Ethnic Overview
The Naxi people in my country are mainly concentrated in Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Weixi, Zhongdian, Ninglang County, Yongsheng County and Sichuan Yanyuan County, Muli County of the province and Yanjing Town, Mangkang County, Tibet Autonomous Region, etc. The current population is 324,679 people.
Agriculture is the main economic sector of the Naxi people, mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, planting rice, corn, potatoes, wheat, beans, cotton, and hemp. The "Lijiang Horse" is famous throughout the country. The "Hetao" area of ??the Jinsha River is a famous forest area. There are many kinds of plants in Yulong Mountain area, and it is world-famous as the "plant warehouse". Now there are small and medium-sized enterprises in machinery repair, coal mining, power generation, fertilizer, electrical machinery, light industry and other fields.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Naxi people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, successfully carried out land reform and completed socialist transformation, and established the Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County. The Naxi people have been undergoing development and construction for more than 40 years, and have undergone earth-shaking changes. With their own college students and scientific and technological personnel, in 2003, Lijiang area was evacuated and established as a city. Lijiang City includes Gucheng District, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Ninglang County, Huaping County and Yongsheng County. In the past, Naxi areas lacked medical treatment and medicine, and many diseases and plagues were often prevalent. Now medical and health personnel have spread throughout the countryside, and popular diseases have been basically eliminated, and the people's health level has been significantly improved.
the Naxi (Nahsi) ethnic group or the Naxis(Nahsis)
[Edit this paragraph] Tracing the origins of Naxi
The inheritance of Naxi and the residence of the Naxi people in Lijiang When does the cap go back? From the investigation of the origin of the ethnic group, there are three theories:
The first is the indigenous theory: mainly based on archaeological discoveries. According to this, the Naxi people have the oldest and longest time of formation and living in Lijiang.
The second is the theory of southward migration: According to research by historian Fang Guoyu and others, the Naxi people in Lijiang originated from the Qiang people who migrated south from the Hehuang area in the northwest in ancient times. They moved to the Dadu River and Yalong River basins during the Qin and Han Dynasties. That is the area of ??Yanyuan, Muli and Yanbian in present-day Sichuan, then moved westward to Yongning, Ninglang, Baidi, Zhongdian, Fengke and Daju, Lijiang, and then moved westward to Lijiangba. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, they were called Miao (máo) Niu Yi and Bailang Yi. In Jin Changxu's "Huayang Guozhi", they were called Mosa (suō) Yi. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, they were called Mosha (suō) Yi. According to records in "Man Shu" by Fan Chuo of the Tang Dynasty, in fact, most of the Moze tribes live along the Jinsha River in Lijiang County, so the Jinsha River is called the "Moze River".
The third is the fusion theory: that is, the Naxi people in Lijiang are formed by the fusion of the indigenous people and those who migrated to the south. This theory has been recognized by most scholars. According to this theory, the distribution center of the ancient Naxi people gradually completed a major shift from the east at the junction of Yunnan and Sichuan to Lijiang in the west during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
[Edit this paragraph] The beginning of Dongba
The Naxi people generally believe in "Dongba Religion", and some people believe in Lamaism, Buddhism, Taoism, and nature such as heaven, earth, mountains, and water. God has the nature of polytheistic beliefs.
The Dongba Sutra is a sutra recited by Dongba, and is called "Dongba Jiu" in Naxi language. The Dongba Sutra is the written carrier of Dongba culture and has naturally become the core part of Dongba culture. Its content is all-inclusive and profound, so it is called the encyclopedia of the ancient Naxi people.
The Dongba hieroglyphs are called "Senqiuluqiu" in Naxi. There are two types of Dongba script, one is hieroglyphics, and the other is Geba script - a phonetic script that simplifies or reconstructs some hieroglyphs into one character and one sound. In 1957 the Latin alphabet form of the text was designed.
