a festival item with unique taste similar to "splashing water".Some of the torches used to light the fields are inserted on the ridges of the fields or erected in front of one's own house, and some are placed around the big torches.In addition to lighting torches, there are also activities such as singing and dancing, wrestling, and bullfighting.

Among the Yi people in Liangshan, Sichuan, the Torch Festival was originally scheduled to be held in the middle and late "Tiger Moon" of the Yi calendar, but it has now been determined to be held from July 20 to 22 in the Gregorian calendar.On the first day, all villages have to kill cattle, chop them into evenly sized pieces of meat and cook them, which is called "eat mounds of meat".The second and third days are the climax of the festival. Villagers wear new clothes and gather in Pingba to sing, fight sheep, dance, wrestle, and race horses.In the evening, hold high torches and line up between the village castle and the fields, like fire dragons, wandering in the wilderness.

The Torch Festival of the Axi people, a branch of the Yi ethnic group in Mile County, Yunnan Province, is held on the 24th and 25th of the sixth lunar month.Its festival origin legend is different from the above ones.It is said that the Yi people who lived by the Jinsha River in the past were taken as slaves by a slave owner in Erhai Lake and forced to build towers there. Their lives were miserable.Later, under the leadership of a young man named Ah Zhen, the slaves rose up to resist, killed the slave owner and rescued the other slaves by clever tricks in the dark.After dawn, they gathered on the shore of the Erhai Lake, playing bamboo flutes, playing sanxian, singing and dancing to their heart's content, and that day happened to be June 24th.From then on, the Yi people in various local villages will slaughter pigs and cattle to commemorate the victory on this day.Because torches played an important role in that struggle, another torch parade was held on the night of the 25th.For a long time, they designated the two-day event as the "Torch Festival".Now on the first day of the festival, men, women and children from far and near will gather on the wrestling field to watch the wrestling competition of young men and the "moon jump" dance of young women.With the beat of the music, they run three steps, stop for two beats, lift their feet forward, clap their hands and jump in place at the same time.The next night, the girl and the boy held torches and lined up as two fire dragons to swim to the square in front of the "gongfang" from different directions, where they held various entertainment activities.Elderly people light torches and walk around the house to drive away the evil spirits hidden in the house.

In the Bai area, the festival is celebrated on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month.Each village puts up a few torches on the central square, and puts small flags saying "six animals are thriving", "five grains are plentiful", "clean and safe", green bamboo is placed on the top, and flowers such as crabapple and Shanlihong are hung on it.At night, torches of various sizes are lit to illuminate the corners of houses, fields, orchards, and vegetable fields, and rosin powder is also sprinkled to make them burst into colorful sparks. Among the Naxi people, the Torch Festival is an important festival second only to the New Year.On the first day, young men and women dressed up went to the field to talk to each other and collect wild flowers.Adults make torches at home.In the evening, torches are lit in front of each house, and the whole village is full of blazes, which is unique.The next day, the relatives went to each other, and the young people had a meal in the wild.At night, the torches are brighter, and some villages light big torches in the fields to pray for a good harvest every year.On the third day, people gather under the highest torches, sing and dance happily, all night long, forming a campfire party with traditional characteristics.

The Achang people in Dehong, Yunnan also hold the Torch Festival at the end of June in the lunar calendar.It is said that burning torches is to expel diseases and disasters and pray for the prosperity of humans and animals.On the eve of the festival, every household has to make pine torches in advance, and then on the day of the festival, every household will light the torches while eating rice noodles across the bridge, and when night falls, first circle around the room and burn unclean things such as spider webs. to exorcise evil spirits and eliminate diseases.Then everyone gathers in squares or mountains with torches in hand, and then roams around hillsides, villages, and fields to drive away pests and ensure a good harvest.Young men and women are still around the fire in the square, singing and dancing in circles.When dancing, a person who is good at singing and dancing takes the lead, sings a sentence, and dances one step, while the people behind move forward with their hands on their hips, singing while walking.The people next to him also shouted and cheered, laughed and booed, and it was very lively.In the dark night, the light of the torches dances around in the field square near the village, together with singing and laughter, forming a vivid and vivid symphony of pastoral style.

