□ Zhuang and Yao customs intoxicate tourists
Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County is the only Zhuang district in Qingyuan City and the province, and it is also one of the main settlement areas of Guoshan Yao people. Zhuang Township Yao Village not only has beautiful mountains, beautiful water, and beautiful people; the Zhuang and Yao people are also warm and hospitable, and the Zhuang and Yao customs have unique national characteristics.
The main contents of Zhuang and Yao customs include ethnic custom performances, Tianfeng picnic and Zhuang Township Yao Village scenery.
The Zhuang and Yao style performances use songs and dances to show the traditional folk art, customs, wedding customs, etc. of the Zhuang and Guoshan Yao. Specific items: with Zhuang characteristics include dancing longevity stars, turtles, deers and cranes, wedding customs welcoming dances, throwing Hydrangea; Yao characteristics include long drum dance, lantern dance and unique Yao wedding "accompanying relatives", "fighting to step on the bed", etc., as well as the wooden shoe wearing competition to enjoy with tourists.
Tianfeng picnic, take a bus to the "Tianfeng Tower", one of the eight scenic spots in the mountains, held at the top of Tianfeng. The activities include: visitors can cook game and bamboo tube glutinous rice for dinner. In the morning, they can see the spectacular view of the sea of ??clouds covering the mountains and ridges; in the evening, they can watch the moonlight, water light and lights complementing each other's brilliant night scene.
Zhuang Township Yao Village is known as "Shenxian Cave" and "Taoyuan Cave". Stepping into the mountains, you can enjoy the scenery of Luming Pass. This pass is full of green peaks. The pass is winding. In the past, it was "the key to the mountains", and ordinary people could not stand it and take risks. It can be said: "There are thousands of mountains in the mountains, and the road takes a sharp turn, and the sound of a flute flies over Luming Pass." If tourists want to visit Guangdong and Guangxi in one place and see both provinces at one glance, they can visit Yingyangguan. This pass borders Guangxi. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with twists and turns. It is also decorated with a stone tablet that reads "The Seventh Red Army passed this pass", making the scenery even more beautiful. "Yaoling Pinghu" in Sanshui Yao Township is named for its beautiful mountains, clear waters and rippling microwaves. Being in Pinghu, you can hear the birds singing in spring, see swimming fish in summer, appreciate the red leaves in autumn and see the misty mountains in winter. It is like being in Penglai wonderland. Yaozhai Butou Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. You can take a look at the Yao family's unique costumes, food customs, and living life, and you can understand the living conditions of the Yao people in the mountains. Even the literary master Qin Mu changed his habit of not drinking alcohol when he came here. Drink three large cups with the Yao people.
□ The picturesque scenery of Yaopai Ancient Village
With hundreds of miles of beautiful scenery, Yaoshan Mountain is particularly charming. This is a karst volcano area, with numerous stone mountains rising from the ground, strange peaks, rugged rocks, steaming clouds, and purple smoke. The poet Wei Qiu wrote in his poem: "The Island of Sky-high Stalagmites", and the writer Chen Canyun praised "Searching for Scenery" in his poem No need to go to Guilin." The four seasons here are like spring, with crisscrossing streams and rivers, endless forests, and the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers. In the spring, the azaleas are like brocade, in the summer, the waterfalls are flowing with jade, in the autumn, the sweet-scented osmanthus is fragrant, and in the winter, the red maples are like burning mountains. Tourist attractions such as Wanshan Dynasty King, Deer Ming Qiugao, Shishan Guiyuan, Jinkeng Forest Sea, Bandong Tianhu, Sanpai Ancient Village and other tourist attractions have their own characteristics and are full of beauty.
Another feature of Yaoshan scenery is the ancient village scenery, commonly known as Yaopai ancient village. These Yao rows are built on the steep slopes of thousands of meters high mountains, close to the mountains and slopes, densely packed, stacked on top of each other, and piled up the mountain. Often the roof of the house in front is as high as the ground of the house in the back, with a corridor and aisles in between, connecting the various households together, forming a Yaopai pattern. Most of these houses are stilted buildings with bamboo-cement wall structures. They also have unique facilities such as fire pits, shower basins, spider web-like bamboo pools, airtight bedrooms and other unique facilities, showing the life of the Yao family. Looking at the main village of Yaopai from a distance, it looks like a mirage, like a house in the sky. Visiting Yaopai Ancient Village is like entering the ancient castle altar. Entering the Yao family is like returning to the primitive social state. The ancient charm is mysterious and unpredictable. The style is rich and confusing. Such as the eldest brother Pai Nangang Ancient Village, the skyscraper Yaolong Village known as the Yaolong on the Thunder Common, the long-suffering Youling Dapai, the famous Sanpai Ancient Village, etc., the ancient Yao Pai composed of hundreds of families are people's A "feng shui treasure land" for exploring wonders and wonders.
