In history, Manchu men liked to wear blue robes and mandarin jackets, with hair braids at the back of their heads, domes and trousers. Women, on the other hand, like to wear cheongsam, comb a bow or "bun", wear a ring and hang a handkerchief around their waist. After the Manchu people entered the customs, their clothes tended to be the same as those of the Han people, but the cheongsam, with its unique charm, became the traditional dress of women in China.

Earlier, before and after the Manchu entered the customs, their houses were divided into two types: one was called "private houses"; One is called the official residence. Private houses are inhabited by ordinary people in Manchu. Generally speaking, civilians live in two main rooms and place pots and stoves. The room is very elegant, with three beds of kang, the west kang is the most expensive, which is for distinguished guests, the north kang is the big one, which is for the elders of the whole family, and the south kang is the small one, which is for the younger generation in the family. Such as young girls and daughters-in-law, can live on Nankang. It can be seen that Manchu people are very particular about their generations. Official residence, Manchu officials live in "official residence". The official residence is also called "barracks" For example, after Kangxi set up the "Mulan paddock", there was a three-product general manager, four pen-and-paste directors, 16 members of the Xiaoqi School, 16 leaders, and 451 Manchu Eight Banners. Mulan paddock, * * * is divided into seventy-two perimeters according to the orientation of eight flags, each flag has a "barracks", and * * * has eight "barracks". Each barracks is in charge of five five "Kalun" (Manchu Chinese translation post), and there are forty "Kalun". Manchu officers and men mainly live in barracks (official residence). This kind of "official residence" is generally a house with four rooms, which is built into high steps with big stones. People who live in this kind of "official residence" only have the right to live and have no right to deal with it. The house where Manchu people live has more south windows and west windows, so that it can be warm in winter and cool in summer, and they can live comfortably. Manchu people, especially women, are very particular about their sleeping posture, and most of them lie on their sides, which makes them look "decent". When they sleep, they can't sleep with their hands on their cheeks. It is unlucky to sleep with their hands on their cheeks. Nowadays, some elderly Manchu people in Weichang County pay more attention to their sleeping posture.

The eating habits of Manchu people were very particular in the past. Manchu people like to eat millet and yellow rice cake (that is, what people usually call sticky bean bags). . Whenever I am busy with the old autumn, I start to clean the courtyard, and every household prepares rice wine and washes rice for cakes (of course, it refers to the richer households, but the poor can't afford it). Mukunda (the venerable one in the clan), whose surname is, will also preside over the slaughter of pigs for family sacrifice. Sacrifice ancestors, celebrate the harvest, and pray for the well-being of the whole family and the prosperity of people and animals. At the end of the Spring Festival, Manchu families invited each other to help pack "Hey Jigebo" (translated into jiaozi in Manchu). After they helped Xijia, they helped their owners to pack jiaozi for each other, indicating that they were happy and harmonious, and they were busy until the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month. When jiaozi could not finish eating it, they would freeze it at any time, store it at any time, and put it in "Hashili" (in Manchu) Of course, the steamed yellow rice cake is also frozen, and it is hot now. There are many kinds of yellow rice cakes, such as Suye cakes, Lotus leaf cakes, Chengsha cakes and honey fruit cakes, with stuffing and without stuffing. Its shapes are different, such as Jinshan shape, Guanyin shape, peony shape, etc., as well as fish, insects, birds, animals and other animal shapes, which are vivid and amazing. During the Spring Festival, many families eat hand-grabbed meat on New Year's Eve, and also cook boiled pork and roasted pork with Manchu unique flavor. In cakes, I like to make "Sachima". On New Year's Eve, there will be an activity to welcome the God of Wealth, starting at twelve o'clock at night and ending at Wangma Computer. On the Spring Festival, there is a happy atmosphere everywhere. In front of the gate of every household and the screen wall of the courtyard, snow platforms have been piled up habitually, and shiny and bright ice lanterns (namely ice lanterns) are placed on the snow platforms. The appearance of ice lanterns is very strange and varied. Ice lanterns symbolize the return of spring to the earth, and life is full of light and good luck. After the Spring Festival and before the fifth day of the first month, Manchu girls and son-in-law can pay New Year greetings to their parents and in-laws and wish each other a better future.

