The She people are one of the ethnic groups with a small population in my country. They are scattered in Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Anhui provinces in southeastern my country. More than 90% of them live in the vast mountainous areas of Fujian and Zhejiang.
On the third day of the third month of the third lunar month, the She people celebrate the "Wufan Festival". On the day of the festival, every She family steams "black rice", has a family dinner, holds a singing party and plays folk songs all night long, immersed in the joyful and simple nostalgia.
The She people have many legends about the origin of "March 3". First, "March 3" is Migu's birthday. She people want to dress Migu, so they paint it with a layer of color to pray for a good harvest. Secondly, there was an infestation of insects and ants on March 3rd. She people ate black rice and were not afraid of insects and ants when they went up and down the mountains. Thirdly, in ancient times, when the She people fought with enemy soldiers, the enemies often came to steal rice. The She people deliberately dyed the rice black. The enemies were afraid of being poisoned and did not dare to care about it. The She people could eat safely and gain strength to defeat the enemy soldiers. Fourthly, Lei Wanxing, a hero of the She nationality in the Tang Dynasty, was imprisoned in a prison cell. He could only eat a bushel of rice per meal, but all the meals his mother brought were snatched away by the jailer. Lei Wanxing tried to get his mother to dye the rice black. From then on, the jailer continued to eat rice. Don't move the rice either. Later, Lei Wanxing escaped from prison and died in battle on the third day of the third month of the third lunar month. The tribe mourned him with black rice every year. Fifth, Lei Wanxing, a hero of the She nationality, led the She army to fight against the officers and soldiers. They were besieged in the mountains and had no food. They ate Wu Ning fruit to satisfy their hunger. They helped the She army survive the spring famine and achieved victory in the counter-encirclement and suppression campaign. Lei Wanxing returned to the military camp and felt bored after eating all the fish, meat, wine and food. It was the third day of March. He wanted to eat Wu Ni fruit, so he ordered his soldiers to go out to pick it. However, Wu Ni had not yet bloomed, so the soldiers had to collect some Wu Ni leaves. Someone came up with the idea to cook Wu Ni leaves with glutinous rice. As a result, the glutinous rice turned black and tasted very good. Lei Wanxing ate it. His appetite was greatly improved, so he ordered a large amount of black rice to be made to commemorate the victory against the enemy. This evolved into a custom that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Black rice is the young leaves of the wild black rice tree collected by the She people from the mountains. They are pounded in a stone mortar and then wrapped in cloth and put into a pot to soak. Then the cloth bag is taken out and the white rice is cooked. The colorful glutinous rice is poured into the black soup and cooked into rice. The black rice is so black that even the bowls and chopsticks are stained black when eaten. However, it tastes quite good. It is fragrant and soft, delicate and comfortable, and has a unique taste. If the black rice is stored in a cool and ventilated place, it will not go rancid for several days. When eaten, it is stir-fried with lard, which makes it even more fragrant, soft and delicious. It can be called the top delicacy of the She family. If you add mountain game, mushrooms, fungus, etc. and stir-fry, the taste will be even more wonderful.
Shunchang is a place with a large population of She people in our province. Many mountain people are usually busy with work and have no leisure time throughout the year. Only "March 3" is the day for them to make friends, shop and meet their lovers. .
The most exciting thing for visitors on March 3rd is the colorful costumes in the crowd. On this day, the people in the mountains all put on the most beautiful costumes of the She people and appear in front of outsiders. The most eye-catching thing is the dress of the girls of the She family. The silver necklaces, silver bracelets, silver earrings, silver hairpins, and silver combs that are usually pressed at the bottom of the box are all worn today. These silver ornaments sparkle in the sun. The clothes are also exquisitely embroidered with various patterns, and some are specially worn as their wedding dresses. "March 3" has become a grand festival for them to compare silver jewelry and embroidery skills.
The girls and boys of the She ethnic group will perform simple and cheerful dances. During the duet, men and women form groups of three or five. After both parties have chosen, they start to sing. The lyrics are mostly love songs, but they go from simple to deep and cover a wide range of topics. They sing in the questions and answers of "talking about love" Real life, historical legends, etc. In the past, most of its lyrics were improvised and sung, but now some also use inherited lyrics. The melody is simple and repetitive, but it can be graceful and melodious. This kind of antiphonal song traditionally starts in the evening and continues until dawn, and some are sung continuously day and night. The scale is spectacular, and it is true to describe it as a sea of ??people and a tide of songs.