On March 3rd, the origin of Zhuang nationality in Guangxi.
The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as "March 3", is the day when the Zhuang people hold a song party. Therefore, it is also called Gepo Festival (Song and Dance Festival).
"Xu Ge" is a Chinese name given to Zhuang by foreigners, and Zhuang language is called "Huanlongdong", which means a song sung in the field; Some places are called "Huanwo Dare", which is a song sung outside the cave. Because in the past, the Zhuang people rarely built temples, and the gods were placed in caves. The cave is a sacred place, and it must be solemn. Only outside the cave can you sing freely.
The lyrics of the folk song "Now Guangxi has become an ocean of songs, all handed down by Third Sister" circulating in Guangxi explain the origin of the Zhuang Song Fair Festival, which is closely related to the singer Liu Sanjie.
It is said that Sanjie Liu was born in a fisherman's family in Yishan, Guangxi in the Tang Dynasty. I love to sing folk songs since I was a child. When I grow up, I look beautiful and export them into songs. There is a rich man named Mo Huairen nearby. He wants to rob Third Sister Liu to marry him. Third Sister Liu vowed to die, and Mo Huairen threw Third Sister Liu into the river. Sanjie Liu drifted to Longzhou along the river. Fortunately, she was rescued and lived at the foot of Yufeng Mountain. The villagers rushed to learn songs when they heard the news. Later, she married a young hunter and has been preaching songs here. When Mo Huairen learned about it, he colluded with the government and threw Liu Sanjie and his wife into the Xiaolongtan at the foot of Yufeng Mountain. At midnight, the moon and stars are scarce. When the villagers fished them out, there was a sudden breeze. I saw Sanjie Liu and the young hunter riding on the back of a fish, singing and flying away. From then on, people said that Sanjie Liu became an immortal, so they called Sanjie Liu a singer. In order to commemorate this singer, later generations sang folk songs for three days and three nights on the third day of the third lunar month. This day was the day when Liu Sanjie became immortal, and the song fair was thus formed.
According to records, Gewei Festival has a history of thousands of years. It is recorded in The Jade Ring of Taiping written by the Song people that Zhuang people "both men and women are dressed in costumes" ... gathering to make songs ". After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the development of Zhuang folk songs was particularly prominent, and song festivals were very popular. In the Qing Dynasty, a large-scale "song market" was formed where hundreds or even thousands of people gathered to sing.
During each concert, young men and women put on festive costumes and gathered in Shan Ye or on bamboo forests and grassy slopes to improvise duets and answer questions from each other. In the song market, the industrious and intelligent Zhuang people created colorful folk songs, which made this traditional national festival full of charming charm.
"March 3rd" Folk Song Art Festival
The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, also known as "March Song Festival" or "March Song Festival", is a traditional song festival of Zhuang nationality. There are several fixed folk song gatherings of Zhuang nationality every year, such as the 15th day of the first month, the 3rd day of March, the 8th day of April and the 15th day of August. Among them, March 3rd is the biggest.
There are many beautiful and moving legends about the origin of Ge Wei Festival among Zhuang people. Some people say that in ancient times, there were two lovers, both famous singers, who often sang folk songs to express their affection for each other. However, due to the shackles of feudal ethics, the two could not get married, so both of them died in despair. People sang in memory of the couple on March 3rd.
It is also said that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a singer named "Third Sister Liu" in Zhuang nationality. She is very clever. She often praises labor and love with folk songs and exposes the sins of the rich, who hate and fear her. Therefore, on the third day of March one year, when Sanjie Liu was chopping wood on the mountain, the rich sent someone to cut off the vines, causing her to fall off the cliff and die. In memory of the singer, later generations gathered to sing on the day of Liu Sanjie's death. Singing for three days and three nights, the song fair was formed in this way.