[Edit this paragraph] Etiquette and taboos
1. Etiquette and taboos in daily life
The Naxi people are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and polite, and respect the elderly The traditional virtue of loving children. The Naxi people are united and harmonious internally, open to the outside world, and treat each other with courtesy, forming a rich etiquette culture. Avoid making loud noises and using foul language in public places. When riding a horse to the village, you must dismount, and you cannot tie the horse to the place where you offer sacrifices to heaven. The Naxi people value trust and loyalty, and generally do not care about the faults caused by guests who do not understand the customs and etiquette of the Naxi people. However, they value equality and credibility. Therefore, when interacting with the Naxi people, it is best to explain directly what requirements you have and do not deceive or deceive them. . In ordinary houses, guests are usually entertained under the eaves during the day, and in the main hall at night. If it's in a wooden house, it's by the firepit. Although there is no strict distinction between seats, there is a distinction between old and young, and distinction between men and women. For example, if it is at the dining table or beside the fire pit, its upright position is called "Shang Ba Si" or "Ge Lulu", which is the priority seat for the elderly. Therefore, when you go to a Naxi home, as long as there are old people there, even if the host invites you, you must give up the "eight seats" to the old people. When eating, you should first invite the old people and elders to take their seats, and you must not take the initiative to occupy them. If an elderly person comes in, young people should stand up and give up their seats, or take the initiative to greet them. When there are elderly people, don't cross your legs. When receiving guests or eating, you should sit upright, avoid making loud noises, guessing and giving orders, and do not step on the table rungs. When the host is toasting cigarettes, wine, or serving rice, you should use your hands to connect with each other and express your gratitude. Avoid knocking bowls and chopsticks when eating, avoid turning over dishes, and avoid picking up dishes one after another. Generally, when picking up food, you should ask others to move their chopsticks together, pick it up once, stop for a while, and wait for the first bite to be swallowed before picking up the second chopstick. Chicken heads should be enjoyed by the elderly, and chicken feet should not be given to children. Don't leave leftover rice at the bottom of the bowl. If you are sitting on a two-person stool, you should help others sit properly when you stand up to prevent others from tipping over and falling, causing injury. When dining together, if you have already finished eating, it is best to stay with the other person for a while.
If you want to leave early, you should greet others with "please use it slowly". When entering a Naxi home, you are not allowed to beat the owner's dog, you are not allowed to beat or scold children in front of the owner or guests, and you are not allowed to enter the bedrooms of old people and women without permission. In the Hugu Lake area, you are not allowed to enter the girl's "flower house" at will, and you are not allowed to ask about "Axia". Don't stir up the ashes in the stove. When offering sacrifices to heaven, ancestors, or the God of War, outsiders are not allowed to watch. Avoid stepping across the "land" stone and "color" stone erected at the gate, and avoid crossing the fire pit. Avoid sitting on the threshold, and avoid using knives and axes to chop things on the threshold. It is forbidden to hunt small animals that enter the house. If frogs or snakes enter the house, they should be politely sent out. Don't hurt the bee that tickles your ears. Do not cook cats or other wild animals on kitchen stoves. Do not kill cattle, draft horses and roosters that announce the dawn; avoid eating dog meat, horse meat, cat meat and buffalo meat. Legend has it that they all made contributions to the ancestors of the Naxi people. They were extremely loyal and worked hard without complaint. They should be treated kindly in daily life and should be buried well after their death. . Singing love songs and whistling are not allowed at home. Father-in-law is not allowed to enter the daughter-in-law's bedroom. You cannot sweep the floor after the sun goes down. The floor cannot be swept while guests are present. Do not close the door immediately when the guest leaves. Guests should be sent to the door. It is not advisable to dry women's underwear in public, and do not dry pants and skirts above the passageway where the owner enters and exits. Avoid wearing a bamboo hat into the house, and avoid carrying a hoe into the kitchen. When you light a fire and go home at night, avoid lighting the fire into the house. When returning home at night, enter the fire pit room first, and avoid entering the bedroom first. In the morning, avoid talking about the dreams you had at night. Pregnant women cannot climb fruit-bearing trees or step over reins or fishing poles. Avoid eating meat without blood. It is prohibited to pollute water sources and cut down water source forests. Avoid adding food or water to others with your backhand. Avoid drinking residual wine or tea that has been consumed by others. Those who participate in the "Sacrifice to Heaven" or the "Sanduo Festival" must clean their hands beforehand and step over the fireworks set off by azalea branches to show their cleansing. It is taboo not to wash your feet on New Year's Eve, and it is taboo to wash the dishes and chopsticks used for the reunion dinner. It is forbidden to leave a married daughter in her parents’ home on New Year’s Eve. It is forbidden for strangers to enter the house on the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, and it is forbidden for women to get up early. Historically, the Naxi people believed in Dongba religion, a primitive religion with nature worship as its main content. Dongba Religion stipulates that you are not allowed to cut down water source forests, you are not allowed to go into the mountains to cut down trees during their growth period, you are not allowed to hunt pregnant females and cubs, and you are not allowed to kill small animals that enter your home. For a period of time, no bird hunting, hunting, or fishing is allowed. You are not allowed to pollute the water source. You are not allowed to spit, defecate or dump garbage into the water source. You are not allowed to wash dirty items in the river. You must abide by the regulations when taking well water.
