Yugur customs and taboos

The Yugur people are a minority ethnic group distributed in Gansu, China, and are descendants of the Uyghur people. They speak Yugu in the east and Yugu in the west, have no writing and are proficient in Chinese; they believe in Tibetan Buddhism; unmarried women have the custom of taking the lead; they are mainly engaged in animal husbandry and concurrently engaged in agriculture; the Yugu people advocate horse riding and archery.

The Yugur people have a long history and unique culture. They are closely related to the Uyghurs who overthrew the Turkic Khanate on the Mongolian Plateau in the 8th century AD and established the Huihe Khanate, and the Hexi Uyghurs who moved from Mobei to the Hexi Corridor. Today's Yugur people are formed by integrating Mongolian, Tibetan and other ethnic groups with the Huangtou Uyghur, a branch of the ancient Uyghur people.

Yugur daily life customs

According to traditional Yugur etiquette, the old man will let you into the tent at the door and arrange for guests to sit on the floor bed facing the door on the left side. This is the VIP seat. It is best to follow their custom and first kneel on your knees, and then sit down cross-legged. Generally, men sit on the left and women on the right. When the host invites you to eat, don't stand up, let alone walk around, and don't be too humble, just eat.

The Yugur people are sincere and honest in their hospitality, and hate hypocrisy. According to the guests 'identity, social status and relationship with the host family, they divide the meat into first and second grades, and slaughter a sheep into twelve grades. The gift can be taken away by the guest. Folk tradition has the habit of serving tea first and then toasting. During the hunting season, the Yugur people also have the habit of picnicking and entertaining guests.

Drinking milk tea is an important habit of Yugur people. In the past, the diet was characterized by three teas a day, and tea was used as a meal. I usually eat a little pasta until evening. Therefore, when there are guests, Yugu people always treat them to butter fried noodles tea first, and then treat them with hand-grabbed mutton and highland barley wine. When guests drink milk bars, they must eat the "curved core"(a kind of lumpy dairy product) that is sunk in the bottom of the bowl. This means that they have eaten enough, otherwise, the host will vigorously add it to you.

Yugur people drink good wine and drink a lot of alcohol. Many people can drink 4 kilograms of white wine. Some women can also drink a pound. Serving wine to guests is one of the traditional customs. Their habit is to eat first and then drink, and then drink after they are full. The Yugur people never drink alcohol, but just drink up all the wine. They have an old rule of toasting guests under various names and doing everything possible to get the guests drunk. It seems that the only way to fulfill their friendship as hosts. Yugu people toast with double cups. No matter how many people were present, there were only two small wine glasses. People present will take turns to toast double glasses to the guests. It is difficult to resist without a huge amount.

In addition, the Yugur people have a very strong style of boxing, with multiple procedures and various tricks. Almost men, women and children can play boxing. There are two types of Yugur boxing, one is called boxing, which is similar to the Han style. The other is dumb boxing, which does not shout. Each time the two sides extend only one finger, according to the thumb greater than the index finger, index finger greater than the middle finger, middle finger greater than the ring finger, ring finger greater than the little finger, little finger greater than the thumb order to determine the outcome, if the two sides are not adjacent to the two fingers, there is no victory or defeat, re-play. This kind of dumb fist is only used by women, children or those who cannot make a fist.

