The unique marriage and love customs of the Yao people in Chashan, Jinxiu, Guangxi-Climbing buildings

Chashan Yao is one of several branches of the Yao nationality. It has no written language of its own nationality, only a spoken language. Chashan Yao dialect is called "Laka" language, which belongs to the Dongshui language of the Zhuang and Dong languages of the Sino-Tibetan family. It is one of the three major languages of the Yao nationality. "Chashan Yao" is a Chinese title and calls itself "Laxiang". "Laru" means "person living on the mountain" and is called "Chashan Yao" academically. Chashan Yao is mainly distributed in the central and northern parts of Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County in Guangxi and villages on both sides of the Jinxiu River, such as the villages of Jinxiu Town, Mengcun, Meicun, Liucun, Tiancun, Jincun, Shecun, Liuduan, Liuding, Changer, Changdan, Jiangjun, Zhaibao, Yangliu, Sanpian, Qiandao, Changtong, Dishui and Luomeng, with a total population of more than 9100 people. Like other ethnic groups, Chashan Yao's living customs are also rich and colorful, such as "doing merit". "Doing merit" is the official Chinese language, and the Yao language is called "Poconte", which is the most solemn and unique.

The Yao compatriots living in Dayao Mountain in Guangxi basically maintain traditional customs in marriage due to the influence of their place of residence. Some are popular in "marriage grabbing" and some are popular in "inserting the door upside down"(a woman marries a man). However, in order to seek love, young men from Chashan Yao (a branch of the Yao people, meaning people who live on the mountain) living in Dayao Mountain, the popular "climbing stairs" is the most dramatic.

The Yao compatriots living in Dayao Mountain in Guangxi have preserved many ancient ethnic traditions. Chashan Yao's "climbing the stairs" love is one of the most distinctive traditions. Chashan Yao villages are generally large and concentrated, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and their residences are all two-story wooden buildings. There are also penthouses built in the village for girls to live and fall in love. The penthouses are gorgeous and beautiful, just like a sedan chair hanging in the mountains. When the girls reached the age of falling in love, their parents arranged for them to live in a penthouse. When a young man comes to have love, he cannot enter the house directly through the gate and then follow the stairs into the hanging tower. Instead, he has to climb up the alley of the hanging tower and enter the hanging tower. People call this way of love "climbing the stairs".

"Climbing buildings" is a unique marriage and love custom among the Yao people in Chashan, Jinxiu, Guangxi. The Yao people have always had a tradition of marrying women to men and having freedom in love. The houses he lives in are all wooden structures and dry fences. When the Yao people built ganlan houses, there was a hanging tower with a certain height from the ground near the staircase entrance (near the gate). When the girls in charge were old enough to fall in love, they went to live in the penthouse to make it easier for them to meet young men.

Whenever night falls, his girl waits for her lover in the penthouse. The young man quietly came to the girl's penthouse. Since there were no stairs under the penthouse, if the young man wanted to enter the girl's room, he had to climb up the beam protruding from the pillar and enter the penthouse to meet the girl. When the young man returned, he still climbed down the pillar, hence the name "climbing the stairs".

"Climbing the stairs" is mostly carried out at night. Girls like to gather in the penthouse in twos and threes, close the doors and windows, sing "Xiangli Song", embroider and wait. When the young man figured out which penthouse the girl he admired was in, he and his companions went to the penthouse downstairs and whispered the "Xiangli Song" to pass on the message, or first knocked on the floor with a bamboo pole to inform him, and answered truthfully the girl's question. If the girl is willing, the door of the penthouse will open immediately, and the young man can climb up and enter the penthouse. If the girl is unwilling, the young man has to go home.

The Yao people's rules for "climbing stairs" are very serious. People who are married and have a family are not allowed to participate in "climbing stairs" activities; girls who have already confirmed their marriage are not allowed to "climb stairs" again; they are also not allowed to deviate from the rules during the "climbing stairs" process, otherwise they will be severely punished. After "climbing the stairs", the man and the woman fell in love with each other, and the young man could enter the girl's house generously through the door and visit the girl's parents.

Chashan Yao villages are generally large and concentrated near mountains and rivers, and their residences are all two-story wooden buildings. The facade and penthouse parts are carved with dragons and phoenixes, and painted with oil, like a sedan chair hanging in the mountains. The quiet penthouse is a place for adult girls to socialize.

Whenever the penthouse is covered in the hazy moonlight, the girls work together to embroider ribbons. The thoughtful young man used songs in the alley to express his love. If the visitor is the girl's favorite, the door of the hanging tower will quietly open in the singing, and the brave and witty young man will flexibly climb the wood. Of course, warm-hearted girls are indispensable to help the young man upstairs. But there were also people who were rejected, but they were neither angry nor angry. Instead, they laughed at themselves and sang: "I miss how hard you have worked, Ah Xiangli! I don't think you can eat enough rice, three bowls for a meal; I love that you can't sleep! Sleep until dawn...".

The girl in the penthouse laughed out loud by this kind singing voice. However, the young man in the hanging building may not be a sure winner. He still has to rely on the matchmaking of other girls and his own wisdom and hard work. Once a man and a woman fall in love, there is only one couple left in the penthouse, relying on each other and letting out their feelings. Later, when the young man came to "climb stairs" again, he would bring the girl's favorite colored thread, and the girl would give the young man carefully knitted straw sandals as a token of love.

Chashan Yao's wedding customs are unique. When picking up relatives, they do not play suona, carry sedan chairs, let alone play gongs, drums and set off firecrackers. Instead, the man sent several Fang brothers to light a fire in the middle of the night to welcome the bride. An oil lamp was lit at every door of the woman's house to shine on the family members who welcomed the bride. After the Fang brothers finished eating the "grateful meal", they took the bride away. Accompanying the bride were several of her family sisters. It was midnight to pick up the bride, and the bride left the village quietly, almost unnoticed by outsiders. When the bride arrived at the groom's house, the banquet was already set. Although it was simple, it was very warm. When the rising sun rises, the bride and groom carry hoes and work on the ground. When they meet outsiders, they become a couple.