These legends are difficult to verify now, but in the book Taiping Universe written by Song people, it is recorded: "A strong man is familiar with the valley, and he chooses a day to worship the gods, and men and women will compose songs for the grand occasion." This shows that the song fair was also very prosperous at that time. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the development of Zhuang folk songs was particularly prominent, and the song club became a place for cultural entertainment and romance between men and women, and there were games of throwing hydrangeas. After the woman threw the hydrangea to her beloved man, they both quit the music scene and gave each other tokens of love. In the Qing dynasty, a large-scale activity was formed, with thousands of people participating. 1934 The Survey of Counties in Guangxi recorded that there were 26 counties in Guangxi at that time, almost all over Guangxi.
On this day, every household will cook colorful glutinous rice, color eggs and celebrate festivals. Songs usually last for two or three days at a time and are located in an open space not far from the village. Bamboo and cloth were used to build a singing studio to receive singers from other villages. The duet is mainly composed of unmarried young men and women, but old people and children come to watch and entertain. There are one or two thousand people in the small song fair and tens of thousands in the big one. Adjacent to Xu Ge, vendors gather and folk trade is active. People nearby provide accommodation for people who come to catch the concert, and they are warmly received whether they know each other or not. A large-scale song concert was attended by dozens of young men and women in Fiona Fang, with a sea of people and songs, which was really lively. Pangang River in Bama, Mianshan in Du 'an, Qiao Ye in Tian Yang, Xiajian in Yishan, Yufeng Mountain in Liuzhou, etc. They are all large-scale song fairs in history. People go to song parties to compete and enjoy songs; Young men and women sing, and if they hit it off with each other, they give each other tokens as tokens of their love. In addition, there are interesting activities such as throwing hydrangeas and touching eggs. Throwing hydrangeas is mainly for entertainment, but also as a symbol of love. The girl took a fancy to a young man and threw the hydrangea to him. Touching eggs is to have fun with each other, and it is also a promise.
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The custom of March 3 of Zhuang nationality in Guangxi
Zhuang people
On March 3rd, we rushed to the concert, set up a song shed and held a concert. Young men and women sing, touch eggs, throw hydrangeas and fall in love. According to legend, it is also called the Song Fairy Festival, which was formed to commemorate Liu Sanjie, a singer of Zhuang nationality. Most Zhuang people sweep graves on March 3, and usually steam five-color glutinous rice on March 3.
Fireworks Festival
According to Dong Jia's legend, in ancient times, Dong Jia's original territory always took flowering of tung trees as the transplanting festival. But one year, the tung trees didn't bloom, so they missed the farming season and had to flee to Beijing. In order to draw lessons from the past, people play lusheng and sing songs, visit relatives and friends, and remind each other that the Dong people are busy with farming, which is also called the "Fireworks Festival" than holding fireworks, bullfighting, Touma, singing duets, stepping on churches and other activities on festivals.
Dong people celebrate five days on the third day of March. On the first day of the third lunar month, every household began to prepare.
On the second day of junior high school, the girls invited each other to catch fish and shrimp by the river, and the boys prepared to have a picnic on the slope.
Early in the morning of the third day, the girls dressed up, put on exquisite bamboo baskets, picked onions and garlic from the vegetable garden, and washed them with water by the spring. They lined up in a long line, standing on the path by the water, shyly waving baskets, quietly looking at the hillside, waiting for their lovers to ask for it. At this time, the hillside was already full of people, including the girl's family, watching which young man took the basket. A group of young people in neat blue double-breasted jackets walked one by one along the path by the water's edge amid people's well-meaning laughter. At this time, the boys ask the right person for a basket in public, and the winner will be praised by a "oh-oh". Boys can quietly make an agreement with girls to return the basket. Young people who can't find the basket will be laughed at by onlookers, then sing to each other on the hillside next to the village and continue to search for bosom friends with their songs until dawn. At noon that day, people gathered in the center of the village to sing and dance crazily.
There will be a big masquerade ball on March 4th. On the afternoon of the fifth day, a farewell ceremony will be held for the guests from neighboring villages who come to watch.
Hui men and women
There is a strange custom on the third day of March, that is, "men and women meet." Among many ethnic minorities in China, such as Zhuang, Dong, Buyi, Shui, Lao and She, March 3rd is a traditional festival.