Yugur wedding customs website photo location

There are two forms of marriage among the Yugur people: formal marriage and informal marriage. Informal marriage mainly refers to "marriage with a tent pole and a head", also known as "marriage with a tent pole", and it is called "Yang Enkaileng" in Yugu language. If a Yugur girl is not ready to marry when she is at an odd age of 15 or 17, her parents will build a small tent for her and hold a hair-wearing ceremony on an auspicious day. Before holding the ceremony, most lamas are asked to recite scriptures. The parents had to carefully embroider a set of clothes for the girl, with a pair of head and face, and chose an "auspicious day" to entertain the guests. They asked two married women to help the girl comb her hair and put on the girl's head in front of the guests. Then the girl served each guest tea, covered her face with a hat, and did not speak. She did not return to the big tent until the guests left in the afternoon. At the same time, she hung the girl's head on the pole in front of the Buddhist shrine in the tent. The ceremony was over. After a girl wears a head, she has social freedom and can live with a man she likes and even have children. A cohabiting man must help the woman's family work, otherwise he will be treated coldly. At the same time, the woman is not bound by the man and has a high status in the family and dominates the family. When divorced, a man is not allowed to take anything away, and the children born to him also belong to the woman. This form of marriage in which men do not marry and women do not marry, and women dominate the family is a remnant of the ancient matriarchy marriage. Yugur weddings are very lively and exquisite, and usually take several days. On the first day, relatives and friends were invited to the woman's home to entertain the guests with milk tea, good wine, and hand-picked meat, and a duet was held. The most important activity on the day was to put on the bride's head, which was to tie a luxurious headdress made of coral, agate and other jewelry strings to the bride's braid. The style of the braid has also been combed into three large braids from this day. Then change into the bride's clothes, ride on a horse and a hunchback, and be accompanied by the escort team to the groom's house.

Yugur people's residential

They live in tents. This kind of tent is made of wool wool knitted felt. Generally, it is about 5 meters long, 3 meters wide and 2 meters high, and is tightened and fixed around with ox-hair ropes. Sitting in the tent seems to be able to see the starry sky, but it does not leak out of the rain and can block out the wind. On the left side of the tent is a floor bed made of logs, which is about the size of the tent. It is covered with thick felt. At this time, the whole family sleeps, talks, and eats. It is also the living room. The kitchen is on the right side of the tent. They burn dry cow dung, which is quite powerful. There was nothing strange, nor was there any choking smoke.

Yugur clothing

The headdresses of Yugur women are full of national characteristics. When a girl reaches the age of 15, she wears "Sadarge", which means that the girl grows up and can marry. "Sadarg" is made of a square cloth sign made of red cloth, decorated with shells and various corals.

Yugur women have the habit of wearing hats. This hat is made of felt pressed from white wool. The front edge is inlaid with two black edges, the brim is not wide, the back edge is slightly tilted, the front edge is flat, and the top of the hat is decorated with red lines hanging around the top of the hat. Some are also decorated with various patterns, which look like an inverted trumpet when worn on their heads, which is very unique.

The hats of unmarried girls and married women are slightly different: the forehead of the unmarried girl wears a "Geyao Zeyui", which means that the upper edge of a long red cloth belt is decorated with coral beads, and the lower edge is made of red, yellow, white, green and blue coral and jade beads. It hangs on the forehead like a bead curtain. Compose five or seven braids with colored velvet threads at the ends and tie them in the belt behind you. Women dressed up wear wide-brimmed cylindrical flat-topped hats with red ribbons hanging from the top of the hat. Married women wear a long head, that is, their hair is first combed into three braids, one hanging behind the back, and the left and right braids hanging behind the ears on the chest. There are three heads, tied to three braids, and each is divided into three sections. They are connected with metal rings. Silver medals, coral, agate, colored beads, shells and other ornaments are inlaid on them to form a beautiful pattern. The head and face you wear must be aligned with earrings and down to the bottom of the robe. The length of the head and face depends on the height of your body.

Under the sunshine, the hats of Yugur women look particularly gorgeous and solemn, full of national sentiment. As they walk, beaded shells, silver medals and other headdresses collide with each other, giving off a crisp, harmonious, rhythmic jingle, which is very pleasant to the ears.