The Lahu people living in the counties of the Lancang Lahu Autonomous Region are known as the "Tiger Fighting Nation".According to their legend, the Torch Festival is to commemorate the hero Zanuzabel who died in the struggle with the god Ersha.It is also said that this day is a day when a good man wins the battle against the devil who eats human eyes.On the night of the festival, the elderly will also hold a ceremony to call human souls, valley souls, and animal souls.Starting from the north where their ancestors lived, they followed the migration route to the fields and homes by the Lancang River.And holding a long knife in one hand and a torch in the other, he walked around the house to drive away ghosts.In addition to the ethnic groups of the Yi language family, the Wa, Pumi and other ethnic groups also have the habit of celebrating the Torch Festival.

The Gelao people in Longlin Autonomous County of Guangxi regard the Qinggang tree as their ancestral tree.The reason is said to be that when the ancestors of the Gelao people here migrated from the Anshun area of ​​Guizhou, they were warmly welcomed by the local people, but their own ancestral tablets could not be put together with other people's tablets, so they had to dig a hole in the trunk of the Qinggang tree. The spiritual seats of grandparents are placed in tree holes.From then on, they took the green gang tree as their ancestral tree, and worshiped it in their nostalgia.Another theory is that when the ancestors of the Gelao people came to Longlin to open up wasteland, their lives were very difficult.People work during the day and can only climb to the green gang tree to rest at night to prevent the invasion of poisonous insects and beasts, so they regard the green gang tree as their ancestor.The "Tree Worship Festival" is held twice a year on the 14th day of the first lunar month and the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.One yellow bull ox is needed for the festival, which is raised by three families in turn each year or jointly raised for purchase.During the festival, the Gelao people living scattered in various villages gather in Moji Village, where the ancestral tree is located, and the head of the family presides over the tree worship ceremony.First twist the neck of the rooster, then tear off the cock, chicken legs and beef heart as offerings; the chicken head, left wing, and left leg are dedicated to the grandpa tree; the chicken head, right wing, and right leg are dedicated to the grandma tree.The offerings should be wrapped in red paper, put into the tree hole, and the hole should be sealed with paper money.The officiant should pray to the ancestral tree, toast and fire cannons.The heart of the beef is cut open and distributed equally to each household to show that they work together and share joys and sorrows.The offal of the cow and other food and drink are eaten together with the people of all ethnic groups who come to participate.Through the activities of the Tree Worship Festival, the cohesion within the nation has been strengthened. The Yi people in the Tiantian Mountain area of ​​Weishan County, Yunnan Province also have a festival of worshiping ancestor trees on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, which is called "Ancestor Worshiping Festival".According to legend, the hemp straw house in the local Duoyu Village was robbed by bandits in the past.These four people all thanked the big tree for saving their lives, so they often went to sacrifice, and before they died, they asked the descendants to bury them in the hollow of the big tree.Therefore, the villagers come to worship this ancestral tree every year on the Ancestral Worship Festival and pray for the protection of their ancestors.At the same time, people also believe that a tree that is hundreds or thousands of years old is full of vitality. Worshiping the tree can make the grandfather live forever like a tree, and provide shade to the descendants all the year round.Before the festival, each family will take back their married daughters and sons who have gone to other families to be their sons-in-law, so that the family can reunite happily.In the morning of the festival, each family first worships the ancestors on a household basis. After breakfast, each family brings the sacrifices and catches up with the pigs and sheep purchased together. on the tree.Then cook the meat, light incense, and place offerings. The old man recites prayers, and all kneel and kowtow, asking the grandfather to protect the whole family, so that there will be no disease and no disaster, the population will prosper, and wealth will be