The traditional festivals of Miao ethnic group include the Miao New Year, the April 8th Festival (the 8th day of the fourth lunar month), the Chixin Festival and the Ganqiu Festival. As the grandest festival, the Miao New Year celebrated in autumn amounts to the Spring Festival of Han people. The anniversary of the founding of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture falls on September 20 every year, when people can have two days off.
Festivals of Tujia people
Tujia New Year’s Eve
It is said that during the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor mobilized soldiers from Hunan and Hubei to fight against the Japanese pirates who afflicted the coasts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Considering the tight schedule, the soldiers had to celebrate the Spring Festival on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in advance. In order to save time, they cooked a hodgepodge with ingredients like pork, tofu and radish instead of making exquisite dishes of the lunar New Year. After the Tujia soldiers ate the special meal, they rushed to the front line of the southeast coast to battle against the Japanese pirates, winning a brilliant victory and the title of “No.1 Exploit in the Southeast of China”. In order to commemorate this meaningful day, the Tujia people set it as the Tujia New Year’s Eve that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Baishou Festival
The Baishou (or Hand-waving) Festival is also known as “Sheba Ri” in Tujia language. “Sheba” is a general term for ancestors of the Tujia people and “Ri” means “doing”. “Sheba Ri” can be translated as “doing things to worship ancestors”. Meanwhile, “Baishou” can be found in local chronicles in the Qing Dynasty and poems. The Baishou Festival is held in Longshan, Yongshun, Baojing and Guzhang of Xiangxi at different times of spring, summer and autumn. Most activities to celebrate the Baishou Festival, known as “January (according to the lunar calendar, the same below) Tang”, are held from the 3rd to the 15th day of the first lunar month, generally lasting for three days and three nights. Those held in February are called “February Tang”, and there are also “March Tang”, “May Tang” and “June Tang”. Some festive events are celebrated on the Start of Autumn in July and Qiushe Day in August. Baishou Dance during the festival can be classified into Grand Baishou Dance and Small-scale Baishou Dance. Small-scale Baishou Dance is usually organized among people of the same surname in a clan or a village to worship high-ranking officials and noble lords, while Grand Baishou Dance is held by one township and beyond to offer sacrifices to Kings of Eight Tribes, with tens of thousands of participants.
Grand Baishou Dance is usually launched twice in three years at Baishou Hall from the 9th to the 11th days of the first lunar month. At this event, the statues of Eight Kings are enshrined in Baishou Hall, with dragon and phoenix banners fluttering in the center of the square outside of the hall. According to surnames, each village organizes a Baishou team called a “platoon”, which includes dancers of Baishou Dance, bands and flag bearers. At that time, all the platoons beating gongs and drums all the way head to Baishou Hall. Before entering the venue, each platoon will hold a “pushing and shoving” competition, and the winners will enjoy prioritized admission. In the hall, Tima presides over a ceremony of sweeping away evil spirits to make way for deities. Under the leadership of Tima, those present kneel down on one leg and sing special songs together to invite deities. Then they worship deities with offerings such as pork, beef, mutton and grains, and perform Baishou Dance. “We can’t help dancing when the gongs and drums sound.” Under the guidance of the dance masters, people dance around the venue, sometimes waving one hand, sometimes waving two hands, sometimes waving hand(s) while circling around. The dances are designed to present national migration, hunting, wars, farming, weaving and other aspects in daily life. Finally, they form a Tai Chi diagram that symbolizes good luck, climaxing the hand-waving activity. That night, craftsmen singing folk songs, making dragon lanterns and clam shell lanterns as well as playing lotus boats pour into Baishou Hall to display their talents.
In the 1980s, the Baishou Festival was developed and integrated into an exhibition of Tujia folk culture and customs. Dianfang Town of Longshan County is a renowned place for Baishou Dance.
