Dance
There are many types of Dai dances. The movements and content mainly simulate the activities of common local animals and are personified on this basis. Peacock dance comes not only from the imitation of the graceful movements of the peacock, but also from the beautiful and moving legend of the Dai people. The famous dancer Dao Meilan is famous at home and abroad for her peacock dance.
Famous Festival Dancer - Dao Meilan (Dai Nationality)
The Water Splashing Festival (Dai New Year) is the most distinctive festival of the Dai people. The festival falls in June of the Dai calendar, which is equivalent to April of the Gregorian calendar. On the day of the Water Splashing Festival, people worship Buddha. Girls wash the Buddha's dust with water filled with flowers, and then splash water on each other and wish each other well. At first, they used hands and bowls to splash water, and later they used basins and buckets. They poured and sang at the same time. The more they poured, the more intense they became. The sound of drums, gongs, water splashing, and cheers rang out. During the Water Splashing Festival, traditional entertainment activities such as dragon boat racing, flying lanterns and flying lanterns are held as well as various singing and dancing parties.
Folk residences
The bamboo house where the Dai people live is a kind of stilt-style building. The bamboo building is approximately square, supported by dozens of large bamboos, with suspended floors; the roof is covered with thatch rows, and the bamboo walls have large gaps for ventilation and light transmission. The slopes on both sides of the roof are very large, forming an A-shape. The bamboo building is divided into two floors. People live on the upper floor, and livestock are raised and sundries are piled downstairs. It is also a place for pounding rice and weaving cloth.
Dai men generally wear collarless sleeveless shirts, long trousers, and wrap their heads with white or blue cloth. The clothing of Dai women varies greatly from place to place, but basically they all have the same characteristics: tied hair, tube skirts and short shirts. The tube skirt reaches to the feet, the clothes are tight and short, the hem only reaches the waist, and the sleeves are long and narrow.
Food
Rice is the staple food of the Dai people, and their most distinctive feature is bamboo tube rice. The production method is to put the rice into fresh bamboo tubes, add water, and grill it on the fire. It tastes fragrant and delicious.
Pu'er tea is a specialty product of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. It was sold to all parts of China in the Tang Dynasty, and to Southeast Asia and South Asia in the Qing Dynasty. It has now entered the markets of Japan, Western Europe and other countries and regions, and has become a famous tea both at home and abroad. .
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture is very rich in specialties. There are more than 110 kinds of fruits alone. There are many kinds of animals and plants here, and it is the famous "Plant Kingdom" and "Animal Kingdom". In 1991, Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve was officially opened to the outside world. People can visit the treasure house of nature and appreciate the rich subtropical customs.
[Edit this paragraph] Folk dance
Peacock dance
The peacock dance is called "Jialuoyong", "Fan" in Dai language "Luoyong" or "Jiannanluo". This is the most popular dance among the Dai people and is popular in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Dai women are generally slender, with pure and delicate faces. They look graceful and graceful, so they are known as the "Golden Peacock".
The rich and beautiful Dai Township is known as the "Hometown of Peacocks". In the past, whenever the morning light was dim or the sunset was slanting, it was common to see graceful peacocks dancing. Therefore, peacocks are in the hearts of the Dai people. It is a symbol of good luck, happiness, beauty and kindness. During every festival, the Dai people gather together to watch peacock dances and dances that express the habits of peacocks performed by folk artists based on folk stories, myths and legends, and Buddhist scriptures. For example, the peacock dance based on the mythical story "The Devil and the Peacock" is still widely circulated among the people. The dance shows the devil's desire to take over the peacock as his wife. The peacock with a human face and a bird's body flutters its beautiful feathers. The brilliant and brilliant light makes the devil brother blind, and the peacock wins.
Origin?
There are many moving legends circulating among the Dai people about the origin of peacock dance. Legend has it that a long time ago, the leader of the Dai people called Ma Su to lead four thousand people to find happiness. After arriving at "Lai Shaomeng", they heard the sound of fruits falling into the water and the sound of fish eating water, and saw peacocks following this beautiful sound. Dance a beautiful dance, and when they return, they imitate the sounds and the movements of the peacock. Dance the peacock dance with the accompaniment of drums and cymbals. In some ancient Burmese temple murals and sculptures, you can see many lifelike images of peacocks with human faces and bird bodies, which are very similar to the peacock dance wearing a steeple helmet, a mask, and a peacock costume. There are also records about peacock dance in the "Unofficial History of Nanzhao" of the Ming Dynasty: "The elder and the younger dance together after marriage, and the Lusheng is played for peacock dance..." It can be seen that peacock dance has a long history.
