When the Miao people receive guests, the host will wear festive costumes. The male host went to the roadside outside the village to welcome the guests. Sometimes there is even a banquet. When a guest arrives at the door of the house, the male host calls the door with a song to inform the hostess that the distinguished guest has arrived, and the hostess opens the door to welcome the guest with a song. The Miao family treats chickens and ducks as delicacies for entertaining guests, and their hearts and livers are the most precious. The Miao people are taboo on eating dog meat. People are not allowed to sit where the Miao ancestors' shrines are, and people are not allowed to whistle at home or at night.

When you step into the Miao family, the first thing you see is the various grains hanging on the roof beams. They are the pride of the Miao family and a symbol of a good harvest. The wooden benches in the corridor are called "everyone's leaning" by the Miao family, which means that everyone can sit and take a rest. The horns hanging at the door of the Miao family are mascots used to ward off evil spirits, and are also tools used by the Miao family to toast. Among the many welcome etiquettes of the Miao family, the most solemn and stylish is the toasting of horn wine. Legend has it that when you are a guest at the Miao family, you only need to touch the horns of the cow to bring you good luck. At the same time, you have to step on the wooden board in the middle of the main room. This wooden board is called the "Peace Bridge", which can make people safe and everything goes well.

The Miao people are very hospitable. When guests come, they will kill chickens and ducks. The parents or the most prestigious elders of the same clan will present the chicken or duck hearts to the guests. According to Miao family custom, guests cannot finish the meal alone at once, but must share it with the elderly person sitting next to them to show their selflessness.

Eating New Year's dinner is the most sacred moment for the Miao family. The whole family must be reunited. At this time, outsiders are particularly taboo about visiting the house, as they believe that the whole family will not be able to live in peace in the new year. In order to let outsiders know that the owner is having a meal, a burst of firecrackers is set off before the meal, and a door is left ajar. When outsiders see it, they will not come in and disturb the owner's New Year's dinner.

Although the Miao people have lived in remote mountain villages for generations, they are simple-minded and very particular about etiquette.

The younger generation meets the elders. Whenever young people meet their elders, whether they are male or female, whether they are acquaintances or meeting them for the first time, they must speak sincerely, behave respectfully, greet them with a smile, and use certain words of respect to commemorate them. If a younger person is walking and sees an old person or elder, he must stand still; if a younger person is sitting and an elder comes, he should stand up immediately and give way to his seat. Keep your eyes level and put your hands down. If you meet an elder you don't know, and the other person is one or twenty years older than you, the man will call him "De Ne" and the woman will call him "De Mu". If you are older, the male will be called "Ada" (grandpa) or "Ane Neng***" or "Ane Nengguo" (the old man), and the female will be called "Ada" (grandma) or "Ane Nengguo" (the old man). Internal energy***". After the greetings are completed, the younger ones can sit down or say goodbye.

Everyone meets his peers. Whenever you meet an equal, you must nod and say hello. If we are acquaintances, we should call each other by fixed titles; if we are not acquaintances, the man can be called "Alang" (eldest brother) or "Baqiu" (old cousin), and the woman can be called "Aya" (eldest sister). .

The elders meet the younger ones. Whenever elders see younger ones, they usually nod. Those who are acquainted should call each other by fixed titles; those who are not acquainted, if they are in the prime of life, the male can be called "De Na" and the female can be called "Aya". If the other party is young. Both men and women can be called "Degou" (little brother, little sister).

Miscellaneous gifts. When an old person or elder walks with a young person or younger person, the young person or younger person must let the older person or elder walk in front. When old and young eat at the same table, the old man sits at the top and the middle-aged man sits at the bottom. Most people can sit on both sides. When the young and old sit down by the fire pit on the ground floor to warm up and talk, it is customary for guests, elders or the elderly to sit on the side near the central pillar. Otherwise, feel free to do whatever you want.

The Miao people now mainly live in the southeastern part of Guizhou Province, the Damiao Mountains of Guangxi, Hainan Island and the junction areas of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and other provinces. The population is 7.398 million (the fourth census in 1990), ranking fourth among the ethnic minorities.