Dress

In the early days, Manchu people wore clothes with their own national characteristics. The clothes of men and women are different from those of girls and daughters-in-law. Generally speaking, men wear robes, jackets and jackets, a small hat pad and a long braid at the back of their heads. Double-faced shoes are worn on the feet, and the upper is embroidered with a cloud tick. Women, on the other hand, wear earrings, a wide straight cheongsam, a small waistcoat and embroidered shoes with wooden soles. In the center of the embroidered sole, a wooden sole is inlaid, which looks like a horseshoe, so it is also called "horseshoe sole" or "arowana sole" and "four-flash sole". Manchu women did not bind their feet since childhood. The hairstyle of Manchu women is different according to their age and status. Girl, comb "scratch" more. Married women, whose hair is combed up and put on the top of their heads, are called "Dagongtou" with a silver hairpin. Early Manchu young men and women loved to put a kind of gem on clothes, hats, saddles, hilts, purses and so on, symbolizing happiness. And precious people wear linen clothes. The poor people are clothed with deer skin and deer skin. This is related to the long-term life style of half farming and half hunting. When Manchu people entered the customs from the northeast, the rich people began to pay attention to their clothes, generally wearing silks and satins, while ordinary people wore cloth. With the development of society, Manchu costumes and Han people are increasingly consistent. For example, the habit of wearing cheongsam has been adopted by women all over the country. Manchu women's habit and advantages of not binding their feet are also adopted by women of other brotherly nationalities. Now, Manchu women in some remote mountain villages in Weichang County, especially the costumes of the elderly, still maintain their past costumes and hairstyles. Manchu people pay great attention to neatness in their clothes. No matter how many coats and jackets you wear, you must button your clothes neatly and pay attention to style. This fine tradition has been preserved to this day. Manchu women's flag shoes are called "inch shoes" or "horseshoe shoes". The middle of the sole, that is, the center of the foot, is embedded with more than 3 inches of wood, which is wrapped with fine white cloth. Where the wood can't follow the ground, it is often decorated with embroidery or beads. Because the sole plane is horseshoe-shaped, it is named; There is also a kind of shoe whose bottom is flowerpot-shaped, which is called "flowerpot sole shoe"; The flag shoes worn by elderly women and working women are based on flat wood, which is called flat embroidered shoes, also known as "net cloud shoes". Manchu women's shoes are embroidered on the surface, while socks are mostly made of cloth with patterns on the soles.

Marriage

The marriage of Manchu people is monogamous.

Manchu men and women usually pay more attention to dressing up when they get married. Girls before marriage like to use the juice of "Jina Yierha (Manchu, Impatiens), add alum, and dye their nails red (saying that this can get rid of plague and disease, and celebrate every month). Although this is superstitious, it can show that this nation yearns for good luck. When young men and women are engaged, the man invites the matchmaker to the woman's home to propose marriage first. You have to go three times to propose marriage. Ask the matchmaker to bring a bottle of wine every time. When you go for the third time, you will know whether the woman is willing to marry. If the woman leaves the wine she brought for the third time, it means that she agrees to get married. If you refuse, it shows that the marriage between the two sides has not been completed. Therefore, Manchu people have a saying: "If you fail, you will get three bottles of wine". After the marriage, the bride price given by the man is all the property of the girl. After the engagement, girls do more needlework before they get married. She wants to embroider pillows, cigarette purses and money purses for use after marriage. The cigarette pouch is reserved for in-laws. When the Manchu people got married in the old days, they used a sedan chair (later changed to a float). Kill the pig three days before the wedding, and prepare to entertain guests. When the man marries the bride, there are two ways: one is that the girl is sent off by her brother, aunt, uncle and aunt. The girl's parents, aunts and uncles don't go to see her off. The bride's family and her husband's family set out at the same time, one for free and one for welcome. When the two sides meet halfway, they have to "change cars", that is, the bride will be sent off by her family and sit in the car of her husband's family. At this time, the two cars said goodbye halfway and returned to their homes. In the second form, when the man's sedan chair (or float) reaches the front door of the woman's house, the woman's house closes the door. What should I do? The man made all kinds of pleading words in Manchu, and the woman opened the door and let the wedding car take the bride away. After the man marries the bride into the door, he must sit on the bed first. When the curtains are opened, the people attending the wedding will sing "Happy Songs" in Manchu. The main idea of the happy song is:

A pair of phoenixes came from the south, and

flying brought good luck.

Phoenix loves to grow old,

We share the joys and sorrows ...

However, due to years, this happy song is basically lost, and some Manchu old people have lost all their memories.

On the first day when the bride enters her in-laws' house, she has to "sit on the kang" for a day, which is also called "sitting on the blessing". That evening, a table was placed in the new house. There are two flagons and two small wine cups on the table. The bride and groom walked arm in arm around the table for three times before drinking. A pair of red candles were lit on the kang and stayed up all night. One or more people in the outhouse sing a happy song, which is called "pulling the empty house". Or someone can sprinkle black beans into the new house, and it will be lively for about two hours, and people will disperse. (But when getting married, it's not the same. For example, when the Manchu people in Beijing got married in the old days, at the wedding, the groom had to draw a bow and take an arrow to shoot the bride who had not uncovered the "hijab" three times. This may be a legacy of the clan society robbing marriage).

On the second day after marriage, the bride is led to meet the elders in the neighborhood, which is called "dividing the size". After three days of marriage, the bride took the groom back to her family.

Manchu people have strict family rules. Daughter-in-law should say "hello early" and "say hello late" to her in-laws every day. Usually, when a new wife wants to go back to her parents' home, she must ask her in-laws for leave first. My in-laws allow my daughter-in-law to stay at her parents' house for a few days. Before leaving, the new wife should pay homage to her in-laws. When she comes back from her parents' home on time, the new wife must first inquire after her in-laws and say hello before going back to her room.

On weekdays, if relatives and friends invite in-laws, if in-laws can't go, the son first asks the parents, "Can my son and daughter-in-law go instead?" After the parents agree, they can go to relatives and friends' homes. When the son and daughter-in-law come back from relatives and friends, they should first "say hello" to the parents and say, "It's too much for the parents!" . After the Manchu people got married for two years, family etiquette gradually decreased.

believe in shamanism

most ethnic minorities in China have their own religious beliefs, and Manchu people believe in shamanism.

Shamanism is a relatively primitive religion. There are no temples and shrines, and there are no full-time believers, but there are people who wait on "Lafayette", named Chama.

Chama is somewhat similar to a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest, but not the same. Because Chamachun is a part-time volunteer entertainer. Chama can get married and start a family, and also take part in productive labor. The adult Chama has no privilege, no reward, and is only respected by the people in the family. Chama has men and women. But a girl can't be Chama. Women should be chama, but they can be married. People who are Chama are all voluntary, with the permission of their parents, and come from a wish. For example, if you are sick, you can promise to be a chama to the "Lafayette" and wait on the "Lafayette", so that you can get rid of the disease and eliminate the disaster. How to be Chama? It has to pass the test of "Lafayette": every year on the seventh day of July in the lunar calendar, people who want to be Chama gather a kind of fragrant leaves from the mountain, dry them, grind them into fine flour and sieve them out with a reed. After the old Chama is lit, he puts this Dazi incense under the nose of the person who wants to be Chama, and receives the edification of Dazi cigarettes. When the "three-handed power" Dazi incense burns out, if the tested person shed nose and tears, it means that the person who wants to be Chama is sincere. Otherwise, it is insincere and cannot be accepted as Chama. After this test, those who become Chama should learn from the old Chama to offer sacrifices to God.