2. Etiquette and taboos in weddings, funerals, and childbirth
In the Naxi area, you do not have to rush to a wedding banquet just because of a casual invitation, nor can you attend a wedding banquet because of the host's " Decline" and miss the opportunity to mourn. Because for the Naxi people, help in times of disaster and sorrow will be the most reliable foundation for friendship, and can even eliminate usual grudges. On the other hand, if you only know how to express joy when you are happy and do not know how to express condolences when you are sad, you will be regarded as a bad person. For red and white weddings, the type and quantity of gifts should be determined according to the distance of the blood relatives and the depth of friendship. On the day of the event, close relatives and friends usually give rice, wheat, sugar, wine and appropriate amounts of money in public places. These gifts are collectively called "favors" and are counted and recorded by two dedicated personnel on the spot. They are called "favorites" and are handed over to the owner in person after settlement on the same day. Closer relatives and friends give gifts of clothing, furniture, etc. on internal occasions. If guests from out of town or ordinary friends participate in this ceremony, you can feel free to hang some "favor" gifts to show your sincerity. The Naxi people have practiced cremation since ancient times, but after the "return to earth and return to the land", they changed to burial. Generally, sutras must be recited for the dead to save their souls. Lijiang's funerals preserve national traditions in many aspects. As soon as a person dies, the whole family bursts into tears and sends people to report the funeral to relatives and friends. The family members, wearing linen and mourning, knelt beside the deceased to keep vigil. Relatives and friends who come to pay homage bow or kowtow to the deceased or cry to express their condolences. Then, express condolences to the owner and ask the owner to express his condolences. When the deceased is placed in the coffin or cremated, those with conflicting zodiac signs should not be present at the scene. Before the funeral, the elders of the clan or the leaders of the unit preside over the memorial service and read out the memorial service (or the cry message). The scene is very sad and sad. Those with the same zodiac signs must be avoided when mourning. Pregnant women should not lead the way for the deceased. Dutiful men and filial women should not eat chicken that is the soul of the deceased. Dongba priests are forbidden to eat sacrifices offered to the deceased. People wearing sackcloth and mourning should avoid entering other people's homes. Dutiful men and dutiful daughters do not attend weddings. The Naxi people attach great importance to childbirth, and the "head guest" etiquette is relatively unique: when a baby is born in the host's family, the first person who accidentally enters the family is called the "head guest" or "sheng". At this time, no matter whether the person is male, female, old or young, close or distant, noble or beggar, he must be received as a distinguished guest. The host first scoops a ladle of clean cold water (happy water) for the "first guest" to drink, in order to wish the mother and child safety, health and happiness. Then the host cooks rice wine and eggs to entertain the "first guest".
[Edit this paragraph] Marriage customs
Most of the social interactions between Naxi men and women take place during festivals. After young men and women get to know each other, they will be matched through a matchmaker. Give tea to the bride as a small flower cone at the wedding, four or six boxes of sugar, two liters of rice, and in some places, two weights of salt are added to express the eternal vows. It is considered an engagement. A wedding banquet must be arranged during the engagement, and the wedding requirements must be It lasts for 3-5 days, when both men and women have to prepare a banquet. There are eight people on the table and eight people at the bottom. The groom kneels down to invite the guests to take their seats, and then plays music and serves the dishes. When the third course is served, the officiant proposes a toast; when the fifth course is served, the bridegroom and the bride toast two glasses to the guests. liquor. After the banquet, the host and relatives should stand outside the door to close the guests.
In some Naxi areas, there is still a legacy of "robbing marriages".
This is also a remnant of an ancient marriage custom, reflecting women's resistance to the patriarchal system of living in the husband's home. The wife wants to adhere to the old tradition and live in her mother's house, so the man uses robbery to realize his desire to keep his wife in her husband's house. "Marriage robbery" in modern society is just a form. It is not a real robbery, but a tacit understanding between men and women, in order to use "raw rice and mature rice" to deal with the woman's parents who have objections to the marriage.