In ancient Chinese classics, there have long been records about the Miao ancestors more than 5,000 years ago. These are the clans and tribes known as the "Southern Barbarians" from the Yellow River Basin to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Miao people have their own language, and the Miao language belongs to the Miao branch of the Miao-Xin family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is divided into three major dialects: Western Hunan, Eastern Guizhou and Sichuan-Guizhou-Dian. After 1956, a text scheme in the form of Latin letters was designed. Due to the long-term exchanges between the Miao people and the Han people, a large part of the Miao people are proficient in Chinese and use Chinese.

The Miao people are good at singing and dancing, and are particularly famous for their flying songs, love songs and drinking songs. Lusheng is the most representative musical instrument of the Miao people.

The Miao area is mainly based on agriculture, supplemented by hunting. The Miao people's arts and crafts such as cross-stitching, embroidery, brocade, batik, paper-cutting, and hand-made jewelry are magnificent and colorful and well-known at home and abroad. Among them, the batik craft of the Miao people has a history of thousands of years. There are more than 130 kinds of Miao costumes, which can be compared with the costumes of any ethnic group in the world.

The Miao Nationality "Flower Dance Festival". The "Flower Dance Festival" is a cultural event with the main feature of playing the Lusheng accompanied by singing and dancing. It is also a great opportunity for the wonderful display of Miao costumes.

The Miao people used to worship nature and ancestors. The larger festival is "Xisong" (ancestral worship), which is held every year after autumn. Bullfighting (bullfighting) is a favorite activity of the Miao people. Bullfighting events are held every year on the New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Torch, Mid-Autumn Festival and other festivals.

The etiquette of the Miao people includes: when guests come to visit, they must kill chickens and ducks to entertain them warmly. If they are distinguished guests from afar, in some places, wine will be placed in front of the village to welcome them. When eating chicken, the chicken head should be given to the elder among the guests, and the chicken legs should be given to the youngest guest. In some places, there is also the custom of dividing chicken hearts, that is, the eldest host in the family uses chopsticks to give the chicken or duck hearts to the guests, but the guests cannot eat them themselves and must divide the chicken hearts equally among the elderly people present. In some places, "horn wine" and "comb meat" are served as a toast. The guests accept them one by one, and the host is the happiest. If the guest is a light drinker and doesn't like to eat fatty meat, it can explain the situation. If the host does not force the meal, but does not eat and drink enough, it will be regarded as looking down on the host.

Colorful Miao costumes

Miao Autonomous Region

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the following were established:

Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (1952 July 1, 1952)

Guangxi Rongshui Miao Autonomous County (November 26, 1952)

Guizhou Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County (November 11, 1954)

Guizhou Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (July 23, 1956)

Guizhou Qiannan Guizhou Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (August 8, 1956)

Hunan City Bu Miao Autonomous County (November 30, 1956)

Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (September 20, 1957)

Yunnan Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (April 1, 1958 Japan)

Guizhou Zhenning Buyi and Miao Autonomous County (September 11, 1963)

Guizhou Ziyun Miao Buyi Autonomous County (February 11, 1966)

Guizhou Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (May 1, 1982)

Xiushan Tujia Nationality, Sichuan Miao Autonomous County (November 7, 1983)

Sichuan Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County (November 11, 1983)

Hubei West Hubei Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (December 1983 1st)

Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, Sichuan (November 10, 1984)

Sichuan Qianjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County (November 13, 1984)

Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County, Yunnan (1985)

Jinping Miao, Yao and Dai Autonomous County, Yunnan (1985)

Two Miao women are making colored vellum. The white paper production process in Shiqiaobao, Danzhai County, Guizhou Province has a history of more than 1,000 years. For more than 1,000 years, the local Miao people have learned from the papermaking technology of the Han people and used the abundant local bark and fir roots to make white paper. Their papermaking technology is generally similar to the papermaking method recorded in "Tiangong Kaiwu" written by Song Yingxing of the Ming Dynasty, maintaining China's The ancient tradition of producing vellum paper.