□ Yao Family Festival - Playing Music Hall
Paiyao has many festivals throughout the year. The largest traditional festival is "Shuo Ge Tang". The singing hall is divided into a large singing hall and a small singing hall. The Grand Music Hall event lasts from 3 to 9 days and is held every 10 to 15 years. The Xiaogetang event is a one-day event, held once every three to five years, and is decided through democratic consultation among each Yao platoon. It is generally held around October 16th of the lunar calendar.
Legend has it that this day is the birthday of Queen Pangu’s mother, and it is also the day that King Pangu passed away. In addition, the grains are returned to the warehouse in October, so it is very grand to celebrate the harvest and herald good weather in the coming year. Spring is decided by the elders and husband, and everyone in the platoon prepares money, food, wine and meat.
On the eve of the singing hall, the Yao family purchased wine, meat, chicken, duck, tofu, glutinous rice and white glutinous rice cakes, cakes and fruits, and distributed some household donations for the public use of the singing hall. Every household invites Han friends and foreign relatives and friends to visit. The opera hall is essentially a religious exercise of Pai Yao, an exhibition of national costumes, a performance of folk literature and art, and the overall embodiment of folk customs. It can be called a national cultural complex.
On the day of the singing hall, men, women and children of the Yao family all put on festive costumes; they are full of jewelry and colorful, and go out in full force to enjoy the entertainment.
The singing hall kicked off with the religious "Wandering God", looking up at the statues of King Pan and Pan Mu, holding bamboo pans, blowing horns, beating gongs, dancing long drums, and dancing. Flower drums, young men and women and other song and dance teams formed a mighty team to tour the streets and alleys of Shanzhai. The drums were loud and the songs were up and down, making the ancient Yao Pai make the sky full of stars and flowers, making it a spectacular sight.
After the Wandering God, people gathered in Getangping to carry out colorful cultural and religious activities. Among them are "playing" songs, that is, singing, antiphonal singing, and fighting songs. Men, women, old and young join the battle together, shouting even though they are hoarse, and do not withdraw their troops. There are dancing, long drum dance, flower drum dance, master dance, tea picking dance and so on.
Traveling across states and houses is a central part of the singing hall. They put up rows of golden bamboo flags on the singing hall. The flags read Jingzhou, Liangzhou, Daozhou or Guangzhou Prefecture, Lianzhou Prefecture, etc., which are called state capital points. Then, Mr. Xiang took the lead, dancing with swords, shaking copper bells, singing Yao Sutra, and led the wandering spirit brigade around these state capitals, just like a coiled dragon wandering around, with ever-changing changes. It means to commemorate the arduous journey of ancestors migrating to Yaoshan and Piaozhou and relive history.
After passing through the state and government, there are also songs and dances to praise the national heroes, chasing the black-faced man to drive away evil spirits, etc. The form is unique, the performance is exquisite, the national charm is rich, and the artistic level is quite high.
National singing and dancing is the finale of the song hall. At this time, the Yao family will invite foreigners and guests to dance together, making the whole house full of auspiciousness.
During the entire singing hall, the Yao family had water, wine and large white glutinous rice cakes available for them to eat and drink at their own convenience. Therefore, everyone got red in the face and drunk, and at the end of the evening, they went home to entertain the guests. Look, the fragrance of Yaozhai wine fills the world, and every family supports the intoxicated people back home.
□ Panwang Historic Site
The "Panwang Historic Site" in Liannan is 27 kilometers away from the county seat and is the seat of Guoshui Township. It has high mountains and deep valleys, lush forests, sparsely populated areas, and a beautiful environment. . But this is the earliest place where the Yao family migrated to Liannan. It has a long history and many allusions. As early as 1,300 years ago, there was a Panwang Temple built here, which was very popular and prosperous. It is a treasure place to trace the history of the Yao family and study the culture of the Yao people. In the past few years, Panwang Temple has been repaired and decorated, and roads have been built. It was turned into a tourist spot and opened to the outside world.