The peacock dance movements performed by the famous dancer Dao Meilan?
The peacock dance is usually performed by one, two or three people. Whenever a dancer dances happily, everyone cheers "I--I" and "Water--water", and the atmosphere is very lively. The peacock dance has a relatively fixed performance program, which mostly imitates the peacock flying out of the nest, sensitive inspection, peaceful stroll, searching for water, drinking water, playing in the water, bathing, shaking wings, drying its wings, spreading its wings to compare with the beauty of all things, and flying freely and happily. ……wait.
The movements of peacock dance are extremely rich. The most common hand postures include "palm posture", "peacock hand posture" (the thumb is slightly buckled inward, the index finger is bent back, and the other three fingers are raised like a fan), "eye posture" "(the index finger and thumb are slightly close together, and the other three fingers are raised like a fan), etc. The steps include tiptoe step and "undulating step" (the power leg is kicked up towards the buttocks driven by the heel and then the whole foot lands on the ground, and the main leg flexes and extends accordingly) etc.
Style
The dance style can be divided into the following three categories: The first is the male peacock dance, which has obvious ups and downs in the dance. "Three bends" characteristics. The second is the female peacock dance, which is mostly performed by men. The knees rise and fall slowly, the dance posture is graceful and delicate, and the chest and shoulder rotation are often reflected, which reflects its subtle and charming form. The drumbeat is light and slow. The third is the peacock dance, which often uses quick trembling and short steps in a semi-squatting state. The lower legs are flexible and light, and the drumbeat is fast and light.
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Drums
The drums of the Dai people can be roughly divided into two types: one is a single-sided drum, which is called "Guang La Leng" in Dai language, and the other is a double-sided drum, which is called "Guang La Leng" in Dai language. "Guangshuangla". Because the shape of the single-sided drum is like an elephant's leg, it is named "Elephant Foot Drum"?
Elephant Foot Drum
In Dai language, it is called "Jia Guang" or "Fang Guang" (the drum is called "Guang" and the dance is "Jia"). "Jia Guang" is the most popular dance among men in the Dai area. During the harvest season, the elephant foot drum is danced to celebrate. The elephant foot drum is not only a prop for folk dances, but also the main instrument to accompany other dances. When dancing, drums are necessary. There is dance, and only with the accompaniment of the elephant foot drum can the dance be vivid and enjoyable.
The origin of the elephant foot drum dance
There are many folklore about the elephant foot drum and its dance. It is said that in ancient times, a couple took a nap by the pool after working. Suddenly the wind blew the ripe mangoes from the tree into the water, making a "boom-boom" sound. This sound brought them joy. After they returned home, they hollowed out the tree and covered it with cowhide to make a drum. During the swing, they carried the drum on their backs and soon spread the word. In the past, two young men who tamed elephants made elephant foot drums based on the elephant's feet. There is also a record in "History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Baiyi": "Long leather drums of different sizes are held by hand."
Actions
During the performance, the dancer carries the left shoulder like a foot drum, with the drum facing forward and the tail of the drum pointing downward. The right hand is the main drummer, and the left hand is usually used to cooperate with the fist, palm and finger. The drum surface is sometimes struck with elbows, knees, heels, toes, etc. The ups and downs of the knees are closely coordinated with the movements of the drum. When the drum is played with the hands, the knees are bent and raised. The dance steps are very rich, including "forward half squat", "backward half squat", "step full squat", "eight-step half squat", and one leg is the main force. Use one leg to perform posture movements such as kicking, lifting, kicking, etc., as well as sucking jumps, kicking jumps, bouncing jumps, and cross-leg jumps.
Classification
Elephant foot drums have three drum shapes: long, medium and small. There are three different jumping methods according to the shape of the drum. ?
The first type is to encourage people with long elephant legs. It is mainly popular in Ruili County of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Mengding in Gengma, some areas of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Menglian area. The drum body is about two meters long. Because the drum body is relatively heavy, it is mostly used as a dance accompaniment. When dancing, the steps are slow and steady, and the knees rise and fall powerfully. Drum beats are the most abundant and have formed a certain drum language, which can express the joy, anger, sadness and joy of the Dai people. ?
