Miao people, with a population of more than 7.4 million, are mainly distributed in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangxi and other provinces (regions). Miaoling Mountain and Wuling Mountain, where Miao people live together, have mild climate, and are surrounded by mountains and waters, with large and small dams scattered all over the place. Mainly produces rice, corn, millet, wheat, cotton, flue-cured tobacco, rape, tung oil and so on. In addition, it is rich in timber resources and mineral resources. The ancestors of Miao people can be traced back to the Chiyou tribe, which was active in the Central Plains in primitive society. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Miao ancestors began to establish "Three Miao Countries" in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and engaged in agricultural rice cultivation. Miao people have migrated many times in history, and the general route is from the Yellow River valley to Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan. Miao nationality has its own language, belonging to the Miao branch of Miao Yao language family of Sino-Tibetan language family. Originally, there were no national characters, but Latin pinyin characters were created in the late 1950s. Nowadays, most people use Chinese. Miao people have a long history of music and dance, and Lusheng dance, which is deeply loved by the masses, is highly skilled. Miao people's arts and crafts, such as flower picking, embroidery, brocade, batik and jewelry making, are colorful and enjoy a high reputation in the world. Miao people have their own traditional festivals, such as Miao Year, Drum Festival and Lusheng Festival. There are many Miao festivals, such as Miao Year, April 8th and Dragon Boat Festival. But the year of Miao is the most grand and rich in content. The time to celebrate the Year of Miao varies from place to place. The Miao year in Rongshui, Sanjiang and Longsheng areas is generally on the first day of November in the lunar calendar. The Year of Miao is grand and warm. Besides ancestor worship and feasting, various activities will be held. When the new year comes, the whole family will keep the old age. After eating a "land-crossing meal" (a reunion dinner between Miao people and their ancestors in the underworld), people will carry out various activities to celebrate the New Year. Offering sacrifices to Longtan, Tian Shen and blowing sheng for dancing is the most grand scene in the Year of Miao. Praying for a bumper harvest is a major theme of Miao Year activities. During the Chinese New Year, Miao people have all kinds of food, such as rice, glutinous rice, meat (sour meat) and fish (sour fish), and there is a special food called "Chili bone", which is fragrant and spicy, which can stimulate appetite, keep out the wind and cold, and prevent colds. It is a standing food for Miao people and a good treat for guests.

[Religious custom]

Miao people used to believe in animism, worship nature and worship their ancestors. Drum Music Festival is the biggest ritual activity of Miao nationality. Generally, a small sacrifice lasts for seven years and a big sacrifice lasts for thirteen years. It is held on the second day of October to November in the lunar calendar. At that time, a roe deer will be killed and a Lusheng dance will be performed to commemorate the ancestors. Invite friends and relatives to get together during meals to enhance feelings and family harmony.

The main beliefs of Miao nationality are primitive religious forms such as nature worship, totem worship and ancestor worship. Traditional Miao society is superstitious about ghosts and gods, and witchcraft prevails. Some Miao people also believe in Christianity and Catholicism. Few Miao people believe in Buddhism and Taoism.

Traditionally, Miao people often regard some giant or strange natural objects as spiritual manifestations, so they worship them and offer sacrifices to them. Among them, the typical objects of nature worship are boulders (strange rocks), caves, trees and mountains. In addition, Miao people think that some natural phenomena or objects are gods or ghosts, and Miao language often does not distinguish between ghosts and gods, or uses both words. In most cases, ghosts are regarded as abandoned or wronged souls and tools, which often bring disasters, diseases, plagues or other misfortunes to mankind. For example, the so-called oriental ghosts, western ghosts, sow ghosts, cannibals and tiger ghosts are called evil ghosts. Natural phenomena with spirituality are often regarded as good ghosts and have certain divinity, such as mountain gods, valley gods, cotton gods, wind gods, Raytheon, rain gods, sun gods and moon gods. Miao people worship good ghosts and evil ghosts in different ways. Good ghosts are greeted by courtesy and sacrificed sincerely. Evil spirits must be bribed and cajoled until they are driven away.

