Overview of Li Traditional Festivals
In the long historical development process, the Li people formed their own festivals. It not only reflects the customs and religious beliefs of the Li people, but also contains the rich national character and cultural psychology of the Li people. In the neighboring Han areas and areas where Li and Han are mixed, due to the deep influence of the Han people, the Li people often have lunar festivals, which are the same or similar to the traditional festivals of the Han people.
For example,"Jiang" means the Spring Festival celebrated by the Han people,"Sejiang" is similar to the Lantern Festival of the Han people,"Qingming Festival" is the same as the Han people, and "the fifth day of the fifth month" is similar to the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated by the Han people. There are also July and a half, Junpo Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc. The similarities or similarities between these festivals largely demonstrate the integration of the Li and Han ethnic groups in the long-term historical development, the Li people's advocacy of civilization and progress, and their convergence mentality. In addition, in the Li area, traditional Li festivals are also preserved, such as "Fu Nianfus"(transliteration of Fusnianfus in the Li language), which means "March 3rd" and "Ox Festival".
Most of the traditional festivals of the Li nationality are the same as those of the Han nationality. They mainly include the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, etc., as well as the Winter Solstice Festival and April 8. In addition, the Li people also have many traditional festivals with their own ethnic characteristics.
Li People Spring Festival The traditional festival of the Li people has the same festival time as that of the local Han people, but there are differences in festival dates and festival customs. The Li people celebrate the Spring Festival as the Old Year, which lasts from New Year's Eve to the fourth day of the lunar new year. The original intention of the Spring Festival festival is to remove the old and make up the new and welcome the past.
The Li calendar calls January Year and Year. It is the leisure month of the New Year and the beginning of the year. The Li people called the twelfth lunar month the "middle moon." During the "middle month", the Li people had to do all the things they should do in the past, such as cleaning houses, gathering firewood and making wine, sewing new clothes, slaughtering pigs, slaughtering chickens, pounding rice cakes or making rice dumplings, as well as getting married, building houses, and paying debts. On New Year's Eve, clothes, furniture, etc. must be washed in the river, rice cakes, rice dumplings and New Year's meals must be prepared, and chickens and pigs must be slaughtered, and sacrifices must be set up. On New Year's Eve, we worship ancestors, eat reunion meals and drink New Year wine, and wish "increased blessings" in the new year. On the first day of the first lunar month, the Li people would send rice cakes to niulan and jilong, hang rice dumplings on fruit trees and barns, and place a copper coin or a rice cake on the river or well to show buying "blessing water" from the river god and the earth god.
On the first day of the first lunar month, the Li family does not go out, does not talk to outsiders, does not do business, and does not feed pigs and dogs. On the second day of the first lunar month, we began to pay New Year greetings to each other, visit relatives and friends, drink and sing songs, etc. On the third and fourth days of the first month, Li young men and women go out for a picnic. Adults go hunting in the mountains, fish in the river, swing, dance and other recreational activities. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the whole family participated in the activity of "sending gods out of the stockade" to pray for the safety of people and animals in the new year.
According to the traditional custom of Li nationality in Baisha County, a collective hunting activity will be held during the festival. After the old man in the village divines the auspicious day with chicken, the whole village men carry shotgun bows and arrows. Li elders and children drive dogs to surround prey, while young men ambush them with guns. The captured game is carried to the village. The head of the game belongs to the owner of the hunting dog. Those who hit the game are given a leg. The rest are divided into small pieces and distributed equally according to population or household. From the third day of the third day to the fifth day of the lunar new day, Baisha County also held a "Gong Carrying Parade", in which idols in the temple were carried out to the village, and people lit incense and prayed. During the festival, people also have to visit relatives and friends. It is a very solemn festival.
In places such as Lingshui and Yaxian, the Li Sairen and Fengren do not make rice dumplings during the Spring Festival. They believe that making rice dumplings is like wrapping a dead person, which is unlucky. During the Chinese New Year, the Li people in the area full of mountains and rivers gather people from the whole village to beat gongs and drums and dance the "New Year Dance" to celebrate. After liberation, the Li People's Spring Festival customs were basically the same as those in Han areas, and taboos and sacrificial activities were gradually reduced.