Tiaoma Festival
As a grand singing and dancing event launched on the 6th day of the first lunar month, the Tiaoma Festival is popular in Taiping Village of Guzhang County and Songjia Village of Shuangxi Township as well as nearby Tujia villages. It is said that Tujia people were often bullied by officials and bandits in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. On a foggy morning, local young and middle-aged villagers gathered and united against the enemy. Seeing those strong men riding steeds and holding swords in the dimness, enemies were frightened out of their wits. Since then, Tujia people have lived a peaceful and prosperous life. In order to show strength and pray for peace as well as harvest, the Tiaoma Festival was held and passed down from generation to generation until today.
Four stages are included in the Tiaoma Festival, when several horse models made of bamboos and paper will be presented.
Traditional performances with ethnic characteristics are staged in the festival that lasts for three days and three nights. The flag bearers lead the horse teams to the racecourse amid the crowing of roosters and three cannon bangs. A dozen knights ride “horses” and jump into the destination majestically. With jingling bells, earsplitting firecrackers and blaring drums and gongs, the robust riders wield swords and dance vigorously, winning warm applause from the audience. Then people sing and dance to their heart’s content till the next morning.
The Tiaoma Festival not only reproduces the daily life, labor, wars and worship of Tujia ancestors in the forms of singing and dancing, but also contributes to the study of the migration, customs, psychological quality and culture of Tujia people in Xiangxi.
March 3rd Festival
As Tujia ballad says, “as snakes come out of mountains on March 3rd, we make Artemisia Baba (a kind of glutinous rice cake) to frighten them.” It is said that if one eats Artemisia Baba, he will encounter fewer snakes, which will hide in holes after smelling the artemisia. Artemisia Baba is in the shape of a pillow, a triangle or a ball, with fillings like sesame powder, soybean powder, mung bean powder and diced pepper meat. In addition, Tujia people need to worship ancestors before eating Artemisia Baba fresh from pots. They usually place three or five pieces of Artemisia Baba in a bowl on a tea tray, which is put on a large table in the main house. Then people begin to enjoy Artemisia Baba while drinking corn samshu and singing toast songs, immersing themselves in a sea of joy. After that, boys will make a date with girls, and the elderly will lead their daughters-in-law and grandchildren to perform Baishou Song and Baishou Dance.
April 8th Festival
There are many legends about the April 8th Festival (the 8th day of the fourth lunar month) like the day to commemorate the migration of the ancestors, the day to offer sacrifices to the caterpillar god or the day to worship the Ox King. The Ox King Festival is more widespread with greater influence. Every year on April 8, the elderly tell their descendants the story of “Ox and Rice”. According to legend, there were miraculous rice grains on the other side of the Dongting Lake, which would turn into gold after falling on the ground. Those who got the rice would be well-fed and well-clothed. The ancestors of the Tujia people ventured across the lake and determined to get back the immortal rice grains. But an unknown number of people were drowned in the lake. This incident moved a sacred ox by the Dongting Lake, which decided to help the Tujia people. One late night, the sacred ox crossed the Dongting Lake surreptitiously. After going ashore and walking into the paddy field, the ox rolled a few times and returned immediately after being covered with grains. Unexpectedly, the sound of rolling alerted the gods who were guarding the paddy field, and the gods led their troops to chase the grain thief. Seeing that it was too late to collect the grains, the sacred ox had no choice but to jump into the Dongting Lake and swam back quickly. The ox stole the grains back and gave them to the local people, so that the “stolen (rice) grains” could grow in the fields. However, due to the violation of heavenly rules, the Jade Emperor banished the sacred ox from the immortal world, punishing it for plowing the fields as well as eating grass. It was on April 8 that the ox descended to the human world. It worked diligently to help people and became the farming helper of the Tujia people. In order to appreciate the kindness of the Ox King, the Tujia people has designated “April 8th” as the Ox King Festival.