blessed.After the prayers, people drink and have fun. By remembering their grandfathers, they have a family reunion and pray for a happy future life. The Tajik people living in Xinjiang celebrate the "Baroti Festival", also known as the "Lantern Festival" every March in the Muslim calendar. "Baroti" is Tajik, which means "March".The content of the activity is also dominated by torches.On March 1st, everyone uses a kind of grass called "Kawuri", wraps cotton, and spreads ghee on the outside to make Kawuri torches.In the evening of that day, the whole family gathers, call their names in turn, light a torch each, pray together and have dinner around the torch.At night, every family uses long poles to make big torches, light them and stick them on the roof to call for auspiciousness.The whole village is illuminated by torches, the fire is flickering and bright, and people are playing and playing.On the next day, the parents and their families go to the ancestral graves with cooked mutton, buttered naan, etc., and light a "Yide" evocative lamp made of butter, flour, and bran in front of each grave. Everyone prays in front of the grave. dinner. The "Knife Pole Festival" held by the Lisu people living in Baoshan, Yunnan Province and parts of the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture is called "Atangde" in Lisu language, which means "climbing the knife pole".It is a commemorative festival with a history of more than 500 years.It is said that Wang Ji, Shangshu of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, was sent to "conquer Luchuan three times" and led his troops to the Lisu area to expel the invading enemies, guide the Lisu people to do farming, raise livestock, develop production, and organize young people to practice martial arts and defend the land. The place is stable.But the treacherous ministers in the court took the opportunity to falsely accuse Wang Ji, saying that he planned to rebel.Therefore, the imperial court recalled him to the capital and gave him death on the eighth day of February.The Lisu people miss this historical figure who developed the frontier very much. Every year on the eighth day of February, they commemorate him in the way of "going up to the mountain of swords and down to the sea of ​​fire".At that time, 36 or 72 sharp long knives will be used in the knife pole field, and the knife edges will be tied up into long ladders. In addition to the straight shape, the knife edges will be tied into a cross shape in several places.During the performance, the young man walked barefoot through the blazing fire, held up the coals with both hands, quickly wiped them on his face, and then rubbed them in his hands.Accompanied by gongs, they danced and walked, then climbed to the top of the ladder with their hands on the edge of the knife, stepped on the edge of the knife, and lit the cannons hanging above to show their valor and bravery.Despite stepping on charcoal and climbing the knife ladder, the feet of the strong men will not blister or cut, which is amazing.In addition to thrilling performances, the Knife Arbor Festival also holds antiphonal singing, swinging, throwing cigarette packs and other activities. In areas where the Manchus live in concentrated communities in Liaoning Province, the "Back Lantern Festival" dedicated to "Wanli Mother" is held every autumn and winter.Legend has it that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1573-1620), a real dragon emperor with seven stars appeared in the northeast.The emperor ordered Li Chengliang, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, to arrest him.Li Chengliang discovered that his horse boy Xiaohanzi had seven red moles on the soles of his feet, which coincided with the theory of seven stars on his feet, and planned to arrest Xiaohanzi and bring him to justice.This matter was known to Li's concubine Xi Lan, who opened the door in the middle of the night and let Xiao Hanzi escape.Xi Lan was beaten to death for this.Later, Xiao Hanzi proclaimed Khan the king, established the Qing Dynasty, and named Xilan, the savior who died in the Wanli period, as "Wanli mother" (also known as Waili mother, Wanli mother or Hetori mother).Its god seat is on the north side of the ancestral board on the west wall. There is a wooden board with a wooden box on it, which contains wooden statues or portraits. It is sacrificed every year.On this day, all families offer pork on the altar, cover the doors and windows with black curtains, turn off the lights and put out the fire, kneel and kowtow in the dark, and recite congratulatory speeches.Because "Mother Wanli" died naked, she can only come down