The second type is to encourage the middle elephant foot. It is mainly popular in Luxi County, Yingjiang County, Gengma County, Jinggu County, Mengdao and some areas in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. The drum body is about 1.5 meters long and is lightweight. Its main feature is that the tail of the drum needs to be swung and thrown up when dancing. Because there are clusters of peacock feathers on the tail of the drum, it looks very beautiful when it swings.
To swing the drum is to make the tail of the drum swing from side to side, and to swing the drum is to press the head of the drum down and swing the tail of the drum upward. Zhongxiang foot drum dance is not only performed on festivals, but also has a special drum competition day every year. The winning criteria are the length of the drum sound, the quality of the timbre and the swing of the drum tail. ?
The third type is the encouragement of little elephant feet. It is only popular in Xishuangbanna area. The drum is less than one meter long and has rich movements. It is often used as a companion to the peacock dance. The range of movements is large, including steps such as sucking the legs and jumping, bouncing the legs, and lifting the legs. ?
Jia with light dance
"Jia with light" means everyone dancing in circles around the drum. It is the most popular and popular among the Dai people. It is a group dance that is not limited to place or time. Dozens or hundreds of people can form a circle and dance in a clockwise direction. During festivals, they dance all night long.
The dance is simple and passionate, with outstanding characteristics. Women's knees vibrate more evenly, and they dance more smoothly. Generally, steps such as "wandering step", "undulating step", "point step" and "lunge step" are the main ones. The movements of the hands are relatively simple, usually in a natural way, alternately wrapping the wrist downwards in front of the chest or lifting the hands upward from the armpits.
Sister-in-laws and the elderly dance in a circle. The elderly move slowly, with obvious ups and downs of their knees. They often express their excitement by leaning forward and backward in a large way. Their movements are free and free. Young people outside the circle are required to move uniformly and neatly. The drum beats that accompany the light are very rich. ?
Double-sided encouragement
In Dai language, it is called "Guangbang", "Guangliang", "Guangshuangla", "Guanghong", "Guangmeng" "Yang" etc. It is spread in Yingjiang County, Ruili County in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, some areas in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and Mengdong area in Gengma County and Cangyuan County. It is the oldest encouragement of the Dai people. This kind of drum has one big end and one small one, and is covered with skin on both sides. The small double-sided drum is about a foot and a half long and can be hung horizontally on the body. When dancing, the drum is played with the palm of the right hand and the left hand with a bamboo piece. The movements are undulating. Dance postures such as squats are commonly used, and the three-bend shape is more prominent. A large double-sided drum with a basket-like body and a diameter of sixty-seven centimeters. It requires two people to carry it on a bamboo pole. The dancer swings the mallet with both hands, turns around with cloud hands, sucks the legs, kneels and squats, etc. to play the drum. Some drums are played on the ground, and the sound is sonorous and powerful. People form a circle, hold flowers or handkerchiefs, sing and dance, which is similar to the performance form of Cantonese dance with light.
Fish Dance
It is called "Jaba" in Dai language. It is mainly spread in Ruili County of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, and gradually spread to other areas after liberation.
It is said that when the Dai people discovered fish and learned to fish, they started dancing to imitate fish. There are only one or two performers of the fish dance, and the dancers dance with fish-shaped props on their bodies. Fish dance is softer, more delicate, smart and lively than other Dai folk dances. It is mainly manifested in the undulating and gentle knee-bending and half-foot shuffling movements. The small jumps are agile and lively. It shows that when fish are roaming in calm water, they often use the whole-foot or half-foot bending knee shuffling to walk. There is no ups and downs, and the hands and upper body only swing left and right. . When showing fish playing in the water or fighting against rapids, leaping movements such as small jumps, small jumps, and small turns are often used to create vivid and lifelike images.
Fish dances mostly use fish-shaped gestures (the palm of one hand is placed on the back of the other hand, and the thumb is extended), or the hands are drawn outward in a circle and the arms are swung back as typical movements. The drum beats of the Fish Dance are relatively slow and light, and the rich drum language is no less than that of the Peacock Dance.
Dapeng Bird Dance
It is called "Jialun" in Dai language. It is an ancient folk dance danced by the Dai people in grand festivals. It is mainly popular in Ruili County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture.
According to legend, the Rain God ran away a long time ago. It did not rain in the Dai area and the earth was scorched. The roc ignored his wife holding eggs and started a desperate struggle with the Rain God. A few days later, Dapeng defeated the rain god and caused it to rain, but Dapeng's wife and children had already died of hunger. In order to express their respect for the Dapeng, the Dai people created the Dapeng Bird Dance, which has been passed down to this day.