[Edit this paragraph] Food customs
The Naxi people eat three meals a day. Breakfast is usually steamed buns or stewed cakes. Lunch and dinner are more plentiful, usually including one or two stir-fried vegetables, pickles, soups, etc. Hui people especially like to eat beef soup pot and ganba. Whether in the plains or in the mountainous areas, there are many varieties of vegetables, which are available in all seasons. In the mountainous areas, potatoes, cabbage and melons are widely grown, and local specialties are used to make various famous dishes. Such as: Steamed Cordyceps Duck, Fritillary Chicken, Gastrodia Chicken, etc. Among them, the Naxi traditional famous dish "stuffed matsutake" is made from matsutake mushroom caps, stuffed with meat paste, steamed and used as a special dish for sacrifices, especially ancestor worship.
The meat is mainly pork, and most of the pork is made into cured meat. The Pipa pig in Lijiang and Yongning is the most famous, and can be stored for several to more than ten years without deterioration. When working outside, bring wheat flour cakes or tsampa to the temple. Sit around the table when dining. In winter, you like to move to a sunny place to eat.
Typical foods mainly include: Lijiang ham dada, Mabu, snow lotus platter, Lichun copper hot pot, etc.
[Edit this paragraph] Festivals
The main festivals of the Naxi people include the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Duanyang Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Torch Festival, "First Month Agricultural Tool Fair" (Bangbang Festival), "March Dragon King Temple Fair", "July Mule and Horse Fair", etc. The Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc. are all roughly the same as those of the local Han people, and the Sanduo Festival is the largest traditional festival.
Spring Festival Customs
1. Dawanasinu
The New Year in Lijiang actually starts from the twelfth lunar month. There is a more vivid saying in Naxi language: "Dawanasinu". It means that at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, the Naxi people go crazy. Why do you say that? In fact, the reason for this madness is because the Naxi people seem to be crazy when buying new year's goods.
In the past, as soon as the twelfth lunar month entered, the entire farmer's market became extremely lively. People flooded the market like a tide, and everything seemed to be free. Now the madness has been postponed a lot longer than before, but as soon as the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month passes, that kind of crazy scene will always appear. It seems that people all over the country go on a shopping spree on New Year’s Eve.
2. Brush Feint
When the Spring Festival is approaching for the Naxi people, Dingguang 24th is almost five or six days away. Then they would go to the mountain and cut down an evergreen tree, an ash tree. Then the whole family cleans it, and the ash tree is usually brushed with smoke and spider webs. Its form mainly expresses, brushing away bad things, brushing away bad luck, cleaning well, getting rid of the old and welcoming the new, and welcoming the Spring Festival.
3. Spring Couplets
In the past, the Spring Festival couplets of the Naxi people were all written in Dongba script.
On New Year's Eve, just after lunch, men in every household began to busy cleaning the doors, scraping off the old couplets and replacing them with new Spring Festival couplets. Of course the women are cooking New Year's Eve dinner.
After the New Year’s dinner, we walked slowly through the ancient town of Lijiang and admired the newly posted Spring Festival couplets, which was very elegant. Although most of today's Spring Festival couplets are full of the smell of copper, it is even more rare to occasionally encounter a good pair.
The Naxi people adhere to the cultural tradition of the Han nationality and attach great importance to Spring Festival couplets. In the past, even if they could not write them themselves, they would always ask a calligrapher they thought was good to write one to express their happiness.
4. Rice with water
Among the Naxi people, whether they are celebrating a festival or making delicious food at home, they will pour water and rice at the door and along the corner. The water rice is mainly made from small bits of various vegetables to serve as meaning, and then mixed with tea, water, wine and other foods, lit with incense during the solar terms, and poured along the wall. To show respect for ancestors and as a family.
5. New Year's dinner
Before the New Year's dinner begins, it is necessary to place a few bowls of rice on the top of the table after all the dishes are placed, usually three bowls, or According to the number of close relatives who have left, the meal should be very full. Then the whole family kowtows in that direction at once to show respect for the ancestors, remembrance of the deceased and the meaning of family reunion. For the New Year's Eve dinner of the Naxi people, after getting up on New Year's Eve, the old man will warn the children not to play or touch iron objects or bamboo on this day, because if they touch iron or bamboo, they will fill their stomachs when eating the New Year's dinner. Eat very solidly (playing with iron utensils) or eat nothing (playing with bamboo). New Year's Eve dinner is so important to every Naxi people. It is so important that it can only be eaten at one's own home, and married daughters cannot go back to their parents' homes to eat it. New Year's dinner usually includes pork head meat and rooster (must be gelded) meat. In Naxi dialect, it is called "Bugu, Pai, Pai, Shi". Life has improved in the past two years. What we eat is not so important. What is important is the atmosphere of family reunion.