In many areas, Miao people also believe that there are many monsters in nature. For example, cows put shit on their bodies or spin around in the stables, step on the shit in a circle, pigs eat piglets or lie in the trough, ducks eat duck eggs, tigers enter the arena, meet two snakes, and hens crow cocks.

In some Miao areas, artificial objects worship land bodhisattvas, land milk, family gods, sacrificial bridges, wells and so on. The Miao language of the Land Goddess and Bodhisattva is called Land Ghost, which is generally composed of several stones. Land houses are mostly made of wood or three stone slabs, which are extremely simple and located at the intersection next to the village or the pedestrian rest place on the roadside. The belief in family gods exists in some Miao people in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan dialects, that is, setting up "family gods" idols at home. Sacrificial bridges are popular in most parts of southeastern Guizhou. Dragon is also the object of worship and sacrifice by Miao people everywhere.

Totem worship. Many Miao and Yao people in the east worship Pan Hu (a kind of god dog). They have been told the story of "Goddess, Mother, Dog Dad" for generations, and regarded Pan Hu as their ancestor. Some Miao people in the central region think that their ancestor Jiang Yang originated from the heart of maple, so they regard maple as a totem. In other areas, the Miao people worship buffalo and bamboo as totem objects.

Generally speaking, ancestor worship plays a very important role in Miao society. They believe that although their ancestors died, their souls will always be with their children and grandchildren, and they will be worshipped with wine and meat on festivals, even in their daily diet. In many areas, ancestor worship ceremonies are held regularly or irregularly. There are "beating pig sticks" and "beating cattle to worship ancestors" in western Hunan, "eating shit" in southeastern Guizhou, "knocking Balang" in central Guizhou, and the custom of beating old cattle in northwestern Guizhou and northeastern Yunnan. Among them, the phenomenon of eating dirty meat is still prevalent in Qiandongnan Prefecture, which is the most typical. Eating dirty is also called drum festival, drum club festival and drum storage festival, which is held every seven or thirteen years with the clan (drum club) as the unit. They believe that the ancestors' souls live in wooden drums, and the sacrificial drum is to tap the wooden drum to summon the ancestors' souls to enjoy the sacrifices of future generations. Priests are called dirty heads, and the sacrificed dirty cows are specially raised for this purpose. Each sacrificial activity lasts for three years.

Most Miao people believe in witchcraft. The main witchcraft activities are yin-crossing, divination, divine judgment and offering sacrifices to ghosts. In addition to magic. Witchcraft activities are presided over by wizards. Wizards are mostly unprofessional. They play the role of hosts in the above-mentioned primary worship and witchcraft activities, and some local wizards also serve as village elders. In addition to being familiar with the ways of offering sacrifices, wizards can mostly tell the genealogy of their clan, major historical events of their nation and the route of migration sources, and are familiar with all kinds of myths and legends, ancient songs and folk stories. Some wizards also have the functions of singers and dancers. Therefore, wizards are important inheritors of Miao traditional culture and play the role of intellectuals in Miao society. In addition, wizards also have certain medical skills and know some herbs. While exorcising ghosts, it is supplemented by scientific medical means.

In addition to these traditional beliefs, in modern times, as western missionaries went deep into China to preach, some Miao people in Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan Border Region, Kaili, Guizhou, Yuanling, Hunan and other places converted to Christianity, and a few Miao people in southeastern Yunnan believed in Catholicism. Especially in northeast Yunnan and northwest Guizhou, Christian belief once had a strong momentum and great influence. Foreign missions or missionaries have set up many primary and secondary schools and medical institutions in Miao areas, and even implemented some economic development projects, which have played an indelible role in the social progress and political status of Miao people. The famous priests are Dang, Baglai, Zhang Daohui and Wang Shude of Anshun, all of whom died in Miao areas.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the influence of Christianity and Catholicism once declined, but in recent years, it has a certain recovery trend. However, Christianity and Catholicism now practice the "three self", which is different from the Christian belief before 1950 in social organization, social influence and even belief content.