to enjoy the offerings if she sacrifices with the lamp on her back.After the offering is withdrawn, the whole family shares food offerings.With such activities, commemorate the life-saving benefactors in the history of the nation. In the folklore and living customs of the Zhuang people on both sides of the Liujiang River and the Longjiang River in Guangxi, there is no great king who worships ancestors and heroes.According to legend, Mo Yi was a hero of the Zhuang nationality in the Song Dynasty. He had great supernatural powers and the skill of moving mountains and seas.However, the Song Dynasty killed him in the name of "rebellion". In order to commemorate him, the people respected him as a god, and in the upper right corner of the incense hall at home, there was a sacred title of "Emperor Mo Dawang, the Holy Emperor of Tongtian".According to legend, the second day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is his birthday, so the "Mo Dawang Festival" is celebrated.Because Mo Dawang Temple is also called "Wugu Temple", it is also known as "Wugu Temple Festival".The main content of the festival is to kill chickens and ducks, and burn incense for King Mo Dawang.Every six years in the year of Zi and Wu, a village is used as a unit to kill a pig and a cow for a grand sacrifice.Their bones, meat, hearts, livers, intestines, etc. should be used to make 12 dishes respectively, no more and no less, and then a dish will be served at intervals to hold a grand ceremony.After the end, each household will leave one person to participate in the dinner, and all the offerings will be shared equally by each household.Some folk tales say that King Mo was able to boil seawater to make salt and benefit the village of Zhuang with his own strength. The emperor was very afraid of him, so he sent troops to arrest him.But King Mo Da had supernatural powers. Although he was caught and had his head chopped off, he was not dead. He flew up into the sky with his head in his hands, and laughed loudly, scaring many officers and soldiers to death.People admire and miss their own heroes, so they celebrate this festival every year to show that heroes live in their hearts. The "Lin Wang Festival" of the Dong people in Jinping, Guizhou Province and the "April 8th" of the Miao people in Guiyang and other places are festivals to commemorate their own national heroes.According to folklore of the Dong people, in March of the 30th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1397 A.D.), under a maple tree in Shangpodong, Guzhou (now Jinping, Guizhou), Lin Kuan, a hero of the Dong nationality, led the masses to revolt with great momentum.In October, under the siege of 300,000 government troops, the rebel army finally failed and Lin Kuan died in battle.In order to commemorate this hero who led everyone to fight against the oppressors, the Dong people set the sixth day of the lunar calendar every year as the "Linwang Festival".At that time, not only Lin Kuan's hometown, Zhaimu Village, will celebrate the festival, but villagers from more than a dozen surrounding villages, such as Tanglan, Zhailou, and Bianbao, will also gather under the ancient maple tree that revolted that year, and sacrifice Lin Kuan with wine, meat, and rice dumplings. Wide heroic spirit.It is also necessary to wrap glutinous rice into a big rice dumpling that is as thick as a bowl and as long as an arm.It is said that in the Lin Wang uprising, this kind of rice dumpling with a length of about two feet was used as dry food.People burned incense and sang "Old Song of Lin Wang" to commemorate the heroic deeds and spirit of this uprising leader. The "April 8th" festival celebrated by the Miao people in Guiyang, Huishui and Longli in Guizhou Province, also known as "Yanu Festival", is to commemorate the ancient national hero Yanu.Legend has it that the ancestors of the Miao nationality originally lived in Luogesang (near Guiyang today), and they had ample food and clothing, without worrying about food and clothing.Later, because bullies coveted this place, they came to snatch it.Yanu, the leader of the Miao nationality, led the rebellion and unfortunately died near the fountain in today's Guiyang City on the 8th day of April.At this time, the Miao people were forced to move to Pobagou.Nine years later, Zu Delong led the crowd to counterattack, but he also died in battle on the eighth day of April.Therefore, on this day, the nearby Miao people will gather in the fountain to hold various activities to commemorate it.People here play Lusheng, dance, sing folk songs, swing, climb knife ladders, play dragon lanterns, and lions, making it a