Panwang Ancient Temple is located at the intersection of Liuzhen River and Huangjiachong. It is surrounded by high mountains. Yao Pai is built on the mountain. The more prosperous ones include Ma Touchong, Maokeng, Yaolong, Huangjiachong and Wudu. Water, Liulian, Bikeng, etc. all surround Panwang Temple, forming an aura of stars overtaking the moon. The Whisui River flows noisily toward the county town all year round. It has a large drop and a sufficient amount of water. There are power stations along the river, and the water and the highway run in the same direction. Therefore, when driving into Woishui, you will see long waterfront bays, lush forests, numerous power stations, layers of terraces, and beautiful mountains and waters. The prosperous Yaopai, the majestic mountains and rivers, and the Yao family all owe their existence to King Pan's gift. Therefore, the elders of Yao people in various villages often organize Yao people to hold ancestor worship and prayer activities at Panwang Temple. Over time, stories about King Pan appearing, blessing or punishing the Yao people spread more and more, and the more they were told, the more spiritual and magical they became. King Pan became a deity who could not be offended and was supreme.
Whether it is not a god or a spiritual god, the acacia tree in front of Panwang Temple is extremely magical. This tree is about a hundred years old, 28 meters tall, with a crown diameter of 7.5 meters, a trunk circumference of 2.3 meters, and a diameter of 0.73 meters. It looks like a Yao sun umbrella. Standing tall and tall, with luxuriant branches and leaves, it remains undefeated all year round.
Pearl-like acacia beans hang all year round. The beans fall off when they are ripe. The Yao family often picks them up and brings them home. They place them in front of the ancestors' shrines in the hall. It is said that they can ward off evil spirits and protect the family's peace. What is magical and unpredictable is that this tree can predict the weather for the Yao family. Whenever there is no rain for a long time, if the leaves turn from green to black, it will rain the next day. If it rains for a long time and the leaves turn green and red, the sky will clear up. The Yao family can arrange their farming life based on its forecast. Its rotten leaves and fruits can cure diseases. People respect King Pan, love the sacred tree, and are extremely pious. They all went to pay their respects, burned incense and candles, prayed devoutly, picked up a few red beans, and asked King Pan for his blessing.
□ Yao family marriage customs
Paiyao practices a monogamous marriage system. People with the same surname generally do not intermarry, but they can intermarry after five generations.
The main way for Yao people to talk about marriage is to sing to express love. Some singing to talk about marriage is done during festivals, and sometimes they sing across the mountains while working in the mountains. The most popular thing is to sing in front of the woman's window at night. "A fair lady, a gentleman is a good match." When girls from the Yao family grow up to 17-18 years old, young people will come to sing at night. Sometimes a young man invites the girl to sing alone, and sometimes several young people take turns singing at the same time. The content of the songs is generally admiration for the girl's beauty. It is a name for moral character and expresses love. If the woman wants to, she will sing in the same tone; if not, she will decline the suitor with a polite song. Among the many suitors, if a young man is chosen by a woman, other young men will not only not be jealous, but will sincerely congratulate him on getting love.
After the singing and marriage negotiation is successful, the man will bring chicken, wine and meat to the woman's house to "arrange the wedding" and agree on the wedding date. The man will prepare for the wedding and the woman will prepare the "dowry".
The man’s betrothal gift is mainly “marriage meat”. Each "marriage meat" ranges from 6 to 9 pounds of pork, depending on how many in-laws the woman has (uncles, brothers, uncles, etc.). In addition, there are symbolic red envelopes, hanging bags, wine, chicken, etc. The woman does not insist on anything. Under normal circumstances, a few hundred yuan can cover the cost of the betrothal gift. The woman's dowry mainly consists of embroidered "wedding dress" and firewood. The woman needs to cut dozens of loads of firewood as a dowry, indicating that she is a hard-working and thrifty person. In the past, there were also dowries such as fields, mountains and forests, buckets, footbaths, Changpu knives, hoes, and sun umbrellas. Marrying a girl was like moving.
On the wedding day, the man first goes to the bride’s house to stay overnight. The bride’s house prepares fried soybeans, peanuts, etc., and several girls play with the groom until dawn. The wedding banquet must be hosted by the uncle, and the dishes do not matter, usually vegetables and chicken, corn-boiled pork, large leeks and boiled tofu, and chicken offal stir-fried and cut into powder. The uncle sang a toast and raised his chopsticks, and other relatives sang in harmony. The bride then sang a "weeping wedding song" to express her gratitude.
After the wedding banquet is over, it is time to get married. The sister-in-law dresses the bride. After the husband (Master) recited sutras, his uncle, brother and sister-in-law sang the "wedding song" before sending the bride out, holding up a parasol and setting off on the road.
On the way to welcome the bride, whenever crossing a stream or a bridge, the groom must carry the bride across.
When we arrived at the intersection of Yaopai and the groom’s side, someone on the groom’s side had already prepared water and wine and held a welcoming song. They expressed their gratitude to each other around the wedding and strengthened the relationship between relatives. Each song was sung and a bowl of wine was sung. It took about It took an hour to pick up the bride and enter the village.