Miao people abroad, a few Miao people in Vietnam and Laos believe in Catholicism. Miao people in the United States, France and other western countries also believe in Christianity and Catholicism. Miao people in Laos and Thailand are also influenced by Buddhist culture. Nevertheless, in their society, the traditional ancestor worship and soul concept are still largely preserved.

[National Calendar]

Miao nationality is one of the oldest ethnic groups in China and one of the earliest settled ethnic groups in China.

In ancient times, Miao culture and technology were very developed, which can be seen from the recent excavation of Miao ancient calendar. The ancient calendar of Miao nationality enriches the calendar system of China and the world.

According to the research of Professor Chen, a famous astronomer in China, Miao people have an ancient calendar. So far, no one else can calculate and compile the ancient calendar of Miao nationality, so the author wants to give it a try.

According to the author's research, the ancient calendar system of Miao nationality in China belongs to the yin-yang calendar, with the solar calendar as the main one.

In the ancient calendar of Miao nationality, the time, day, month and year are recorded by the zodiac, with 365.25 days for one year, 365 days for solar calendar and 366 days for leap year.

Each year is divided into moving month, partial month, 1 month, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and 1 month, of which five months (1,March, May, July and September) are long days. Seven months, such as shifting the moon, partial moon, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, are short days in a month, and the 30th day of each month.

Taking "winter solstice" as the beginning of a year is the beginning of a year, the beginning of a festival, and the beginning of a spirit, which belongs to the "Zi Zhengren system" in China calendar.

One year old is divided into two festivals: winter solstice (Yang Dan) and summer solstice (Silver Egg). The day before winter solstice is the Miao calendar New Year.

One year old is divided into three seasons: cold season, warm season and hot season, which are divided into the first half and the second half. Every half year has two months of cold season, warm season and hot season, and four months of cold season, warm season and hot season.

From "cold to hot" in the first half of the year, from "hot to cold" in the second half of the year, year after year. 4 years old, 1 leap, the added value is 1 day, leap is in the moving month, that is, at the beginning of the year, leap month 3 1 day.

The last day of Miao calendar 10 is New Year's Eve (the day before the "winter solstice").

The first equinox, ugly day and cloudy day of the moving moon are Tiannian Festival, Dinian Festival and Rennian Festival respectively. Therefore, Miao people have the habit of "not going out at the beginning of the year".

Miao calendar not only records the time, day and month with the zodiac, but also records the time, day, month and year for the elderly with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and natural numbers: "Happy birthday to 120.

The origin of the zodiac is related to the twelve clans in ancient China. Time, day, month and year are recorded by the zodiac, with a year divided into 12 months and a day divided into 12 hours. The year, month, day and hour are fixed, and one day is recorded by the zodiac, which can be recycled. The organizational system starts from "building" and is fixed for recycling.

Twenty-seven nights are related to the nine hexagrams of Miao nationality.

Miao ancestors also recorded the time, day, month, year, the corresponding location of the house they lived in and the zodiac, and divided a day into four stages: night, morning, day and faint, which matched the zodiac and were recorded as "door, hall, left room, back room, right room and roof" to observe the sunrise and sunset. The lunar calendar from the full moon to the next full moon is 1 month, with 27 nights in each month. The lunar calendar has an average of 358 days and a leap of 387 days. The moving moon and the partial moon are short days in a month; 1-10 is a long month. The long day of a month is 30th, the short day of a month is 29th, and the leap month is 29th. Regardless of the solar calendar or the lunar calendar, the Miao ancient calendar applies for leap at the age of 20, and at the age of 20, it moves to the moon every four years. The ancient calendar of the Miao nationality embodies the concept of the Miao nationality's generative philosophy and the three-dimensional thinking concept of "nine hexagrams" (that is, front and back, left and right, up and down, inside and outside, middle or east, south, west, north, middle, southeast, southwest, northwest and northeast).

Miao ancestors worshipped "the sun, the moon and the stars" and regarded the three lights as purity.