festival event.According to statistics in 1985 alone, more than 200,000 people participated in the festival, and the scene was unprecedentedly spectacular. The Zhuang people in Nanning, Yongning, Wuming, Binyang, Hengxian and other places in the Yongjiang River Basin of Guangxi also celebrate the festival on the eighth day of April, which is called the "Fleeing Army Mountain Festival".This is to commemorate King Li Ya, a hero of the Zhuang nationality.Legend has it that King Li Ya, formerly known as Li Hualong, got his name because of the snake-like pattern on his body.He is both civil and military, wise and brave. One year, the Yongjiang River flooded and the crops failed, but the government still increased rent and tax, which made the strong people miserable.Li Hualong organized an uprising and captured five counties. People called him King Li Ya.Later, under the conquest of the government's 100,000 land and water troops, King Li Ya was outnumbered, fled to the mountain, and ate all the wild fruits. On the eighth day of April in the third year, all the rebels starved to death on the mountain. Mountain". Every year on the day of Frost's Descent in September of the lunar calendar, the Zhuang people in Xialei, Baoxu, and Leiping in Daxin County, Guangxi, and Jingxi and Debao Counties also celebrate the Frost's Descent Festival to commemorate the national heroine Cen Yuyin.There are two different legends about Cen Yuyin's deeds. One is that Cen Yuyin, a Zhuang woman with superb archery skills and extraordinary bravery, once led troops to fight against Japanese pirates along the coast of Guangdong and Fujian.She used troops decisively, foresaw things like a god, defeated the invading Japanese pirates many times, and was rewarded by the emperor. Finally, she returned to her hometown until she died.Because she defeated the Japanese pirates on the day of Frost's Descent, people held sacrifices on this day to commemorate it, and gradually became the Frost's Descent Festival.It is also said that together with her husband, in order to protect the tranquility and property of the Zhuang people, they led the army to resist the invading enemy, and won a complete victory on the day of Frost's Fall. Therefore, the local people celebrated for three days and designated it as a festival.Every day before Frost's Descent, Zhuang people from all over the country go to the villages near Xialei to spend the night, and go to Yuyin Temple to worship in the morning of the next day.It is said that in the Qing Dynasty, local state officials also prepared offerings to participate in the sacrifice.After returning from the sacrifice, the masses performed lion dances, sang Zhuang operas, folk songs and other activities nearby to celebrate the festival in memory of national heroes. The Hui people in Kunming, Yunnan celebrate the "Day of the Dead" every year on the 14th day of the sixth lunar month.It is said that in the eighth year of Xianfeng (AD 1856), because the Qing government slandered the Hui people for plotting to cause chaos and ordered the local regiments to practice armed search and persecution of the Hui people, many innocent people were killed. Recite scriptures, go to the grave to mourn the dead and other ways to commemorate the dead. The "Showing the Sea Fair" of the Bai people in Dali and other places, also known as the "Filling Corpse Fair", is also a commemorative festival.Legend has it that during the Nanzhao period, there were boa constrictors. At this time, a hero, Duan Chicheng, fought with the boa constrictors and drowned in Erhai Lake on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month.To commemorate this hero, people gather on the Erhai Lake boat every eighth day of August to express their condolences.According to the legend of the Bai people in Jianchuan County, King Mengshe set fire to the Songming Building and killed five imperial eunuchs, and then used his power to force Mrs. Bai Jie, who was a concubine of Deng Yuzhao, to be his concubine.Mrs. Baijie was steadfast and committed suicide by jumping into the sea on June 25th.After hearing the news, the people along the coast rushed to salvage the corpse by rowing boats.After that, salvage activities will be held every year and become a festival.The Bai people in Eryuan County celebrate the festival on July 23rd.During the period, the Bai people will dress up in costumes and race dragon boats, sing operas, antiphonal songs, and release river lanterns on Erhai Lake and Jianhu Lake respectively, forming a commemorative festival on the water. The Bai people in Jianchuan, Yunnan celebrate the "Young Girl's