When he arrives at the door of the groom's house, the groom "runs away from home". On the third day, he returns home and takes the bride back to her parents' home to pay homage to her ancestors before returning home to start her newlywed life. The groom's family also took the bride into the house with the master reciting sutras, and immediately held a banquet. At this time, the bride must bring a basin of water for the groom's relatives to wash their hands. Introduce each other, and the relatives will give red envelopes as a greeting gift. Then, the bride does not go to the banquet, but stands in a corner of the hall, preparing to serve the elders with wine and food, and listen to the duet songs between the bride's uncle and the groom's wife. The wedding banquet also includes the above-mentioned dishes, with more added after the meal. The wedding banquet will last for several hours, with everyone singing at the top of their lungs and getting drunk with cheese, before the banquet is over.
Divorce is rare in Paiyao. The divorce procedure is very simple. The two parties have a bowl of wine back to back on the road and go their separate ways. The divorce is considered effective. Divorce and remarriage are not discriminated against. Marriage customs are basically the same as when a daughter gets married.
□ Unique Zhuang architecture
The traditional Zhuang house is called "Gaolan", which is divided into two floors. People live on the upper floor and livestock are raised on the lower floor. They are mainly made of fir bark and thatch. Build.
After liberation, the lives of the Mu people have been greatly improved. At the same time, they are also influenced by Han architecture. Nowadays, HOS houses are generally in the form of "three to one" or "five to one", that is, there is a living room in the middle and two sleeping rooms on both sides. In addition, there are slightly lower attached rooms such as kitchen and pig pen. Another layout is "one hall, two rooms, one well and two corridors", that is, there is a patio in front of the hall and wing rooms on both sides.
Zhuang houses generally do not have a back door or a rear window, but only a front door, a side door and a side window. People with the same surname often build villages together, with one house per household. After the population prospered, several gatehouses appeared in the village, and each gatehouse represented a branch of the same surname. The gatehouse is a public place. There is a pair of "eyes" made of eight tiles on the gate. The old man's longevity wood is placed on the shed. There are benches on both sides of the downstairs for people to sit and rest and for children to play. . In front of the gatehouse, there are gold-lettered plaques with merits and achievements, and some also have stone carvings recording the origins of the clan embedded in the walls.
□ Unique Zhuang Festivals
The Zhuang people have their own unique worship objects, and they also have festive or commemorative festivals in almost every lunar month. There are also some festivals that are the same as those of the Han people, such as the Spring Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Double Ninth Festival and the Winter Solstice. However, although these holidays are the same, the rituals celebrated or commemorated differ.
From the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, during the Spring Festival, the Zhuang people like to sing "New Year's Eve Songs" and have the custom of grouping men and women "sitting in the singing hall". It is popular in every village to "pretend to be ancient". Taking the village as a unit, men, women, old and young are all mobilized to dress up as ancient heroes, historical figures, etc. At night, various lanterns are carried, including lanterns with characters, birds, fish, butterflies and other images. In the middle Interspersed with lion dance, gongs and drums, a performance tour was performed outside the neighboring village. There are more than a hundred people in the "Ancient Event Team". The leader lights indicate a certain village and are supported by the person with the highest seniority in the village who is considered to have "good luck".
February 2 is called the "Plowing Festival" by the Zhuang people. It represents the beginning of agricultural activities, and every household makes large soup dumplings, which heralds a good year. During the festival, foreign guests cannot be invited to eat or stay overnight. Newly married daughters have to go back to their parents' homes to get production tools and seeds, and they are not allowed to stay overnight.
On March 3rd, some Zhuang people worship the mountains and worship their ancestors on this day. In the past, after collective tomb sweeping, the pork was distributed according to the family name. Now, each family sweeps the ancestral tomb by itself.
April 8 is commonly known as the "Niu Huang Birthday" and was called "Longhua Hui" in ancient times. It is a big festival for the Zhuang people. It is a lively banquet for relatives and friends, and steamed yellow base seeds or maple leaves soaked in water are used. Yellow and black glutinous rice, wrapped in tender bamboo leaves or the like. Feed the cattle and buffaloes respectively, insert willow sticks or sleeves, and green branches of maple trees on the gates of the cattle pens, and let the cattle rest for a day. When eating glutinous rice in some villages, chopsticks are not used, the rice is kneaded into balls and eaten with hands. If there is a weak child in the family, he will be asked to grab rice, wear a raincoat, and wear a bamboo hat on his head. Eating in a cowshed means that children can eat roughly, grow quickly and be strong like cows.