After the New Year’s meal, people begin to wash their feet, which means “I will rush for everything in the coming year”. It seems that our ancestors did not wash their feet every day before, so we have the custom of having to wash our feet on New Year's Eve :).
After washing your feet, it’s time to give out lucky money to the children at home. The market has been bullish in recent years. Friends and other relatives can just wait during the Spring Festival.
In my childhood impression, the bowl of oily pork head soaked with black bean sauce was truly delicious.
6, the first day of the Lunar New Year
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, that is, after New Year’s Eve, starting from 00:00 on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you have to go to the ditch, pond or water source to set off firecrackers and pick one. Bring the latest water, new atmosphere, and good health in the new year. Then get up early and open the door completely, which means that there will be abundant wealth in the new year. The first day of the lunar month represents a new beginning and represents what will happen this year. Therefore, men, women and children do nothing to live happily on the first day of the lunar month, which symbolizes that this year will be happy, cheerful, harmonious and beautiful. .
7. Tomb sweeping
The Naxi people attach great importance to etiquette and respect their ancestors. Grave-sweeping is generally a written term, while the native language means visiting the grave to pay New Year greetings. New Year's greetings in Naxi are to greet the elders and those with a larger generation, no matter how far or near they are. But the first thing to worship is the ancestors, which is custom and respect. Therefore, if the attributes of the second grade of junior high school are not in conflict with each other (the Naxi zodiac sign of tiger does not go to the grave), then the second grade of junior high school will be entered. If the attributes are incompatible, the first grade of junior high school will be entered earlier. The Naxi people have the custom of sweeping graves during the Spring Festival. The cemetery of each family is usually a place with beautiful scenery. So if you have the opportunity to visit the graves with your Naxi friends, just treat it as a fun trip. In fact, this is also the case. The Naxi people cannot find a sad atmosphere when sweeping their graves. Usually people go up the mountain in the first or second year of junior high school.
9. Spring Guests
In fact, Spring Guests are a return gift to the Naxi people, because the Naxi people also have New Year greetings, and New Year greetings involve carrying some local products (rare in modern times) Go to the home of a clan member who is older than the closest relatives in the clan to pay New Year greetings. Those who are older do not need to go back to pay homage, and then invite the younger ones back as spring guests. Naxi people have the habit of treating each other to guests during the Spring Festival. Especially if there are newlyweds in the family - those who got married after last year's Spring Festival are considered - couples, it is even more necessary to invite them. If the family is big enough, the newlyweds will have to endure hardships. They may have to attend multiple meals a day during the Spring Festival. You must also bring gifts such as rice and sugar. By the way, there will be more guests invited. If the family is big enough and a newlywed couple is invited, the number of guests may be three to five tables. Another important person invited is the clan members working in other places. You may have to queue up to invite him. Those who are in the first grade of junior high school in your family and the second grade of junior high school in my family have to wait in line until the day they have to leave. Fortunately, the Spring Festival holiday is long enough now.
10, set off firecrackers
This is consistent with Han culture
11, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and have a stick party
Spring Festival to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month That’s the real ending. In addition to eating Yuanxiao like other places, the Naxi people also have an important festival called "Bangbang Festival" on this day. Originally, they were buying and selling farm equipment and fruit trees. In recent years, these things are still being bought and sold, but the protagonist basically becomes flowers, especially orchids. The market is basically on Zhendong Road, which is nearly one kilometer long and bustling with people. Those who love to join in the fun will be at home. Very interesting festival.
12. Crowd performance
During the Spring Festival, a high platform will be set up on Sifang Street to host various performances. At night, there will be ethnic dances in many places with small squares, including Sifang Street, or in front of hotels. Tourists can participate in these because the dance steps are extremely simple and you can learn them once. If you can’t learn them, it’s okay. Just dance around. That’s right, this is the atmosphere to play in, and it’s free.