Day" on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to commemorate a girl who died unexpectedly, but the situation is different from that of Mrs. Baijie.It is said that Miss Qing was a virtuous daughter-in-law, but because she couldn't bear all kinds of abuse from her mother-in-law, husband and sister-in-law, she threw herself into the river on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month during the Lantern Festival.Girls of the Bai nationality sympathized with Qing girl's tragic fate very much, so they made this day their own festival.On this day, they would tie up an imitation portrait of the young girl, beat gongs and drums to welcome her back to the village square by the river, sing and dance around the statue of the young girl, tell her misfortune, and lament the life of women under the oppression of feudal ethics. pitiful.This kind of singing gradually formed the famous long folk narrative poem of the Bai nationality - "Green Girl". The Atayal people of the Gaoshan ethnic group in Taiwan hold the Wufeng Festival regularly every year, and the person who sacrifices is an official of the Han nationality.It is said that the Gaoshan people who originally lived on Alishan had the custom of "馘 [Guo Guo] head" (that is, beheading people's heads to sacrifice to ghosts).In the sixty-first year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1722), a man named Wu Feng came here as an official. He tried his best to serve the Gaoshan people and was respected and loved by the local people.This year, they also wanted to cut off the heads of foreigners for sacrifice, and discussed with Wu Feng.After hearing the news, Wu learned that there were still more than 40 heads that had been chopped off in the past, so he asked them to use the old heads for sacrifice.In the past 40 years, the old heads had been used up, and people came to Wu Feng to ask for beheading.After three years of procrastination, Wu Feng saw that their request was very urgent, so he explained that a man in red and a red hat walked by the roadside at the village head tomorrow, and you can just cut off his head.After beheading the next day, it was discovered that the person in the red coat and hat was actually Wu Feng herself.Everyone was very moved, not only abolished the vulgar custom of beheading to sacrifice to ghosts, but also set up a temple for Wufeng. Every year, everyone wore red clothes and black trousers, held ceremonies to welcome the gods, soothe the gods, and reward the gods, and gathered in Wufeng Temple to worship.There is a big tree in front of the temple, which should not be touched casually at ordinary times. Only some branches and leaves were cut off during sacrifices and offered to Wu Fengling. Some nationalities have their own legends of national origin, so there are corresponding festivals to commemorate the legendary ancestors of the nation. The Panyao branch of the Yao nationality distributed in the mountainous areas of Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other provinces is said to have originated from the god dog Panhu.Because of his meritorious service in biting and killing the king of the enemy country, Panhu got to marry the princess, moved to the mountainous area, gave birth to six sons and six daughters, and multiplied into a nation, so there was a Panwang Festival to worship King Panhu.This festival is usually held on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month or the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the seventh month.At that time, pigs and chickens will be slaughtered, songs and dances will be celebrated, and ancestors will be prayed for protection. The Yao people who live in western Guangxi and call themselves Bunu have legends about Miluotuo, the goddess of creation.In ancient times, there was an ancestor Miluo Tuo, who created everything in the world, and then used beeswax to shape several groups of male and female humans, which became the Han, Zhuang, Miao, and Yao in turn.After they grew up, the Han, Zhuang, and Miao people left their hometowns, and only the Yao people stayed in the mountainous areas to open up wasteland and cultivate land under the guidance of Mi Luotuo, and developed and prospered.Because May 29th of the lunar calendar is the birthday of Mi Luotuo in the legend, the Yao people celebrate this day every year, which is called "Danu Festival" (Danu, which means "don't forget" in Yao language), "Grandfather's Day". "Or "Twenty-Nine Festival" and so on.During festivals, it is necessary to play copper drums three days in advance to make a noise, use a small iron cylinder filled with gunpowder to hit "sky cannons", and perform dances