June 6th, Taste the New Festival. The Zhuang dialect calls "Bai Yuanna", which means to cut new crops and worship the field god. It is also a major festival for the Zhuang people. Two or three kilograms of glutinous rice and brown rice are steamed to celebrate.
July 7th is the Qiao Qiao Festival. Zhuang girls have to bathe in the river. Legend has it that when the fairy water from the Milky Way in the sky flows to the world, after washing, the girl's mind and body become stronger. At the same time, he also put back the fairy water to make vinegar, which was called "July Fragrance".
July 14th is called the Ghost Festival, commonly known as the Ghost Festival. On this day when Zhuang women visit their parents' homes, every festival will bring gifts of chickens and ducks back home to visit relatives.
On September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival, the Zhuang people do not climb mountains like the Han people, but engage in the activity of "giving the God of Fire". On this afternoon, each family in the Zhuang village went to the field or river beach to build a hut with new bamboo and straw, and placed paper money and firecrackers in the house to worship the God of Fire. At night, one person from each family, each holding a fire, goes to burn the thatched house. The sound of paper cannons and bamboo blasting, the sound of wind and fire, and people's "hooting" sounds are all together, which is intended to send away the God of Fire and pray to avoid house fires. . After the hut is burned down, no more fires are lit, and people have to go home in the dark to show that the God of Fire has sent them away.
□ Interesting wedding customs of the Zhuang family
The Zhuang family has the habit of "starting singing every three steps out of the house", and they also use songs to express love when they are in love.
If a young man sees a woman he likes, he will test it with a song: "What a flower, what a flower, what a flower, what a flower." "Guan brother comes and moves";
If the woman is already married, she will sing: "Nothing can be moved, nothing can be moved, don't move my flower (meaning "this"), right "Hey, I have an owner, please go and fall in love with flowers everywhere" to express your attitude;
If the woman is a girl but has no interest in the young man yet, she will sing: "The words carry ( I know that I am a branch of rose. I know that the whole body of the rose is covered with thorns (meaning "give"). I am not afraid of the thorns, so I will move."
If the girl If you fall in love with a young man, the song will be full of affection: "My good brother has thin eyebrows. When I see my sister, I think about him. The man thinks about me, how can he be born like a lotus root, and his roots will grow and cover his face." At this time, the young man would humbly reply: "Is it okay for me to ask you, brother? How can I say that my sister, you have a good day and a crooked mouth if you cry (meaning "spread")? I am a big man who burns charcoal and carries firewood." , The day is running out. "The girl expresses her feelings, she will sing more affectionately, "The girl is not greedy, the girl is clean every day, I hate the girl who is black and red, my heart is empty, no one eats the lime until it is white, and the brown sugar "Very black, upright (meaning "talent"), "sweet".
Even for weddings, there is a unique set of customs:
First, the bride wears a black wedding dress. Black, in The Zhuang family is orthodox. Even if the bride usually hates black clothes, on the wedding day, she must wear a black wedding dress sewn by the groom's family before leaving the hall to say goodbye to her elders.
2. It is a "sealing seal" given to the bride. That is, when the bride walks out of the hall and walks to the door of the house, the bride will immediately follow in the bride's footsteps and follow suit. Legend has it that the bride will forget about her family background and focus on starting a family with her husband.
The third step is to carry the bride out of the house. When the bride walks out of the house, the mother-in-law who picks her up will immediately cover the bride with a red scarf, and then the brother designated in advance will carry the bride out of the village gatehouse, and then go on the road with the bridesmaids. Wanting someone to carry the bride? It means that the bride is reluctant to leave her relatives and has to ask her brother to carry her.
Fourthly, the bride is not allowed to look back when she is on her way. Get water from the well or the river for the bride to drink as a punishment for the bride's unfaithfulness to her husband.
The fifth is the "sitting time" in the bride's bridal chamber, when the bride is introduced to the cave to receive the bride. The mother-in-law will sit opposite the bride and put her feet on the bride's feet until the bench is warm and the floor is warm, which means that the bride will take root and bear fruit.
Sixth, the bride will bear fruit. Fresh water is the first time the bride draws water after passing through the door. The Zhuang people are very particular about this. If the bride is brought to the well or river by her aunt or sister-in-law, she will first curtsey to the source and then receive a few coins before she can draw water. Water is meant to tell the water god that the bride has paid for the water, and the bucket should be filled with water at once to pray for good fortune and happiness in the future.
The seventh is to secretly celebrate the groom's shoes. After the wedding night, it is important for the groom to hide his shoes. If the bride peeks at them, the bride will have the final say in the future. Therefore, the groom hid his new shoes under his pillow that night before sleeping.