Customs and customs in Burundi
Burundi (French: La République du Burundi), referred to as Burundi, is located on the south side of the equator in central and eastern Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda in the north, Tanzania in the east and south, Congo (DRC) in the west, and Lake Tanganyika in the southwest. There are many plateaus and mountains in the territory, most of which are composed of the plateau on the east side of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. The national average altitude is 1600 meters, making it known as the "Mountain Country". On October 28, 2015, the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly re-elected members of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Burundi was successfully elected for a term from 2016 to 2018.
The national population is 10.5 million (2014 statistics) and consists of three tribes: Hutu (84%), Tutsi (15%) and Tewa (1%). 61% of the residents believe in Catholic Church, 24% believe in Protestant Christianity, 3.2% believe in primitive religions, and the rest believe in other religions or are not religious. The capital is Bujumbura, the official languages are Kirundi and French, the national language is Kirundi, and some residents speak Kiswahili. The currency is the Burundi franc. The time difference is 6 hours later than Beijing time.
Burundi is a country rich in cultural property and maintains cultural identity well. Respect for people, honesty and integrity are the foundation of social education in Burundi; solidarity and mutual assistance are the criterion of conduct for Burundi people. However, tribal conflicts and wars in recent decades have also had a negative impact on people's attitudes and behaviors.
Like other Africans, Burundi is very hospitable. When a Burundi family has a happy event, even if you don't know each other before, you can be warmly treated by banana beer as long as you congratulate you. When a stranger asks for directions, Burundi people will guide him to his destination even if he puts down what he is doing and walks a few miles. Burundi people treat people sincerely and are willing to help others. To make guests happy, Burundi people can give everything in their home and even share the last banana. Whenever foreign leaders visit Burundi, there are always warm and grand welcome scenes such as drums and dancing.
People in Burundi believe that "distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors." They value the relationship between neighbors very much. If neighbors have problems, they should do their best to help them. On holidays, the first thing to do is congratulate your neighbors; when you have good wine, the first thing to do is invite your neighbors to drink it. In rural areas, neighbors have the obligation and right to discipline each other's children. If a child does a bad thing, a neighbor teaches him or even flogs him, he will not be blamed by the child's parents. Burundi people also have the habit of celebrating their housewarming. Once they move into a new house, relatives, friends and neighbors go to congratulate and give gifts. The owner provides warm and friendly reception and sometimes prepares meals.
Burundi people are very polite. When encountering collisions in public places, both sides will say "sorry" and "please forgive". Therefore, quarrels rarely occur, and fights are even rarer. The meeting gifts from Burundi people are very interesting. There is a handshake etiquette when meeting guests. Men and women are fearless. However, when younger generations shake hands with elders, subordinates and superiors, and common people shake hands with officials, in order to show their respect, the former leans forward, holds the right elbow with his left hand, and gently shakes hands with the latter with his right hand, which appears to be very humble and polite. If you are acquaintances or close friends who have not been seen for a long time, gently hug each other and pat each other on the shoulders and back to show intimacy, regardless of gender.
in Burundi. The birth of a baby is a great event for the family, especially for boys. The joy and joy are reflected in the atmosphere and scale of the celebrations organized. The first celebration was to introduce the newborn to the whole family, and the second was to name the baby. If twins are born, the celebrations are even more lively. The form of celebration is usually to invite relatives and friends to come home for drinks (without meals). Guests bless the baby and congratulate the parents, but gifts are not necessarily required.
Burundi people also respect their elders very much. For example, officials living in the capital Bujumbura often return to the mainland to visit relatives during New Year's holidays or weekends and spend the holidays with their families. In rural areas in the interior, Burundi people always greet foreigners in a friendly manner and stretch out three fingers (index finger, middle finger, and ring finger) to pay tribute, which means "unity, labor, progress." For gifts given by friends, Burundi people have the habit of opening them in front of guests, and then displaying them in the living room immediately, or wearing the gifts on their bodies the next time they meet to show courtesy and cherishing them.
is in the tradition of Burundi. Marriage is generally arranged by parents. However, with the development of society, more and more people are in love and marriage, especially in cities. After the marriage is basically concluded, the man's parents will go to the woman's home to deliver the bride price. The parents of both parties gathered together, and the man's parents announced in public that the marriage was completed. In the past, depending on the family, betrothal gifts included cattle, hoes, beads or other objects. There is no legal provision for betrothal gifts, but it is still popular among the people.
On wedding day, some rituals and activities are held. First, go to the county and city government to register and complete the legal marriage procedures, then go to the church to hold a religious ceremony (voluntary), and then celebrate the wedding. In rural areas, guests are entertained to drink banana beer and cold drinks. The newlyweds and relatives toast each other. Then the wedding attendees sing and dance, making it lively until late into the night. During this period, the girls who were sent for marriage hid the bride and quietly brought it into the bridal chamber.