Li Ethnic Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Li ethnic festival. On the Dragon Boat Festival every year, every household in the Li ethnic group kills chickens and prepares meat, and wraps glutinous rice dumplings with meat filling. In some Li branches, the whole family, men, women and children would go to the river to take a "dragon water" bath at noon that day. It is said that anyone who has washed "dragon water" will be in good health this year, especially without developing scabies. There are many taboos during the festival, such as not going out to herd cattle, not going to the river to carry water, etc.
Li People's New Year's Day is a festival of the Li people in Hainan Province, held on the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar every year. This festival is influenced by the local Han traditional festival Lantern Festival, commonly known as the "New Year", but the festival customs are slightly different. On this day, amid the lively sound of firecrackers, all households in the Li family were busy making glutinous rice dumplings to kill chickens and sacrifice sacrifices to their ancestors to bless the prosperous New Year.
The Jiamao area is divided into two types: the Han New Year's Day and the Li New Year's Day. The Han New Year's Day is the Lantern Festival. The Li New Year's Day is held twice. The first is 12 days after New Year's Eve (calculated according to the date of the zodiac sign, for example, New Year's Eve is Ox Day, and this day will be the second New Year's Eve 12 days later). On that day, glutinous rice dumplings must be wrapped in them and no production should be carried out. Men go up the mountain to hunt, and women go down the river to fish. The lights burned throughout the night. The second year was 12 days apart from the first one, and the glutinous rice dumplings were wrapped, but they could go out to produce and stop hunting and fishing.
Li March 3rd Festival Li March 3rd Festival is the largest folk traditional festival of the Li people and a beautiful day for Li youth. It is also known as Love Festival and Love Talk Day, and it is called "Fu Nianfu" in Li language. Held on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year, it is a traditional festival for the Li people in Hainan to commemorate their hardworking and brave ancestors and express their yearning for love and happiness. The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar is an annual grand gathering day for the Li people. The venue is generally set up in an open rubber forest, with green leaves above the head to cover the sky and a "leaf carpet" under the feet to cover the ground, making it deep, cool and peaceful. No wonder "March 3rd" has become known as the "Love Day" when local people freely choose their spouse.
It is said that in ancient times, the Li people living on the bank of the Changhua River suffered a major flood. Only a couple survived sitting in a big gourd and were drifted to the edge of Yanwo Ridge. On the third day of March, the flood receded and the two became husband and wife. Men farmed and women weaved, gave birth to children, helped each other, and worked hard, gradually allowing the Li people to reproduce and develop. Later generations regard them as ancestors and solemnly commemorate them every March 3. During the festival, men, women and children dressed in costumes, carrying cakes and rice dumplings, the young men fishing, the girls cooked grilled fish, and then served the sacrifices at the mouth of the cave where the Tianfei and Guanyin fossils were found.
After the worship ceremony, the young people came to the activity venue and performed archery, pole climbing, wrestling, tug-of-war, swinging, etc. As night fell, bonfires were lit on the shore, young men opened flower umbrellas, and the girls 'silver ornaments and shell ornaments flashed under the fire. The love songs are melodious, and the dance gradually begins, from gentle lyrical to joyful and unrestrained. Sometimes pairs of lovers quietly left the bonfire. The young man hung ear bells on the girl's ears and inserted a hair hairpin made of deer bones into the girl's bun. The girl tied the colorful belt she carefully knitted by herself to the lover's waist. The two sides vowed to meet each other on March 3 next year. Because March 3rd is related to marriage and love in terms of its origin and main activity content, it is also called Love Festival.
Li Ethnic Junpo Festival The Qiren folk festival, a branch of the Li ethnic group in Qiongzhong area of Hainan, is held every year on the 20th of the June lunar calendar. The Junpo Festival was established out of the Li people's worship of an ancient Li hero or figure in mythology and legends.
Legend has it that this day is the birth day of the local lords of the four villages including Choudui and Chengpo. On that day, Li people poured in from all directions and carried the idol of Lord Dong to the villages to march amidst the noisy sound of gongs and drums. Every time the procession arrives in a village, the men, women and children in the village will dress up to welcome them. Every bumper harvest year, the villagers also invite famous nearby opera troupes to perform Qiongju to add fun.