13. Dongba Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony
This is the most important sacrificial activity in Naxi traditional culture. The Naxi people are called "the nation that sacrifices to heaven." Nowadays, this kind of religious ceremony is not practiced much anymore, but it may still be carried out in remote Naxi areas.
Haipohui In the place where the Naxi people live in Yongning, Yunnan, there is a mysterious and beautiful Lugu Lake. On both sides of the lake, there is a majestic mountain peak - Lion Peak. Lion Peak is a goddess in Naxi mythology and legend, named "Ganmu". Her stunning beauty has attracted the attention of male idols from all over the world. However, like the Yongning Naxi people, she does not have a fixed husband and lives a free and independent life where men do not marry and women do not marry. Every year on the 25th day of the seventh lunar month, the mountain gods come to Yongning to gather with Goddess Ganmu for entertainment and receive blessings. Later, on the 25th day of the seventh lunar month, the Naxi people would gather around Lugu Lake to participate in the annual Haipo Party. People would sing, dance, and have fun, one to cheer for the goddess, and the other to worship the goddess with grand ceremonies. Goddess, pray to her to bless people with safety, abundant harvests, and prosperous livestock farming. Young men and women also took this opportunity to form "Azhu" relationships with each other.
Sanduo Festival
Sanduo Festival is a traditional festival of the Naxi people in Lijiang, Yunnan. It is held every year on the eighth day of the tenth lunar month. According to legend, in ancient times, the Naxi ancestor Sanduo once subdued demons here. Since then, every year on the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, people gather at Sanduo Temple to worship the patron saint Sanduo. Sacrificial offerings include whole pigs, whole sheep, chickens, fish, etc.
During the festival, Naxi men, women and children go out on a spring outing to enjoy the flowers. The young men ride on their horses and participate in horse racing activities of raising flags and picking up silver coins. The winner is highly favored by the girls. After dinner, people sat around the bonfire, and the Naxi girl who was good at singing and dancing danced the cheerful "Alili".
[Edit this paragraph] Clothing
The clothes of Naxi men in Lijiang are the same as those of the local Han people. In winter, Naxi men also wear sheepskin shawls, and those in Zhongdian wear long-sleeved gowns. Knee fat-leg trousers, with a sheepskin pocket tied around the waist and leggings. Men in Ninglang, Yongning, Yanyuan, and Muli areas wear short shirts and trousers. Men in Ninglang also like to wear bracelets. Old people wear linen collarless gowns, plus green cloth waistcoats and belts. In recent decades, the number of people wearing Tibetan clothing has increased.
The clothing of Naxi women varies from region to region.
Naxi women in Lijiang wear long coats that are knee-length, wide-waisted, with large sleeves, a waistcoat, a pleated apron, trousers, and a sheepskin shawl. The Naxi women in Ninglang wear short shirts with long trousers. The Naxi women in Lijiang wear traditional "draping stars and wearing the moon" costumes, floor-reaching pleated skirts, sheepskin, green cloth headscarves, and gold, silver, jade, stone, etc. Earrings and bracelets, and like to wear "sheep belt" or "belt". The sheepskin belts are made of cotton. Each one is about four and a half feet long and two inches wide. They must be used in pairs. The belt is very delicate and is only worn during festivals. It is a pair of cotton straps about three feet long and two inches wide, embroidered with patterns such as potted chrysanthemums and two dragons playing with beads. The Naxi women of Yongning braid the hair from yak tails into thick wigs, then wrap a large circle of blue and black silk thread around the outside of the wig, and hang the silk thread down to their waist.
On every festival, Naxi women wear traditional ethnic costumes and their favorite costume - the seven-star shawl. This kind of shawl is colorful and very beautiful. It is made of a whole piece of black sheepskin, with a 6cm black woolen edge sewn on the upper part. There are sun and moon patterns embroidered with silk thread on the shoulders and "seven stars" arranged in a row. People call this kind of shawl "wearing the stars and wearing the moon". It symbolizes the hard work of Naxi women under the stars and the moon. Shawls are both decorative and very practical. When Naxi women work, they are not used to carrying their work on their shoulders, and prefer to carry it on their backs, so their shawls can also be used as shoulder pads. One thing has two uses.