On this day, all the Zhuang compatriots rushed to Ge Ping, set up a song studio and held a song meeting for young men and women to sing, touch eggs, throw hydrangeas and talk about love. Dong compatriots grabbed fireworks, bullfighting, bird shooting, singing and stepping on the hall. Buyi people kill pigs to sacrifice to the gods of the country and eat yellow glutinous rice, and they don't talk to each other for three or four days. Yao people also celebrate the third day of March as a song festival. In addition to singing overtures and prose songs, they also sing songs of resentment and Xie Xian. But seldom sing love songs. Gu Mi's birthday is March 3rd, and every family eats black rice.
On March 3, set foot on the beach.
Shipu Town in Xiangshan has the custom of stepping on the beach on March 3rd. According to legend, around the third day of March in the local lunar calendar, the ground temperature and water temperature gradually increased, and the shallow sea spicy snails scrambled to climb the beach to breed. Local people go to the seaside to pick up snails in this season, resulting in the labor scene of "stepping on the beach on March 3". Up to now, local folk cultural activities have been formed as the main body, with sports, fishing competitions and inviting foreign songs, dances and acrobatics as the foil.
A brief introduction to the custom of March 3 of Zhuang nationality in Guangxi
● Five-color glutinous rice
Speaking of "March 3rd", the first food that comes to mind is colored glutinous rice. Black, red, yellow, white and purple glutinous rice is a traditional food in Zhuang area, which is named because of its various colors. Many outsiders are curious about how five-color glutinous rice is made. Recently, the reporter came to an old zongzi shop in Shuijie, Nanning. Owner Zhang Meifen is an "expert" in making five-color glutinous rice. The five-color glutinous rice sold in her shop has been particularly loved by diners for many years and is often in short supply. Every year on March 3rd, the shop is very busy.
Five-color glutinous rice looks simple, but the process is somewhat complicated. According to Zhang Meifen, the raw materials for making five-color glutinous rice are red and blue grass, maple leaf, purple and blue grass, yellow rice flower and glutinous rice. Because the materials used are all natural and beneficial to the body.
The "red" in the five colors comes from red and blue grass. Blanch the red and blue grass with boiling water first, then soak the glutinous rice in it, and the steamed red glutinous rice tastes sweet; "Black" comes from maple leaves, which are first broken, boiled or soaked in boiling water, and then soaked in glutinous rice for more than 5 hours. "Purple" comes from purple-blue grass. A handful of purple-blue grass can be boiled for 10~ 15 minutes to dye the water purple, and then put the glutinous rice in it to soak for about 5 hours. "Yellow" comes from yellow rice flower, which is made by boiling or soaking in water and then soaking in glutinous rice. Yellow rice flower is a Chinese herbal medicine, which can be eaten when it gets angry.
● Artemisia argyi
Every "March 3rd", when people buy five-color glutinous rice, they will find that wormwood cakes are also very popular. Artemisia argyi Baba, also known as Artemisia argyi Baba, is a traditional snack of Han nationality and is generally eaten in Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Cold Food Festival. As the third day of the third lunar month approaches Tomb-Sweeping Day, Artemisia argyi Bazin has become a must-eat food on the third day of the third lunar month.
Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, wormwood grows luxuriantly, which is the most tender season. The wormwood cake is made by boiling washed wormwood leaves in water, grinding, adding glutinous rice flour, kneading into dough, adding sesame seeds, peanuts and other fillings, and wrapping into cakes. The wormwood cake exudes the fragrance of wormwood leaves.
● Hair cake
Hair cake is a special food of "March 3rd" in old Nanning. According to Ms. Chen, a citizen, when she was a child, she would pester her mother to steam cakes for her.
Hair cakes come in three colors: burnt yellow, muddy yellow and snowy white. Brown hair cake is the most traditional and authentic method, and the latter two are new varieties that have evolved with the development of the market and the differentiation of customers' tastes. On March 3rd, many Nanning people will prepare some cakes to worship their ancestors. Hair cake tastes soft and sweet, suitable for all ages.