Miao ancestors believed that the original biomass of all things in the universe was thunder, dragon and kui (literally translated as water, fire and gas), which was recorded as "three specialties"; The five elements are light, air, water, earth and stone in turn. Dayao (also known as Mr. Guigu) surrendered to the Yellow Emperor (claiming to be the son of heaven), and after his eldest sister Leizu (Leizu) married the Yellow Emperor, Dayao changed nine hexagrams into eight diagrams (called Fuxi eight diagrams in Chinese, which is wrong), changed one to three (yang, yin, non-yang, non-yin) and changed his three-dimensional thinking into two (yang, yin), and combined ten branches with the twelve zodiac signs to create heavenly stems. Change 27 nights to 28 nights. Change the five elements into gold, water, wood, fire and earth (west, north, east, south and middle) according to the plane orientation and the things produced, and create a seven-year calendar with gold, water, wood, fire, Saturn, sun and moon. The Seven Obsidian Calendars is the earliest existing almanac in China.

The ancient calendar of Miao nationality in China belongs to the same solar calendar as that of ancient Egypt, but it is more than 3800 years earlier than the Egyptian calendar 6200 years ago, with a leap of 365 days every year. The difference is that the additional days of leap year in ancient Egypt are 6 days, and the added value of leap year in ancient Miao nationality is 1 day. The ancient calendar of Miao nationality is consistent with the tropic year of the sun, with a period of 1460 years, with high accuracy.

The ancient calendar of the Miao nationality in China has a great guiding effect on the agricultural production (mainly rice production) of the ancient Miao nationality, and is also used by the people to choose auspicious days. (For details, please refer to Shi Qigui's "Xiangxi Miao Field Investigation Report").

The use of the ancient calendar of Miao nationality in China can be traced back at least 10,000 years ago, and the lower limit is thirty-three years of Guangxu (namely 1907). "Eternal Zhili" records: "Father and son handed down from generation to generation, with a mouse and a Niu Yi horse to record the years and months, which coincides with the almanac." (Qing? Write Yang Ruizhen, Tongzhi seven-year engraving) Qing? Written by Dong Hongxun, the printed version of Guzhang Pingtang in Guangxu thirty-three years also has the same record. According to the original memorials and confessions of Miao leaders arrested in Qianlong's sixty years in Beijing Museum, as well as the historical records or local chronicles compiled by those who participated in the suppression of the uprising in that year, it is agreed that the date of the uprisings in Fenghuang, Ganzhou, Yongsui and Songtao is the sixth day of February in Qianlong's sixty years. According to Wu Tianban's explanation in Confession, this day is the first day of the first month of the Miao Year (Miao calendar lunar calendar), and the day of the uprising is set as this day to take away the meaning of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Later, due to leaks, the uprising took place on the eighteenth day of the first month (the lunar calendar). This is a major historical event related to the ancient calendar of Miao people recorded in historical books.

The ancient calendar of the Miao people in China is similar to the "Future Calendar Scheme" published by the United Nations (see Information Card 1988 No.2 "Future Calendar", sponsored by Xinhua News Agency Inner Mongolia Branch). Compared with the current Gregorian calendar and the Chinese calendar, the Miao ancient calendar has a single number of days per month, and the leap method is simple and easy to master and use.

The ancient calendar system of Miao nationality in China shows that the zodiac, the seven-year calendar and the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth nights all originated in China, and were later introduced to Babylonia, India and other countries. This shows that the ancient calendar of Miao nationality in China is the mother of China calendar and the mother of the world calendar.

See the table below for the months and solar terms of the Miao calendar:

December and the month of 24 solar terms in the Miao calendar.

Zodiac system, solar terms, seasonal movement of the moon

The winter solstice of rats, slight cold and cold season are partial to the moon.

Cows are ugly and cold, and the cold season in beginning of spring is 65438+ October.

It's rainy and rainy, and February is warm.

The Spring Equinox in the Year of the Rabbit, and the Qingming Warm Season in March.

Chen Long, April, Grain Rain and the long hot summer season.

May snakes are full of fever.