[Edit this paragraph] Astronomical Calendar
According to the records of more than twenty volumes of the "Dongba Sutra" that have been translated, there are dozens of ancient proper nouns for celestial phenomena. many. In "Genesis", the names of Renlao, Sutuo, Nero, Ji'a and others who specialize in weather, stars and calendars also appear; from scriptures such as "Baghtu" and "The Origin of the Twelve Zodiac Signs", The Naxi people have long had a clear concept of the four corners (similar to the Eight Diagrams of the Han people); they have determined the directions of the twenty-eight constellations and the method of calculating the sixty-year-old by using the yin and yang "Jingwei" ("five elements") in conjunction with the twelve zodiac signs; and created the The moon is determined by the waxing and waning of the moon, with thirty days in each month, twelve months in a year, and a calendar of three hundred and sixty days, and the twelve zodiac animals are used to record the day, month, and year. From the observation of celestial phenomena and biological activities, the people have also figured out a set of activity patterns about wind, rain, flowers, snow, as well as cuckoos, wild ducks, wild geese, white cranes, etc. to distinguish the characteristics of seasons and carry out agricultural activities according to the farming season. .
[Edit this paragraph] Naxi folk houses
Most Naxi folk houses are civil structures. The more common forms are as follows: three squares and one screen wall, four-in-five patios, front and back yards , one into two houses and other forms. Among them, three squares and one screen wall are the most basic and common form of Naxi folk houses in Lijiang.
The so-called "three squares and one screen wall" means that the main room is higher, the side rooms on both sides are slightly lower, and a screen wall is added to make the layout look clear and coordinated. In terms of structure, generally the main house, one lane, three lanes and one screen wall are higher, facing south and facing the screen wall. Mainly for the elderly to live; the east and west compartments are slightly lower and are occupied by the younger generation; the patio is for daily life, mostly paved with bricks and stones, and often beautified with flowers and plants. If there are houses facing the street, residents use them as pavements. The functions of Sanfang Yizhaobi dwellings in rural areas are slightly different from those in towns. Generally speaking, each of the three houses has two floors. The east-facing main house and the south-facing side house are used for people living downstairs and the upstairs is used as a warehouse. The north-facing house is used for livestock stables downstairs and fodder is stored upstairs. In addition to being used for daily life, the patio is also used for production (such as drying millet or processing grain). Therefore, the patio in rural areas is slightly larger and has a smooth floor, so it does not need to be paved with bricks and stones. The deep and long "eaves" at the upper end and the "face slope" with a certain curvature avoid heavy rigidity and show soft and graceful curves. The walls are appropriately tilted inward, which enhances the stability of the entire building. The surrounding walls are not built to the top, and "leaky windows" are installed above the floor window sills. In order to protect the wooden boards from rain, most of the eaves are extended outwards, and skirts are placed on both ends of the beams that expose the gables. This is known locally as "wind and fire wall". In order to increase the beauty of the house, some also add railings to form a corridor. Finally, in order to weaken the monotonous atmosphere of the sudden transition of the "hanging eaves board" and the exposed gable column boards, the "fishing" board technique was cleverly used, which not only protects the beams, but also enhances the artistic effect of the entire building. Through the layout of the main and auxiliary houses, screen walls, walls, wall eaves and "fish" decorations, the entire building has different heights and echoes vertically and horizontally, forming an exterior scene that is both balanced, symmetrical and full of changes, showing Naxi's superb skills. level of construction.
In addition, one of the most striking features of Naxi folk houses is that, regardless of urban or rural areas, every house has a spacious building (i.e. verandah) in front of it. Xiazi is one of the most important components of the Naxi folk residence in Lijiang, which is inseparable from Lijiang's pleasant climate. Therefore, the Naxi people moved some of the functions of the rooms, such as eating and receiving guests, into the building. In terms of architectural design, architectural style and art, the Naxi houses in Dayan Ancient City are the most distinctive. The ancient city is located in Lijiang Dam, with Xiangshan and Jinghong Mountains to the north and Lion Rock to the west. It is open and vast to the east and west. In the city, the Yuquan water flowing from the foothills of Xiangshan flows from the northwest of the ancient city to the foot of the Yulong Bridge, where it is divided into three tributaries: the West River, the Middle River, and the East River, and then into countless tributaries that flow through the streets and alleys in the ancient city. Taking advantage of this favorable natural condition, the streets of the ancient city are neatly and freely laid out in an informal grid. The main street is adjacent to the river, the alleys are adjacent to the canals, the roads extend along the curves of the canals, and the houses are arranged according to the height of the terrain. Most of these houses facing the street have been turned into shops, and the owners may run some small commodities themselves or sublet others to run them.