Daily Food Customs: Rice is the staple food for the Miao people in most areas. First, dry the rice in the sun (or dry it on a kang) and pour it into a pot to pound it to remove the rice bran. Eat it now, with 3 to 5 kilograms of rice pounded each time. Electricity and water power are now used to mill rice in many places. When the Miao people cook, they often add 6-7 times the amount of water to the washed rice, then decant the rice soup after half-cooking, then steam it in a wooden steamer. There are also those that boil or steam corn, wheat, and millet together. Grains and buckwheat are ground into flour or granules for consumption. Mix more flour with water, pour it into a steamer, steam it and use it as a staple food. The Miao people at the junction of Guangxi and Yunnan-Guizhou call it "noodle rice". The Miao people in Sichuan Province eat noodles made from wheat, buckwheat or cornmeal with other staple foods. The Miao people in some areas of Guizhou steam their oats, bake them over a slow fire to make them crispy, then grind them into powder and fry them as their daily staple food. Miao folk regard glutinous rice as the most precious thing and regard it as a symbol of harvest and good luck. When eating glutinous rice, sometimes the glutinous rice is steamed first, then poured into a wooden trough while hot, beaten with a hammer to make a paste, and then pulled into small balls by hand, flattened with a wooden board, and soaked in mountain spring water after it is completely cooled. Change the water at any time and it can be stored for 4-5 months. It can be grilled, grilled or fried when eaten. Fried food is the most common fried food. Fried dada is made by first soaking sticky rice and a small amount of soybeans and beating them into a paste. Then the thick paste is poured into a mold made of iron sheets and fried in boiling oil until it turns golden brown. If you add some fresh meat and sauerkraut as filling, the taste will be more delicious.

The Miao people have a wide variety of dishes. Common vegetables include beans, melons, green vegetables, and radishes. Meat mostly comes from livestock and poultry breeding. The Miao people in Sichuan, Yunnan and other places like to eat dog meat. There is a "Miao" Dogs are the wine of the Yi people." Dog meat is hot in nature, has the functions of warming the abdomen and strengthening the stomach, and is a strong and nourishing food. In addition to animal oil, the edible oils of the Miao family are mostly camellia oil and vegetable oil. Chili is used as the main condiment. In some areas, there is even a saying that "no dish is complete without spicy food". Most of the Miao people are good at making soy products, such as cooking soy milk without filtering the residue to make "slag soup"; boiling soy milk with young cabbage, and then adding gypsum water to make "vegetable tofu", which are all daily dishes with rice. The Miao people who live in high and cold mountainous areas still like to boil vegetables into mussels with white water and eat them with various "dipping waters". The Miao people in Sichuan also make soy milk into bean curds to entertain guests. The Miao people in various places generally like to eat sour dishes, and sour soup is a must-have for every household. Sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water. After fermentation in an earthen pot for 3-5 days, it can be used to cook meat, fish, and vegetables. During the dog days, some fish coriander and wood ginger are also added to make it appetizing and refreshing, and to help digestion. .

In summer in southeastern Guizhou, when a guest comes in, the host will always serve him sour soup first. After drinking it, he will feel sour and cool to quench his thirst. The Miao people in Guangxi like to use hot and sour soup made with chili bones in winter and spring. The Miao people generally use the pickling method to preserve their food. Vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and meat all like to be pickled to make them sour. The Miao people in Hunan call this method of pickling food "鲊". Almost every household of the Miao people has a jar for pickling food, collectively called a sour jar. Before marinating the pork, cut the fresh meat into large pieces, then press a layer of meat and a layer of salt on top of each other. After three days, the raw salt melts and soaks into the meat, then burns some glutinous rice and mixes it with sweet fermented wine, then rubs it with the meat. Finally, add some chili powder and other ingredients, seal the mouth of the jar, and take it as you eat. Meat marinated in this way can generally be stored for 1-2 years. The sour jar can also be used to pickle sour fish and pickled vegetables. In addition, the Miao people also use bacon methods to preserve various livestock and poultry meat. The Miao people in southern Sichuan often slaughter new year pigs in winter, soak the pork in salt, hang it on the stove, and smoke it with poplar branches or other firewood. Smoke dry the moisture, then remove and store. This kind of smoked wax has unique flavors and is often used to entertain guests. It can be stored for 2-3 years without deterioration.

