Mongolian grand etiquette and custom "Xian Hada"
"Without feathers, you can't fly with big wings; without courtesy, no matter how beautiful your appearance is, you will be laughed at." This proverb is a true reflection of the Mongolian people's admiration for etiquette. Offering "Hada" and toasting are both grand etiquette methods in Mongolian etiquette. When encountering important celebrations or occasions such as welcoming distinguished guests or giving gifts, in order to pay tribute and congratulations,"hada" and toasts should be presented to the guests with higher status present. Today, let's come together to learn in detail about the Mongolian custom of "offering Hada".
The origin of Hada
Hada (Mongolian: ć адаг, Zongka: , Chinese Pinyin: hdá) is a silk fabric used by the Mongolian people as a etiquette and a must-have in social activities. The long silk scarf or shawl used to express respect and congratulations is mostly white, blue, or yellow. In addition, there are colorful hada, with colors of blue, white, yellow, green and red. Blue means blue sky, white is white clouds, green is rivers and water, red is the God of Space Protector, and yellow symbolizes the earth. The colorful hada is used to make colorful arrows when it is dedicated to Bodhisattva and close relatives. It is the most precious gift. Buddhist teachings explain that the colorful hada is the clothing of a Bodhisattva. Therefore, colorful hada is only used under certain circumstances.
The word "Hada" is called "Hadaga" in Mongolian. It is generally believed that Hada was introduced to Xizang by Kublai Khan in the Yuan Dynasty. In 1247, Sakya King Basipa and his uncle Saban Gongga Jianzan met with Kuoduan, the second son of Emperor Taizong of the Yuan Dynasty, in Liangzhou (now Wuwei City, Gansu Province) and lived in the court for several years. In 1260, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, succeeded to the throne and granted Basipa the title of National Teacher, leading Buddhism across the country. In 1265, Basipa returned to Tibet for the first time to Sakya Monastery and presented Hada to Buddha statues and eminent monks in various monasteries. It is said that when Basipa presented a hada to the Buddha statue in Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, a tara in the mural beside him also reached out and asked him for a hada. In this way, this Tara is called "Zhuoma Tarlianma", that is,"the Tara of Yao Hada". Among the people, Hada is also said to be a streamer of fairies.
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Hada is similar to the "silk" in the ancient Han "jade silk". Documents record that Dayu successfully controlled the water and held a meeting of vassals from all over the world, holding jade and silk to attend the meeting. In jade and silk in the Central Plains, the word "jade" follows the king, which should refer to jade carved with the royal symbol "Taotie pattern", such as Cong, Huang and the like; the word "silk" is derived from white to scarf, meaning "white scarf", which also means "top silk scarf"(because the word "silk" and the word "Bo" are pronounced the same and both use white, and the word "Bo" follows people and follows white, meaning "brothers rank first", silk is also the first among many fiber fabrics of silk, hemp, kudzu, and wool, so it means" top silk scarf"). The "towel" in the word for silk refers to rectangular cloth in Chinese. The original meaning of the word "jade silk" means that "in the big Chinese family that respects the emperor as their parents (expressed in jade), the princes of the world respect each other as older brothers (expressed in silk)", and its extended meaning is "brother tribes are as close as one family."
The ancient "silk" is the same as the Tibetan Hada seen today in terms of color, material, shape, and function. Therefore, there is reason to believe that the ultimate source of Tibetan Hada may be the ancient "silk"(Tibetan history can be traced back to the Dayu era. Coincidentally, many Tibetans live in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, where Dayu was born.)
There are various textual research on the specific origin of Hada. In the middle of the 16th century, Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia, and Ordos accepted the hada from the hands of Tibetan Buddhist monks as an indispensable item in daily etiquette and passed down from generation to generation. According to "Marco Polo's Travels":"On New Year's Day, important officials with territory or jurisdiction in the provinces and kingdoms under the rule of the Great Khan all pay tribute to the Great Khan with precious gifts such as gold and galactic gems. They must be accompanied by white cloth, which means wishing His Majesty a long life, abundant financial resources, and inexhaustible enjoyment." It can be seen that offering Hada has an auspicious meaning.
