Manchu customs
The population is 9,821,180 people.
Manchus are distributed throughout the country, with the largest number in Liaoning Province.
The Manchu language is spoken and belongs to the Manchu-Tungusic branch of the Altaic language family. There are two dialects: southern and northern. Due to the fact that they live together and have close interactions with the Han people, the Manchu people are now accustomed to speaking Chinese. Only a few remote villages and a few elderly people can speak Manchu. At the end of the 16th century, Manchu script was created based on Mongolian script. Nowadays, all Manchu people speak Chinese.
The Manchus once believed in polytheistic shamanism, which has now disappeared.
The Manchu are a nation with a long history. Their ancestors can be traced back to the Sushen people more than 2,000 years ago. Their descendants are called "", "Yilou", "Wuji", etc. They have always lived in In the vast area of ??the middle and lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River and the Ussuli River basin north of the Changbai Mountain. "Black Water" is the direct ancestor of the Manchus, who later developed into the Jurchens. In the 12th century, the Jin Dynasty was established. In 1583, Nurhachi unified the Jurchen tribes, established the Eight Banners system, created the Manchu language, and named the tribe "Manchu" in 1635. The Eight Banners system had three functions: politics, military and production, and became the fundamental system of Manchu society. In 1636, Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of the country to Qing. In 1644, the Qing army entered the customs, and the Qing Dynasty became the last feudal dynasty that unified China's centralized power. In 1911, after the Revolution of 1911, they were called Manchus. The Manchu people have made significant contributions to China's unification, territorial expansion, and economic and cultural development.
Customs
The Manchu people are a nation with their own traditional culture, and Manchu folk paper-cutting is an important part of it. According to scholars' research, Manchu paper-cutting began in the Ming Dynasty. Due to the worship of the God of Mammy, the Manchu paper-cutting produced "Mammy People". The cut characters are all wearing flags, with buns on their heads, or "Dala" on their heads. The typical Manchu costume of "wing", the figure stands frontally, with hands hanging down, the facial features are incised, and the nose is triangular. This paper-cut is a representative work of Manchu paper-cut, rough and simple, and very distinctive.
Due to the worship of animal gods, paper-cuts such as "Dog", "Turtle", "Magpie", "Deer", "Bear", "Python" and "Eagle" are very common and are often used as Mascots are plastered on the walls.
Wedding Customs
Manchu weddings not only have the strong characteristics of the ethnic group, but also incorporate many customs and etiquette of the Han ethnic group. Generally speaking, they go through the following procedures:
< p>Engagement: There are two forms of engagement for Manchu young men and women. First, the parents of young men and women are acquaintances or friends. They understand each other and intend to get married, so they ask a matchmaker to make a lifelong promise for their children. In some cases, the man proposes to the woman, and in some cases the woman proposes to the man. The other is that the man and woman do not know each other, and ask a matchmaker to engage their children, and the matchmaker will hand over the "portal sticker" of both parties, which will issue the banners, resumes, surnames, and three generations of both parties. In addition, they should check each other's birth dates and horoscopes.Putting it down: delivering financial gifts immediately. It is divided into two types: large setting and small setting. Fang Xiaoding means that the future daughter-in-law will receive property when she visits her aunts, brothers, sisters-in-law and other close relatives in the groom's family. The enlargement is called "excessive gift", commonly known as "delivering a big meal". It means choosing an auspicious day and the man will send the betrothal gift to the woman's home.
The day before the wedding, the bride-to-be is asked to drink "Wind Wine". The bride leaves home and stays in the apartment borrowed by the groom, which is commonly known as "laying down hair". In the early morning of the next day, the bride's family sent the bride off on a float, escorted by her brother. When the float arrives at the groom's house, a brazier is placed on the ground in front of the bridal chamber, and the wedding car carries the bride over the brazier. This is commonly known as "excessive fire to avoid evil". In order to drive away or kill the ghosts that come with the sedan, the groom will shoot three false arrows at the sedan door; some actually shoot them, but they usually shoot towards the bottom of the sedan to avoid hurting the bride. Then, the bride is helped out of the sedan chair and comes to the front of heaven and earth. Together with the groom, she kowtows to the north three times, which is commonly known as "worshiping the Beidou". After worshiping the Beidou, the world-famous "Zhan-Lefting" ceremony is performed. That is, the bride and groom wearing red hijabs kneel in front of the sacred table in the courtyard, facing south. On the table are a pig's knuckle, three cups of wine, and a sharp knife. The shaman kneels on one leg in front of the table while chanting sutras in Manchu. , while using a sharp knife to cut the meat into pieces and throwing them into the air, at the same time he took the wine cup and poured the wine on the ground. The main purpose is to beg God to bless the newlyweds so that they can have children and grandchildren and grow old together. After the above ceremonies, the bride is helped into the bridal chamber by a family member (that is, a person with parents and children). When the bride crosses the threshold, a saddle is placed on the threshold and the bride must step over it. The bed in the new house must be laid by everyone. After the bridal chamber is laid, music must be played in the room, which is called "ringing the room". When the bride enters the bridal chamber, a little girl holds two bronze mirrors in her hands, takes a look at the bride, and then hangs the bronze mirrors on the bride's chest and back. Then, another little girl handed over two tin pots, which were filled with rice, money, etc., and the bride either held them in her arms or clamped them in her armpits, which are commonly known as "Bao Bao Vase" and "Bao Bao Matchmaking Pot". When the bride sits firmly on the bed, the groom uses a scale to remove the red cloth covering the bride's head, which is called "uncovering the hijab." Next, the couple drinks a cup of wine and eats Hexi noodles, longevity noodles, or descendant cakes.