including monkey drums, animal hunting dances, mountain dances, tea picking dances, ox horn dances, and Lusheng dances. The "Xinglang Tiejiu Dance" (meaning "commemorative dance to celebrate the Danu Festival"), people play suona, antiphonal songs, bird fights, and martial arts competitions to commemorate the birth of the ancestor empress with joyful activities. In order to never forget the important activities or events in history, some ethnic groups also set up special festivals to commemorate them. The Xibo people living in Yili and other places in Xinjiang celebrate the "Duyin Baizhuan Zhakun Festival" (meaning "Westward Festival") every year on April 18 of the lunar calendar.This is because in the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong (AD 1759), after the Qing government quelled the Junggar tribe in Xinjiang and the size and Zhuomu rebellion in southern Xinjiang, in order to consolidate and enrich the northwest frontier defense, it was established in the 29th year of Qianlong (AD 1764). 1016 Xibo soldiers were dispatched from 17 areas under the jurisdiction of Beijing, including 10 soldiers from the defense school and 10 soldiers from the Xiaoqi school. Together with their family members, more than 3,200 people were organized into 10 "Zhalan" teams. They set off on April 18 of the lunar calendar. After going through all kinds of hardships, after a year and five months of trekking, they migrated to the Tacheng area of ​​Xinjiang for reclamation and border defense.Soon, he moved to the south bank of Yili River.In order to remember this great ethnic migration in history, the Xibe people hold a temple fair every April 18, holding horse races, holding sheep, wrestling, and archery competitions. Every family eats fresh fish and steamed meat. The old people go outing in the wild, and the young people go outing on horseback, etc., to commemorate this day. The Longduan Festival celebrated by the Zhuang people in the Wenshan area of ​​Yunnan Province is also a festival to commemorate the relocation.It is said that after the Nong Zhigao uprising in the Song Dynasty, after several battles, he retreated to Funing County, Yunnan, and finally failed.Fearing that they would revolt again, the imperial court sent some Zhuang people to Guizhou and other places.At the time of parting, thousands of people wept bitterly and bid farewell.Later, every March, people living in other places came back to visit their relatives and friends. The annual gathering formed Longduan Street.Since then, the Zhuang people have celebrated the "Longduan Festival" on March 25th of the lunar calendar every year. The Tibetans in Muli, Sichuan celebrate the "Rusi" festival on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.It is said that the origin of the festival is that a long time ago, Tibetan branches such as Azhe, Rangjia, Caopo, and Bale moved from Tibet, Yunnan and other places, and settled in Ninglang, Chezi, Muli on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. Baibo, Taoba and other places, therefore, every year on the seventh day of December, every Tibetan household here will prepare chicken, duck and fish, and drink and have dinner together.And first feed the cats and dogs in the house with meat and rice, so as to predict the agricultural harvest in the coming year.For example, if cats and dogs eat meat first and eat later, the coming year must be auspicious and the grains will be plentiful, otherwise it will be the opposite. The Bai people in Banbei and other villages on the outskirts of Heqing, Yunnan do not have a Torch Festival, but celebrate the "Camel Festival" on the first day of the seventh lunar month.There are no camels in South China, and the Camel Festival held by the Bai people here contains a historical legend.It is said that when Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, came to the bridge of Banbei Village when he was marching south, the camel he was riding suddenly stopped.Kublai Khan had no choice but to get off his horse and walk.The camel turned into a stone in an instant and stayed by the bridge forever, thus leaving a strange "Camel Festival" for the Bai people here.On the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, every family slaughters cattle and sheep, watches Yunnan opera during the day, and floats river lanterns at night.They make boats from split pumpkins, cover them with lantern paper or glass, shape them into fish, dragons, phoenixes, lotus flowers, flower baskets, cranes, etc., light candles, and float on the river.There are also hundreds of incense-hanging star lights and so on.The little incense sticks on the river, the