Noon in May, solstice in summer, hot summer season in June.

Sheep are not hot in summer, but hot in beginning of autumn in July.

Monkeys give summer heat, and it is warm in August for thousands of years.

Chicken autumnal equinox, cold dew and warm season in September

The first frost and the cold season of early winter 10 month.

The cold season of light snow and heavy snow in the sea of pigs

[National Festival]

Miao nationality is rich in ancient civilization and pays attention to etiquette. The 20-year-old festival is unique and distinctive. Miao traditional festivals are divided into: 1. Farming festival; Material exchange festival; 3. Festivals for men and women to socialize, fall in love and choose their spouses; 4. Sacrificial festivals; 5. Commemorate and celebrate festivals. In chronological order, a year is divided into twelve months, and each month has more than one festival. 1-15th (from the first child day to the second cloudy day) of the lunar month, in which1day is the day of the year, and the Miao people do not go out (far away); The 1 ugly day is the annual festival of the earth. During the period from 1 ugly day to the second ugly day (2- 14), people visited relatives and friends, congratulated each other on the New Year, sang duets, played with dragon lanterns and played with lions. The second day of the second lunar month (15) is the last year (burning dragon lanterns). The first ugly day of the partial moon (bull moon or ugly moon) is the friendship day, also known as the dragon head festival. Miao people sacrifice to the land gods and collect dragons safely. The first day of June+10 (Tiger Moon or silver moon) in 5438 was a festival for material exchange and social interaction between men and women (known as the Third Street Festival in March in Chinese). The first Sunday in February (Rabbit Month or Uzuki) is the Ox King's Day (called April 8th in Chinese), when men and women get together for cherry, which is the Buddha's birthday. The first and second days of March (Dragon Moon or Chen Yue) are the Dragon Boat Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival respectively, in which the Dragon Boat Festival was later named Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet of Miao nationality, also known as Qu Yuan Festival and Songshi Festival. April 1 day (Snake Moon or Mitsuki) is the Dragon Festival (called June 6th and June Field in Chinese) and the Salary Festival (barley cutting). The 1 sub-day in May (horse month or noon month) is a small festival (summer solstice, Yindan? Month? This afternoon is the Seven Qiao Festival (called Seven Sisters in Miao language, namely the Big Dipper). The second day of June is the Duck Festival, and the second day is the Mid-Autumn Festival. July 1 Shenri (Monkey Moon or Shenyue) is the wine festival (harvesting glutinous rice to make sweet wine and rice wine). August (chicken moon or full moon) is a festival of sacrifice (mainly for ancestor worship, eating pigs, jumping incense, mourning, Anlong and other activities). ). September (dog month or full moon) hunting festival, choose a day to worship the three gods of Meishan and start hunting. 10 (Year of the Pig or Haiyue) is the festival of eating pigs and soaking pigs (killing pigs in that year), the festival of kitchen gods (offering sacrifices to kitchen gods) and New Year's Eve (called October Miao Spring Festival in Chinese).

[Eating habits]

In most areas, Miao people have three meals a day, and rice is the staple food. Fried Baba is the most common fried food. If you add some fresh meat and sauerkraut as stuffing, the taste will be more delicious. Most meat comes from livestock and poultry farming. Miao people in Sichuan and Yunnan all like to eat dog meat, and there is a saying that "Miao's dog is Yi's wine". In addition to animal oil, Miao people's edible oils are mostly tea oil and vegetable oil. Pepper is the main condiment, and in some areas there is even a saying that it is inseparable from pepper. There are many kinds of Miao vegetables. Common vegetables are beans, melons, greens and radishes. Most Miao people are good at making bean products. Miao people everywhere generally like to eat sauerkraut, and sour soup is a must for every family. Sour soup is rice soup or tofu water, fermented in a crock for 3-5 days, and then used to cook fish and vegetables. The food preservation of Miao people generally adopts pickling method, and vegetables, chickens, ducks and fish like to be pickled into sour taste. Almost every Miao family has a jar for curing food, which is collectively called a sour jar. Miao nationality has a long history of brewing, and has a set of techniques from koji making, fermentation, distillation, blending and cellar storage. Camellia oleifera is the most common daily drink. Miao people in Xiangxi also specially made a kind of scented tea. Sour soup is also a common drink. Typical foods mainly include: blood soup, Chili bone, Miaoxiang Guifeng soup, cotton vegetable cake, insect tea, scented tea, fish paste, sour soup fish and so on.