Food Customs
Manchu folk eat three meals a day when farming is busy, and eat two meals a day when farming is slack. The staple food is mostly millet, sorghum rice, japonica rice, and dry rice. They like to add adzuki beans or beans to the rice, such as sorghum, rice, and bean dry rice. In some areas, corn is the staple food, and corn flour is fermented to make "sour soup".
The Manchus in most areas of the Northeast still have the habit of eating rice with water. That is, after making sorghum rice or corn pancakes, pour them over with water, then soak them in water, take them out when eating, and put them into a bowl. They are cool and delicious. This way of eating is most common in summer.
Manchu dumplings have a long history and became the staple food of the palace in the Qing Dynasty. The most representative one is Yushan's "chestnut noodles steamed buns", also known as small steamed buns. Manchu snack Saqima has also become a famous pastry in the country. The more famous ones include Qing Dongling pastry, also known as Qing Dongling large pastry, Beijing snack Dun pastry, Hebei Chengde snack oil pastry, Hubei Jingzhou snack lard pastry, etc.
The weather in the north is cold in winter and there are no fresh vegetables. Manchu folk often use pickled Chinese cabbage (ie sauerkraut) as the main vegetable in autumn and winter. It is said that the pickling method of storing vegetables began in the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Boiled white meat and vermicelli with pickled cabbage are dishes that the Manchus often eat after winter.
Manchu people love to eat pork and often cook it by boiling it. The Manchu restaurant Na Guan in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province has a history of more than 100 years. The white meat blood sausage sold in this restaurant is known as the authentic Manchu flavor.
Typical foods: The Manchus live in scattered places, and there are representative typical foods in various places. The main ones are: ① White meat and blood sausage. ②Hot pot. Traditional Manchu cuisine. ③Sour soup. Typical food of the Manchu people in Xiuyan, Liaoning. ④Qing Dongling cakes. It is also called the Dongling Tomb of Qing Dynasty.
Festivals
The main traditional festivals include the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, February 2, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Traditional sports activities such as "pearl ball", horse vaulting, camel jumping and skating are usually held during the festival.
Gold Awarding Festival
It is the Manchu "tribe celebration" day. On October 13 of the lunar calendar in 1635, Huang Taiji issued an edict to officially change the clan name "Jurchen" to "Manchu", which marked the formation of a new national unity. In October 1989, at the "First Academic Seminar on Manchu Culture" in Dandong, December 3 of each year was officially designated as the "Gold Awarding Day".
Shangyuan Festival
It is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, commonly known as the "Lantern Festival". Like the Han people, the Manchu people also have the custom of hanging lanterns and eating Yuanxiao.
Walk away from all diseases
A festival for Manchu women. Usually on the 16th day of the first lunar month. That night, women gathered in small groups and traveled far away, either walking on sand and rolling ice, or playing and having fun, which was called "walking on all kinds of diseases".
February 2nd
Commonly known as "the day when the dragon raises its head". That morning, Manchu people scattered stove ashes in the courtyard. The ashes curved like a dragon, so they were called "Yinlong". Then a ceremony is held in the courtyard to pray for good weather. The whole family also eats "Dragon Beard Noodles" and "Dragon Scale Cake". Women cannot do needlework on this day.
Qingming Festival
When visiting the tombs to worship ancestors, it is not like the Han people pressing money on the top of the tomb after paper money, but inserting "Buddha" on the tomb. "Buddha" is Manchu, translated into Chinese as "willow" or "willow branch". According to Manchu belief, Liu is the ancestor of human beings, and human beings are the descendants of Liu. To show that there are successors, willows are placed on the tombs.
Hungry Ghost Festival
The Manchu people regard July 15th as the Ghost Festival, which is also regarded as the "Ghost Festival" to save the souls of the dead. At that time, various temples will set up dojos, light lanterns, chant sutras, and hold various salvation ceremonies.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Manchu people also eat "reunion dinner" during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, when the moon rises, the moon is also offered. That is, a wooden screen was placed on the west side of the courtyard facing east, with cockscombs, edamame branches, fresh lotus roots, etc. hung on the screen for the moon rabbit. An Eight Immortals table is placed in front of the screen, and a large moon cake is served on the table. During the sacrifice, incense is burned and kowtow is performed. Women worship first, followed by men.
Laba Festival
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Manchu people soak in "Laba vinegar" and cook "Laba meat". In addition to eating it for the whole family, it is also distributed to relatives and friends.
Little New Year
The Manchu custom of celebrating the Little New Year is the same as that of the Han people. The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the "Little Year".
At that time, every household will offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God, which is commonly known as "sending the Stove King"