When offering sacrifices to the gods, Chama dressed herself up, put on colorful clothes, tied 22 string bells shaped like hoes around her waist, and grabbed a drum. Grasping the drum is to beat it rhythmically with a flat drum with a whip, and under the instruction of old Chama, he learns to "walk around the edge of the kang", take dance steps, twist his waist, twist it back and forth, and show his respect for "Lafayette" with the most sincere heart. The most important thing for new Chama is to learn divine songs. Divine songs are sung in Manchu language, and they are used to praise the merits of ancestors, so as to pray for their blessings and blessings. When the new Chama learns to sing and dance while offering sacrifices to the gods, she can go to offer sacrifices to the gods with the old Chama.

After becoming Chama, he will be a man of "Lafayette". Chama can be absent from the deceased when his parents die. According to the investigation, the Manchu people in the early years of the paddock had Chama's activities of offering sacrifices to the gods. After the birth of New China, this kind of activity has basically never been seen.

There are three kinds of kang in Manchu houses, of which Xikang is the most expensive. Xikang is also called "Buddha Kang", so women can't sit on it, and ordinary guests can't sleep on it. Only grandfathers can sleep in Xikang. Dog-skin hats and whips with dog-skin whips can't be placed on the west kang.

why is Xikang so sacred? Because the "Buddha's Box" is enshrined on the Xikang. Buddha's box is so sacred that ordinary people can't read it. The gods sacrificed by Manchu people are not imaginary gods and Buddha. In the Buddha's box, there are precious statues of our ancestors and heroes. There are eighteen deities in it. In addition, there are genealogies. The genealogy records the history of this family, such as the rise and fall of this family, the merits and contributions of ancestors. In the Buddha's box, there are also incense sticks, silk racks and table curtains. When the Manchu people reach the age of dragon and tiger, they should revise their scores. Because of the increasing number of children and grandchildren, it is necessary to revise the spectrum every certain number of years. The genealogy is divided into genealogy and genealogy. The method of compiling music is as follows: at the time of sacrifice, Mukunda prepares three booklets: one booklets to register people who have died; A person whose birth is registered in a booklet; A book contains the surname and flag of the newly married daughter-in-law in the registered family (or family). When the score is revised, pigs should be sacrificed, and all the people in the clan should be present. After the music is finished, it should also be treasured. Manchu people sacrifice, and some people also worship "Manye". Manya is also a kind of Buddha statue. Some are made of wood, some are made of clay, and some are made of copper. But the place to worship Manye is not on the West Kang, but on the "Tang Fang Kang" connected to the kitchen. Next to Manye, two pairs of pigskin cymbals are put in a year, which means that Manye can wear them when patrolling and protecting the flag people. In fact, Manye is also revered as a god. However, the sacrificial activities of Manchu people, especially when they "jump home", cost a lot. Some poor Manchu people are unable to hold such a big event. What should they do? Then take another kind of sacrificial ceremony-smacking your head. It can be seen that Manchu people neither "jump at home" nor "snap their heads", which was not found among Manchu people in the old days. There's always a ritual. If you don't even do it, it is disrespectful to your ancestors. In this way, the ancestors will not agree, but will be angry with their children.

how to "smack your head"? This ritual is very similar to the "wishing pig" of the northern Han nationality. Kill a pig first, and the pig slayer is not allowed to enter the house, even in the yard in cold weather. After killing pigs, you don't need hot water to wash your hair. Instead, you find three big stones, put them on shelves and light a fire. Kill the pig and let it burn on the fire. When all the hair is burnt clean, the pig's head and tail are cut off and put on the altar to worship the ancestors. Then gut the pig, pick out the oil hanging from the pig intestines, put it in the pot, wash the millet, put it in the pot and cook it together. Then the elders began to eat rice from the pot. The whole family, from old to young, should eat like this. When eating, all sit outside and are not allowed to enter the house. Because the meal time is in the starry midnight, so