There is a legend about the origin of the Junpo Festival. Once upon a time, there was a Li fisherman who was fishing by the river. He didn't catch any fish, but he caught a big tree trunk several times. He was a little unhappy and threw the tree trunk onto the bank. At this time, he suddenly found that the fish basket was full of fish. That night, the fisherman dreamed that the lord of Chengpodong asked the fisherman for help and asked the fisherman to ask someone to carve the tree trunk into his own portrait. He said that after the sculpture was completed, if people came to offer incense, they would carry the statue to the villages to patrol the military slopes. In this way, the fishermen could make a fortune without having to fish hard every day. Later, the fisherman followed this dream, and it really worked, so there was the Junpo Festival. This festival used to be the most lively in the local area, but gradually declined after the 1950s.
There is another saying that the Junpo Festival is to sacrifice to the folk hero Lady Xian and has a history of more than 1300 years. When Hainan surrendered to Mrs. Xian, bandits were rampant in the territory and the people were in dire straits. In order to make the people have a stable life, Mrs. Xian decided to send troops to put an end to the chaos. She ordered the garrison of troops in Liangshapo, now in Xinpo Town, Qiongshan County. After reconnaissance and investigation, Lady Xian divided her troops into three routes and marched to various parts of Baodao to quell chaos and pacify the people. Because her team had strict military discipline and were brave and good at fighting, they were welcomed and assisted by the people wherever they went. When the bandits heard the news, they surrendered one after another, and a few stubborn rebels were quickly eliminated. Because Mrs. Xian sent out the army to combat the chaos this time, the people on Hainan Island lived a stable life. Therefore, local people set up a temple to worship in Liangshapo, now Xinpo Town. They called Liangsha Pozu. The ninth to the twelfth day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year is the birth day.
Junpo Festival is held every year and lasts for four days. The Li people in Qiongshan area use the day when Lady Xian goes to war on the ninth day of February every year. The specific dates in various places in Hainan are based on the day when Lady Xian arrived in the region when she led the army to fight the chaos. Commemorative activities of different scales will be held. In some places, the Li people also copied the spectacular procedures and ceremonies of Mrs. Xian's military departure and organized teams to hold military parade ceremonies with swords and guns. For several days, people were crowded with people and the roads were blocked. They called them "army installation" and "army tour." It was very spectacular. This is Hainan's "Junpo Festival", commonly known as "Fajunpo", also known as "Troubling Junpo".
Junpo food is needed on Junpo Festival. At dinner time, a table is filled with chickens, ducks and fish. In addition, a hot pot is set up, and relatives and friends gather together in the room. He was extremely happy. It is said that in the past, every family of Li nationality slaughtered and cooked their muscovy ducks and took them to the military slope field for evaluation, commonly known as "reward." When they were full of wine and food, lion dance teams came beating gongs and drums. Lion dance team here called lion dance team, there are male lion dance, there are female lion dance. Every household outside the gate set up incense table candlestick and sacrifice, such as lion dance team arrived, they lit incense and red candle. Four people in front of the lion dance team carried two sedan chairs. In the sedan chairs were statues of Guan Gong and Madame Xian Tai, which were carried to the incense table and put down; another person placed small statues of Guan Gong, Madame Xian Tai and other gods in their hands on the incense table, and the worship activity began. After that, there was the lion dance. The lion dancers stepped on the beat of drums and danced in all directions, making it very lively.
The most exciting and lively event in the Junpo Festival is the night theater. Each family of the Li ethnic group raised funds and invited the Qiongju opera team to sing opera for a few days. As usual, they could only perform comedy, drama and farce, which heralded the beginning of a better life and people's yearning for it. Every time I go to the theater, it is really noisy and lively. As a result, the annual Li Ethnic Junpo Festival also came to an end amidst the sound of intense activity.
Li ethnic minority rice husband rice mother sacrifice day Li ethnic minority sacrifice festival. Every year when the rice matures,"Mutou" supervises the religious ceremony on production, and the man with the highest seniority and oldest age in Hemu, a social organization based on blood relations in the Li ethnic group.) Go to each field and bind four rice grains, and place a rice ball at the binding place to provide rice parents, that is, three to five kilograms of rice extracted per mu). It is said that only when the rice masters and the rice mothers are full can they help their clansmen be safe and have a bumper harvest of grain. The rice grains are usually kept by the head of the mu and placed on the bottom floor of the barn. After harvesting the next year, they can be distributed to the people for making wine.