[Wedding and funeral custom]

Glutinous rice is also an essential food for young men and women to fall in love and get married. Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan Province gave each other glutinous rice cakes painted with mandarin ducks as souvenirs. When the wedding is held, the bride and groom will raise their glasses to propose a toast, and the person in charge of the wedding will also invite the bride and groom to eat glutinous rice cakes painted with dragons, phoenixes and dolls.

[Clothing features]

If the well-dressed Miao girls get together, it will definitely become a beautiful silver world. It is the nature of Miao girls to like to wear silver ornaments. They put them in a bun, about 2 0 cm high, and made beautiful silver crowns. There are six jagged silver wings inserted in front of the crown, most of which are the patterns of Ssangyong playing beads. In some areas, in addition to silver pieces, silver horns with a height of about 1 m are inserted into the silver crown, and the tips of the horns float in color, which makes them more noble and rich. There is a silver ribbon at the lower edge of the silver crown, and a row of small silver pendants hang down. The silver collar worn around the neck has several layers, mostly made of silver pieces and small silver rings. Wearing a silver lock and a silver collar on his chest, wearing a silver cloak on his chest and back, and hanging many small silver bells. Earrings and bracelets are all made of silver. Only the two sleeves are embroidered with lux as the main tone, but the cuffs are also inlaid with a wide circle of silver ornaments. The costumes of Miao girls often weigh several kilograms, and some have been accumulated and passed down by generations. Known as "a fairy dressed in strange clothes and wrapped in white." The craftsmanship of Miao silver ornaments is gorgeous, exquisite and ingenious, which fully shows the wisdom and talent of Miao people. Miao girls' skirts are called pleated skirts, but in fact, there are more than five pleats on a skirt, and there are many layers, some as many as thirty or forty layers. These skirts, from weaving, dyeing, sewing to final drawing and embroidery, were all done by the girls themselves. Coupled with hand embroidered belt and flower chest pocket, it is really colorful and beautiful.

More than half of the Miao people live in Guizhou, and the rest are distributed in Hunan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Sichuan. The Miao people's food is mainly rice, supplemented by corn, millet, sorghum, wheat, potatoes and other miscellaneous grains. Miao people like glutinous rice best. Non-staple food mainly includes melons, beans and vegetables, as well as peppers, onions and garlic as seasonings. Meat includes pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and fish.

The taste of Miao people is mainly hot and sour, especially Chili. The daily dishes are mainly hot and sour soup. Sauerkraut is delicious and easy to make. You can eat it raw or cooked. Usually eat fresh vegetables or melon beans, and the Miao family also mixes some sauerkraut or sour soup. It increases appetite. In addition, Miao's sour soup fish is also a famous dish. The method is to add water and salt to the sour soup to boil, take fresh fish to remove bitterness, and put it into the sour soup to cook. This dish is tender and delicious, and can be cooked all year round.

Miao people can process and preserve bacon, cured meat, pickled fish, dried fish, sausages and so on. Among them, pickled fish is a traditional delicacy of Miao nationality. The method is to cut open the fresh fish, gut it, smear it with salt and Chili powder, bake it on the fire until it is half dry, and then seal the altar. Take it out and steam it when you eat it. This kind of fish has the characteristics of crisp bones, moderate salty and spicy taste and delicious flavor.

Miao people also like to make tofu, lobster sauce, pig enema and blood tofu. Love to eat hot pot. Both men and women in the Miao family like wine, and most people can make their own wine. They make their own glutinous rice and brew fragrant liqueur, sparkling wine, shochu and cellar wine. From local glutinous rice, corn and sorghum.