candlelight and the starlight in the sky complement each other into brilliance. It is really a fascinating night where "the music is loud and the ears are drunk, and the silver flowers, fire and trees illuminate people". People of all nationalities also have special commemorative festivals for the legendary capable people who taught them to engage in agricultural and sideline production. The Kucong branch of the Lahu nationality in Xinping County, Yunnan Province used to know how to farm.Legend has it that a young man named "Kara" saw thrushes and Liha birds often pecking various black, purple, and golden seeds in the grass in the forest, and collected them and scattered them on the wet land. Grow buckwheat, sorghum and corn.Kara then taught everyone to grow crops and started the earliest agriculture.Later, Kara taught everyone to weave nets and put them in covers to catch birds and wild animals. They also used bamboo stakes to enclose birds and animals, and the primitive breeding industry began.After Kala's death, Kucong people missed him. Every village chose a tall chestnut tree as his incarnation. The ancestor of the industry.In the early morning of the festival, the men meet to go hunting in the mountains, and the women prepare meals at home.In the evening, the hunters return and put their prey on the flat ground in front of the "Kala" tree. The women bring bacon, vegetables and yellow glutinous rice, the children bring gourds filled with spicy wine, and the girls carry spring water in bamboo tubes. Everyone prepares meals together.After the completion, the respected old people in the village are invited to preside over the ceremony. All the men in the village line up in a row according to their age, holding bamboo wine in their hands, and the women in the back row drink together to praise the merits of Kara.There are many children and grandchildren in the village, and the healthy old people even tie strings to the children to bless them. According to the custom, girls tie their right wrists with a green thread, and boys tie their left wrists with a red thread, wishing them a healthy growth.After the ceremony, all the participants had dinner together, recalled the history, talked about the future, and became a classroom for traditional education. The Mongolian people living in Yunnan and Xinjiang settled here in the Yuan Dynasty.They have superb architectural skills, and their hometown is known as the hometown of architecture.According to legend, it was taught by Master Zhanled Luban, an intelligent young man of the Mongolian nationality. After learning woodworking skills, he traveled around and learned stone, clay, bamboo and so on.Because of its superior skills and noble character, people respectfully call it "Zhanban".On the second day of April, Lu Ban taught the "Wood Classic" to Zhan Le, and taught and tested skills such as sawing, chopping, pushing, and drilling to apprentices. Therefore, Lu Ban Day is celebrated on this day every year to commemorate the ancestor of this handicraft craftsman.Every festival, the masonry, wood and stone craftsmen who go out have to return to celebrate the festival, otherwise they will be considered as people who do not respect teachers and love virtuous people.During the festival, the village has to kill pigs and sheep, set up a stage to sing operas, carry a sandalwood statue of Luban to travel around the villages, gongs, drums and firecrackers are played together, and activities such as playing dragons, clam shell dances, and rowing boats are held to commemorate this A skilled craftsman in the construction industry. The Yifan Festival of the Mulao people in Luocheng, Guangxi, means to celebrate the harvest and protect people and animals in the Mulao language.It is generally held on the day of Lidong in the leap year of the lunar calendar, that is, it is held every three to five years.In some villages, the festival is held on the first day of winter in the years of Mao, Wei, and Hai or the years of Chou, Chen, Wei, and Xu.It is a festival to commemorate the Mulao heroes Luo Yi and Luo Ying, father and daughter.It is said that in ancient times, the Mulao people lived in Jiuwanda Mountain, and birds and beasts destroyed the crops very badly.Luo Yi, a sharp archer, hunts and eliminates harm in the mountains.有一天他发现两只凤凰蛋，拿回家孵出小凤凰。凤凰长大后，铁爪铜嘴，随罗义巡看田地，鸣叫几声，就可以约束鸟害。后来罗义又制服狮子，消除兽害，使仫佬山乡年年五谷丰登。罗义又捕来野牛，驯练它耕地，但尚未驯化，罗义就去世了。其女罗英继续驯牛，终于使牛群得以繁衍。她将驯化的牛分送各寨，成为仫佬族人民发展农业的畜力。为了纪念罗义父女的功绩，每逢闰年的立冬日，人们宰猪杀鹅，包粽粑，用芋头、红薯制成牛状放在室内桌上，做五色糯米饭，四周围放上甜酒、花生、芝麻、沙姜、黄豆、胡椒、八角等12种实物和猪的心、肝、肺、胃、肠及鸡、鸭、鱼、蛋等12种供品。并在堂屋正壁上挂一束丰满的糯稻，先由道师请神，一直请来36位神灵，然后大家唱歌起舞，怀念罗义父女，祈求来年作物丰收，以隆重的纪念节日对未来寄予希望。