The Miao people have a long history of brewing wine, and they have a complete set of techniques from making koji, fermentation, distillation, brewing and cellaring. Sipping wine is unique. When drinking, a bamboo tube is inserted into the urn. The drinkers form a circle along the urn. The elder drinks first, and then rotates from left to right. After the wine juice is absorbed, it can be poured into drinking water until it is light and tasteless. Once the wine is opened, the remaining wine, no matter how strong or light it is, will not be used again. During festivals, every family also makes glutinous rice liqueur. Camellia oleifera is the most common daily beverage. When making, first put oil, salt, ginger and tea into a pot and fry together. When the oil smokes, add water and boil, then filter the residue, then pour the tea into a bowl with corn, peanuts, popcorn or glutinous rice, add appropriately. Add some chopped green onion, garlic leaves, pepper and mountain pepper, and you can drink it. The Miao people in western Hunan also specially make a kind of Wanhua tea (also known as Baiguo tea). In addition to tea, sour soup is also a common drink.

Miao compatriots held the Miao fire dragon Lantern Festival event. The fire dragon dance activity in Taijiang County, southeastern Guizhou Province, has a history of hundreds of years.

Festivals, Etiquette, Sacrifice and Food Customs The Miao people used to believe in animism, worship nature, and worship their ancestors. There are many festivals. In addition to traditional New Year festivals and sacrificial festivals, there are also festivals specifically related to eating. Such as: Duck Eating Festival, New Eating Festival, Fish Killing Festival, Tea Picking Festival, etc. In addition to preparing wine and meat for the festival, seasonal food is also necessary. For example: during the Duck Festival, every family has to slaughter ducks and cook porridge with duck meat and rice. During the New Festival, new rice is used for cooking and making wine, and even vegetables and fish must be freshly picked. , just out of the pond; during the Fish Killing Festival, they often go to the riverside. Women will bring rice, bacon, sausages and other food and drinks, and wait by the river. As long as they catch fish, they will light a bonfire and cook the fish until they are satisfied. . The traditional festival is the most solemn in the Miao Year. The Miao Year usually begins on the first Mao day of the first lunar month and lasts for three, five or fifteen days. Before the New Year, every household must prepare a sumptuous New Year's meal. In addition to slaughtering pigs and sheep (cows), they must also prepare plenty of glutinous rice wine. The New Year's meal is rich, with emphasis on "all seven colors" and "all five flavors", and the best glutinous rice is used to make "New Year cake". Feast each other and give each other gifts. The largest sacrificial activity among the Miao people is "Eating Guzang", also known as the "Drum Sacrifice Festival". Generally, there is a small sacrifice every seven years and a big sacrifice every thirteen years. It is held on Yihai day from October to November of the lunar calendar. At that time, a Guzi ox will be killed, the Lusheng dance will be performed, and the ancestors will be paid homage to. Invite relatives and friends to gather together during meals in order to enhance feelings and family harmony. Glutinous rice is a must-have food in Miao festivals and social activities, and it is also indispensable in the marriage and love process of young men and women. The Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan, give each other glutinous rice cakes painted with mandarin ducks as tokens; when holding a wedding, the officiant also invites the groom and bride to eat glutinous rice cakes painted with dragons, phoenixes and dolls; the Miao people in many areas often make glutinous rice noodles. Tangyuan is also served as a food during festivals. Regardless of weddings or funerals, wine, sour meat, and sour fish must be prepared, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespectful. When welcoming distinguished guests, the Miao people are accustomed to inviting the guests to drink horn wine. At the wedding, the bride and groom have to drink wine. Miao festivals

Typical foods mainly include: blood soup, chili bone, Miaoxiang turtle and phoenix soup, Miancai cake, insect tea, thousands of flowers tea, bream, mashed fish (also eat fish in sour soup), etc. .