It is said that the Qingming Festival of the Li people did not have the Qingming Festival in Baoting until 1927. It is a time to kill chickens and buy wine every day and sacrifice to ancestors and gods at home. Bring wine, rice, and vegetables to the ancestral tomb to sweep, weed and build the tomb, and add new soil. The Li people usually do not sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival after three years of the new tomb worship, which is called "mountain closure". Nowadays, some people sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival like the Han people; some still "seal mountains".
Li Ghost Festival Li folk festival is held on the 14th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar every year. On this day, families of the Li nationality killed chickens, bought meat, and cut five-color paper into paper clothes to sacrifice to their ancestors. At night, children in each household will plant incense in front of their homes to pay homage to those lonely souls who have no one to pay tribute.
Li Ox Festival The traditional festival of the Li nationality is also a traditional agricultural sacrificial custom. The Ox Day in July or October of the lunar calendar every year is the Ox Festival. On this day, religious ceremonies on production will be held in "Mutou", and will be held by the highest-ranking and oldest man in Hemu, a social organization based on blood relations in the Li ethnic group.) The family beat gongs and drums to summon the soul of the cow, and the couple should wash the gemstone in a basin. Li people regard the gemstone as a symbol of the soul of the cow and a blessing for the development of the herd. Li people attach great importance to cattle, because cattle are the main labor force in Li Village, and they are also important dowry gifts for marriage and funeral sacrifices. They can kill cattle to show respect for houses and guests, and cattle can also be exchanged for land and other assets, so there is a custom of celebrating cattle festivals.
Over the "cattle festival" is the day of worship, reward cattle, and now the traditional meaning of the "cattle festival" has gradually gone away. People have "cattle festival" has evolved into a well-known local ethnic traditional festival activities,"cattle festival" is more reflected in family reunion, relatives and friends visit each other. "Ox Festival", as a custom with unique cultural connotations, is still celebrated every year, and it is only a festival in the traditional sense.
The Li People's Ancestral Festival is a Li folk religious festival in Ledong, Qiongzhong and Baisha areas of Hainan Province. It is held every year on a date after the autumn harvest in the ninth lunar month. At that time, men, women and children of the Li ethnic group in the village will gather together to kill pigs and cattle and hold a ancestral ceremony. After the ceremony, a dance team composed of half men and half women danced the ancestral salute dance accompanied by gongs and drums. Each dancer holds a tender leaf tail of a coconut or betel tree, symbolizing a bumper harvest of crops. Among them, the man has red cloth on his head and difficult feathers inserted on it to show his majesty and scare away evil spirits.
The women were dressed in festive costumes and were led by the three great masters. First of all, the Third Uncle appeared, chanting prayers and inviting the spirits of all generations of patrilineal ancestors to attend. After reading it, he offered cigarettes to his ancestors and elves. Then, the men and women divided into two rows, shook the leaf tails in their hands, and walked forward on stage. It was accompanied by the action of paying homage to the ancestral spirits and toasting to reward the ancestral spirits for having blessed a bumper harvest of crops and the safety of people and animals over the past year, and praying for the ancestors to continue to bless them in the coming year. This festival was no longer popular in the early 1950s.
Li ethnic group Kale Club "Kale" transliteration in Li, which means "jumping on a bamboo pole." It is a cultural and sports gathering for the Li ethnic group to celebrate the harvest. In the autumn evening, fires were set on the open ground beside Lizhai Village. The Li people, women and children came to hold a "kale meeting." Two shir-thick strips were placed on the lawn and many bamboo poles were put on the shelves. Some young people squatted on the outside of the strip, holding one end of the bamboo pole in each hand, then shook their shoulders and twisted their waists, and knocked the bamboo pole against the strip, and the bamboo pole against each other according to the beat.
The young people jumping on the bamboo pole quickly jumped and rotated in the opening and closing gap between the bamboo pole knocking, secretly showing their expressions while jumping. Their movements were tacitly coordinated. 6 When they jumped to joy, they shouted "Kacha! Crack! "The atmosphere was warm. Sometimes he jumps on one foot, sometimes he jumps on two feet, sometimes he spins sideways. The tapping sound is tight and powerful, and the dancer has a relaxed and beautiful posture. Young men and women make friends through "kalues", and some become lifelong partners.