There are generally three types of hadas: special nekuhada, first-class Axi hada and second-class Suxi hada. Axi and Suhihhada were each divided into three grades: upper, middle, lower and lower. Some people use Azhaada, a replica of Ashhihada, as a separate type, while others use Solang Hada, a lower-class product in Suhihada, as a separate type. The so-called Nekuhada is a special class Hada taken from the royal Nekuhada. This kind of hada is wide, long, and has excellent texture. The woven pattern on the edge of this Hada is the pattern of the Great Wall, and the woven pattern on the surface is the eight auspicious emblem and blessing words. Hadanima Dele, or "transforming the sun into auspicious", is one kind of hidden flower Hada.
In the past, necuhada could not be bought on the market. The corresponding one to Nekuhada was Waikuhada, but Waikuhada was later called Suhihada. There are many formats and levels of Hada. The hada commonly used in the daily life of the Mongolian people include blue and white "sambei" hada and yellow silk hada. Blue hada is generally used to greet people and convey the etiquette needs of holding certain banquets. White hada is mostly used to celebrate birthdays and high-standard large-scale events for the elderly, while yellow hada is used to worship temples and lamas.
Use of Hada
People from Tibetan, Mongolian and other ethnic groups have the habit of offering Hada during ceremonial activities such as paying homage to Buddha statues, paying homage to elders, paying homage and congratulating, weddings and funerals. Therefore, the dedication of Hada shows people's respect for the Buddha and their respect and blessings to those who meet them. There are quite a few occasions to use Hada. Weddings, weddings, receptions, thanks, etc. can all be used for Hada. Offering Hada means to express purity, sincerity, loyalty and respect to each other. Of course, it means different meanings in different situations. Depending on the use, Hada's folding methods are also different. Generally speaking, there are visiting folding methods and dedicated folding methods.
Xian Hada has rules based on different generations. First, Hada Shun is stacked in pairs into four double ridges, and one side of the double ridges is neatly faced to the recipient. Under normal circumstances, when facing a living Buddha, an eminent monk, and an elderly person, one must bow and bow his head, hold it in their hands with both hands, or present it on a table, or transfer it through an agent. The other party will also hang the Hada Hui around the donor's neck.
For younger generations, they have to put Hada around the neck of the other party. While the peers bow slightly and offer the hada to the other party. At this time, the recipient should also bow and accept it with both hands to express his respect and gratitude. People use this way to express their welcome and love for their guests. On the grassland, when you often see Hada offerings, the owner holds Hada in both hands, chants auspicious greetings or sings blessing songs to present Hada. The atmosphere is very peaceful.
In the past, there were certain rules, specifications and forms for using Hada: on weekdays, officials at all levels had to use Hada according to their own identities or names, and they could not deviate from the rules and regulations. Private and private people should use Hada more casually, and there are not such strict rules. Some relatives and friends also use Nekuhada. There are also certain rules and forms for offering to Hada: according to the established rules, we pay tribute to the superior, give gifts to the inferior, and give gifts to each other between equal levels, as well as between seniors, peers and younger generations. There are certain rules and attention. When presenting hada to the superior, he must hold it with both hands or transfer it through an agent; when giving hada to a subordinate, he is usually tied to the neck of the other party, and between equal levels, he will hold the hada and give it to the other party. Depending on the use, Hada's way of offering and sending is also different.
Summary of
: Hada means "ceremonial scarf" for Mongolian and Tibetan people. Hada was originally a precious offering piously to the gods in Tibetan religious rituals. It was also a gift given to each other by monks or to Living Buddhas. With the development of society and economy, it has become not only a special offering for the religious community, but has become the most common and common gift in the lives of Mongolian and Tibetan people.