On April 8 each lunar year, the Tujia ethnic group celebrates the day by allowing their oxen a day off. They clean the cattle pens, thicken the roof thatches, and strengthen the bottom boards under the pens. Taking out the “ox comb”, the master of the household combs and scrapes the ox several times from the head to the tail, without leaving a louse or grass tick. If a buffalo is raised, it must be allowed to bathe in the river to remove dirt and clean hair. The housewives of each family give the oxen tender grass and feed them eggs as well as rice. At the same time, the master also sings songs in Tujia language to praise the merits of the oxen.
June 6th Festival
There are three legends about the June 6th Festival (the 6th day of the sixth lunar month), namely, Migration Day of the Yan’s family (the ancestors of the Tujia people), Mother’s Day and Martyrdom Day of Qin Hou (the leader of the Tujia uprising in Cili”). The story about Martyrdom Day of Qin Hou is the most widespread, which is supported by historical data and folk tales.
According to local chronicles, Qin Hou was named Wen Qin (1311-1371). His father’s name was Qin Tianyou. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to build palaces indiscriminately and forced the native people of Maogang to contribute nanmu with heavy corvee. In the third year during the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, Qin united the masses from the places like Dayong, Sangzhi, Yongshun and Hefeng to occupy Cili. Zhu Yuanzhang urged the governor to lead the army to chase them. After four fierce battles in Qinjiacheng (now Yong’andu in Cili County), Baizhangxia, Xiaojiayu and Wentangguan, Qin Hou retreated to the area of Dayong and Maogang. Due to the isolation of the rebel army and the betrayal of the traitors, Qin was captured and sent to Nanjing, where he was skinned on June 6 in the 5th year during the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. According to the folklore, the day when Qin was killed, the capital was darkened. Two golden dragons flew out of his body, pouncing on the Golden Palace. The emperor was so scared that he immediately issued an imperial decree: “tie Qin’s skin into a human statue, put on a dragon robe and let him sit on the throne for one day every year”. Since then, on June 6 each lunar year, each Tujia household in Northwest Xiangxi dries the cotton clothes and robes, symbolizing the “sunning of the dragon robe” for Qin Hou. The Tujia people slaughter cattle and prepare wine, meat and tofu to commemorate Qin Hou in the King’s shrine. Then, the Tujia people in the whole village gather for a meal.
July 15th Festival
According to the Tujia folklore, during the July 15th Festival (the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar), the King of Hell allows opening the gate of hell and lets all the ghosts go home to see their descendants. At about 10 p.m. on July 14 each lunar year, each family not only brings a bowl of rice and a plate of meat outside the house, but also burns a pile of ghost money and lights an incense stick for the family members who have passed away. On July 14 each lunar year, the Tujia people cook new rice and stir-fry pork as well as fresh vegetables like new corn, cowpeas, peppers, eggplants and melons. The married daughters’ families are also invited to their natal homes to worship the family gods.
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Tujia area boasts special flavors. On the day, the elderly always invite three to five people to shake their fans in the moonlight and wait for the auspicious time of opening the gate of heaven, so as to get the return gift of gold and jewelry.
Another custom is “stealing melons to send children”. If a new daughter-in-law does not have a child in three to five years, not only the new couple are worried, but also the whole village is anxious for them. So three to five nimble young men will be sent to steal a winter melon from the field. The young men will hollow it out and fill it with water. Then they will secretly put it under the quilt on the bed of the couple who haven’t had a child. The melon deliverymen will hide around, waiting for the young couple to go to bed. Because the couple do not know that if they uncover the quilt, the cold water in the melon will be spilled out. Instead of blaming the young men, the couple will think they just did it out of kindness. When the melon deliverymen see this situation, they will laugh. One of them will cover the nose to imitate a baby who is crying. Later, all of them will sing a song of congratulations about bearing babies. After receiving melons, some women actually give birth to children. Hearing the good news, the beaming parents-in-law will invite those melon deliverymen to their homes as guests and treat them well.