Yugur funeral customs

There are three main burial customs in the Yugur area, namely cremation, heaven burial and earth burial. Cremation is mainly popular in the western Yugur area. After death, ordinary people first change into new clothes, seal the seven orifices with butter, and then gather the body into a "fetal shape" and tie it with rope. The body was then placed flat in a rectangular tent surrounded by white cloth. During the morgue period, the Lama should be asked to recite sutras and express himself. Relatives and relatives came to burn incense to express condolences. Funerals are mostly held in the evening. The method is to place the body on a blanket or white cloth, pull up the four corners by four people, and carry it to the fixed cremation site of the family. At the cremation site, a cross-shaped groove had been dug in advance, and firewood was placed on the cross in the shape of a well. Then the body was placed on the firewood pile with its head south and feet north, facing east and back west, and butter and white wine were sprinkled on the firewood. After chanting the scriptures, the lama walked around the firewood pile while chanting the scriptures, and finally lit the firewood. Funeral mourners wait until the entire firewood has been burned before coming back. They cannot enter the house directly when returning to the house. Instead, they have to jump over the specially lit fire in front of the house before entering the house. Otherwise, they will be considered unlucky. On the third day after the cremation, female relatives of the deceased went to collect the ashes and buried them in corresponding locations in their cemetery according to the deceased's age.

The person who pulls the cloth and carries the corpse is generally required to be the son or equivalent relative of the deceased; the person who attends the funeral must be a married male relative and the number must be odd when leaving (including the deceased) and even when returning (leaving the deceased); For 49 days, the relatives of the deceased will not shave their beards and hair, and women will not wash their hair and comb their hair; for 49 days, a fire will be lit to the burning place every day to pay homage; Lamas must be invited to recite sutras from the "first seventh" to the "July 7th" and the anniversary of the deceased. Among them, the "July 7th" and the anniversary sacrificial activities are more important. Only after the "July 7" sacrifice can relatives declare filial piety and resume normal life. People believe that the deceased has entered the kingdom of heaven.

Sky burial is mainly popular in the eastern Yugur area. Except for a few people with certain status who can be cremated, most people need sky burial. After the death of a person, family members and relatives changed the deceased's clothes and parked them at home for a day to inform relatives and friends of condolences. At the same time, the lama was invited to recite scriptures to express their prayers. The next day, they were carried to the fixed celestial burial place of the family, took off the clothes of the deceased, and placed the head and south of Peiping on a large stone or three stones. After asking the lama to recite the scriptures, those attending the funeral could leave. Three days later, relatives went to inspect. If the body had been pecked clean, they would think that the deceased had ascended to heaven. Otherwise, they would ask the Lama to recite sutras again until the pecked clean. Then a pile of white stones was built where the body was originally placed, symbolizing the place of heaven or tomb of the deceased.

Earth burials are mainly popular in the Yugur area of Huangnibao and the Yugur area of Qiantan Township, Sunan County. Because this area is close to the Han agricultural area and is greatly influenced by Han culture, earth burial is likely to be a funeral custom influenced by the local Han nationality.

Yugur taboos

1. Avoid donkey meat, mule meat, and horse meat;

2. Avoid serving tea or toasting to guests with one hand;

3. Avoid putting or baking unclean things in the fire;

4. Avoid aiming knives, bows, needles and other sharp weapons at the fire;

5. The younger generation is forbidden to call the names of their elders, and the layman is forbidden to call the names of lamas;

6. To enter the temple's scripture hall, you must first take off your shoes and step on your left foot, cover your mouth with your sleeve, and light the lamp with your left hand;

7. Women are not allowed to walk around at will when entering the temple, and must walk and kowtow to the side;

8. When moving to a new home, you must choose an auspicious day, avoid tiger day, dog day, rat day, snake day and other bad days to move;

9. Avoid breaking ground in the twelfth lunar month and June;

10. Avoid entering Yugur tents with guns, whips, or carrying raw meat, wolf skin, dog skin, etc.;

11. Avoid wearing red clothes as guests at Yugu homes. When entering the tent, men's quarters and women's quarters are on the left; you are not allowed to walk or stand at will during meals.