The
is in the city. The newlyweds first hold a wedding reception and invite guests from all parties to attend. At the reception, parents of both sides have the habit of speaking. In addition to expressing congratulations, they also have to announce how many cows or other gifts they will give to the groom and bride. According to custom, the woman's father does not attend this ceremony. After that, a dinner party was held to invite a few visitors to attend; finally, a dance party was held to which anyone was welcome and danced until the early morning of the next day. No drinks or food are served at the party.
In the past, newlyweds could not work for a month and have the bride's family deliver food and drink. Now you can not work on the first day after getting married, but you have to start going to work or go to work the next day.
According to custom, it is generally necessary to wait until the bride adapts to her new life, that is, three to five months later, and some even give birth to their first child before returning to her mother's home. When the bride returns to her mother's home for the first time, her parents will give gifts, including cattle in rural areas and money or other valuables in the city. Since then, through gifts and frequent visits, the relationship between the two families has been consolidated and developed.
Due to the limitations of the environment and conditions,
is limited, Burundi people do not have much culture and entertainment. For Burundi, the best pastime is to drink a beer. Farmers often sit down and drink a few sips of banana beer after work, which is a kind of enjoyment; after work, employees buy a bottle of beer at the shop and chat with others while drinking, and sit for hours.
Another distinctive cultural entertainment is to sit around a bonfire in a peaceful mountain village at night and listen quietly to the elderly using "Indigidi"(INDIGLTI-a bow-shaped instrument made of wooden strips and gourd gourd), Inanga (INANGA-a musical instrument shaped like a pipa made with a wooden board as a base and beef tendons as strings),"Indonongo" National musical instruments such as INDONOGO-Huqin and UMVIRONGE-Piccolo talk and sing while playing, just like the "storytelling" or "drum" in China folk art. They not only describe ancient history, legends, and myths, but also explain the philosophy of life, or sing the scenes of people's lives and production, expressing the thoughts, feelings, wishes and demands of the people. Burundi people call this literature and art "the soul of Burundi" and are living materials for studying Burundian society.
Every holiday, grand event or welcome ceremony, people will sing and dance to enjoy themselves. Most of the common dances are group dances, and songs and dances are combined. One person leads the singer and everyone harmonizes with one to twenty young people. "Inspiring"(TAMB0URTNAlRES) is the most popular traditional folk dance of the people of Burundi.
Everyone also knows that Africans love to beat drums, and everyone can sing and dance well. However, Burundi and Rwandans are different from other African countries and have different characteristics. The performers are old, medium and young, but they are all men. Dressed in national costumes of red, white or green and white robes, wearing beaded belts on their heads and arms, and a big drum on their heads. They trotted on the stage while beating. The formation was very spectacular; then they formed a semicircle, put down the big drum, and began to perform. Following the rhythm of the drums, the drummer performed in various different movements and postures, sometimes spinning and flying, sometimes flying in the air, and sometimes accompanied by shouting or singing. The encouraging rhythm is strong, like thunder rumbling and earth-shaking. Encouraging fully expresses the happy, resolute and unconstrained character of the Bu nation. He is often invited to visit abroad and is regarded as the pride of the nation.
They also have a "war dance"-"INTOR". Its rhythm is bright and happy, and its movements are sonorous and powerful, fully demonstrating the heroic spirit of Bu's ancient heroes before and after the expedition. It consists of one to twenty male actors, with thatch on their heads, beaded belts on their foreheads, naked or crossed with ribbons on their upper bodies, leopard skin or straw skirts on their lower bodies, bells tied to their ankles, holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, and dancing at the whistle or command of an elder.
Of course, they also have girls 'dances, and they are very famous. Once, my country's Oriental Song and Dance Troupe learned this dance and named it "Crane Dance" during the performance. Dozens of young and lively girls from Burundi imitated the movements and postures of migratory birds such as the crown crane, a rare bird in East Africa, and danced while singing, making it beautiful and moving. A very light and beautiful dance called "IMISAMBI".
Land burials are implemented in Burundi and are usually buried on the same day. If someone dies, neighbors of the deceased's family come to help. According to local custom, when encountering a hearse on the road, incoming pedestrians must stand at attention. The vehicle should stop and those behind should not pass it to express their condolences for the deceased. Only after it has passed can they continue on their journey.
The funeral period is generally one week after the funeral. After a week, the funeral is partially over. Relatives and relatives come to visit and send some money to relatives of the deceased who are familiar with each other to show their support. All funerals end depending on the gender and age of the deceased, and usually three months or more after burial. A big party should be arranged after the funeral, and relatives and friends who come to visit should drink some beer to show their gratitude. At the same time, property and debt issues related to the deceased must be dealt with at this time. If the deceased is the head of the family, a successor should also be identified.