The Dapeng bird dance is vigorous and rough, with large and powerful movements. The dance mainly shows the movements of the roc bird fighting the rain god and its temperament of not fearing violence. The movements change quickly and powerfully, and the modeling time is long. The "three turns" dance posture is sharp and angular. For example, the performance is usually a big jump followed by a big dance shape, showing the power of the roc bird flying down from the sky. Use claw hand styles (fingers spread out in a fan shape) and palm hand styles, which enhance the strength of the movements.
There are only one or two performers of the Dapeng Bird Dance. In the past, roc-shaped props and masks were used in dances, but now they are mostly discarded, allowing the dance movements to be fully developed. The drum beats are exceptionally rich and the sound is deep and powerful.
Egret Dance
In Dai language, it is called "Jiayang" and "Jialuoyang". It is a collective dance performed by young people during festive seasons. It is mainly popular in Ruili and Luxi counties of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture.
In the past, dancers had to wear snow-white clothes and dance with two bright red ribbons on their shoulders, but this is now rare. Snow-white egrets are often seen in bamboo forests or paddy fields near Dai villages. There are different folklores about the origin of the heron dance. One of them says: In ancient times, there was a very poor young man who worked hard every day. The egret liked him very much and danced gracefully for him. From then on, the young man and the egret began to dance affectionately. Later, people adapted this dance into a duet dance for young people. It is also said that a kind of ethnic group called "Yang" once visited the Dehong area, and this kind of dance represents the process of their working in the fields.
The egret dance is generally a counter dance with opposite movements. The formation is usually two horizontal rows on the left and right. After meeting, it becomes two vertical rows, four rows, two circles, etc. Often one person directs the transformation of various actions and graphics. The movements of the heron dance are simple and elegant. The rhythm processing of the dance steps is different from other Dai folk dances. During the weak beat, the knees bend quickly and the power leg is lifted up quickly. During the heavy beat, the knees straighten with flexibility, and the power leg lands lightly on the sole of the foot at the same time, which vividly imitates the walking of a heron. action. There are special movements such as clapping hands in front of the chest and arching the chest. The drumming is light and simple.
Garland Dance
Called "Jiadong" in Dai language, it is a collective dance of young people. It is mainly popular in some areas of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Nowadays it is only danced on grand festivals and has become an organized dance performance.
From very early times, whenever the Water Splashing Festival and other religious festivals come, young men and women go in groups to the mountains, forests and riversides to collect the brightest and most beautiful flowers, and then blow them. They sang and danced with elephant foot drums to bring flowers to the Burmese temple to build a flower pavilion. This ancient custom is still spread in Dai villages.
There is a legend about the origin of the garland dance: Once upon a time, there was a poor young man who felt that his clothes were in tatters when he went to Bazi to perform the dance, so he picked many flowers, tied them into a garland, put it on his body, and went down the mountain. Later, he danced to the joyful sound of elephant foot drums. A girl fell in love with him and sang songs as he danced, and the garland dance was born.
The garland is made of bright flowers tied on a bamboo grate about two meters long. When dancing, hold both ends of the garland with both hands, and focus on the changes of the garland while moving the steps. And form patterns with national characteristics. When the garland dance reaches bliss, it is directed by one person, and the dancers move from the slow to the allegro together, with movements such as tiptoeing and "small jumps".
Fan Zheng
In Dai language, the sword dance and dances such as stick, fist and stick are called "Fan Zheng", "Jia Zheng" and "Ling Zheng". all". It's a male dance. It is spread in the vast Dai area and is similar to the martial arts of the Han people.
In the beautiful Dai Township, Dai men all wear a refined sharp knife, which symbolizes their bravery and might. At the same time, the knife is also a useful tool for productive labor. The knife dance is called "Jia La" or "Fan La" in Dai language. The movements are powerful and vigorous, often using steps such as "big eight-character stamping", "leg flicking", "kicking and jumping" and "squat sliding". These movements are rarely seen in Dai folk dances.
Knife dance includes single swords, double swords, short swords and long swords (similar to swords) and different genres such as local, mainland and Myanmar. Each genre has its own strict performance procedures and movements. It can be performed by one to more than a dozen people, and the dance can be performed without accompaniment or with the accompaniment of an elephant foot drum. Stick, club, boxing and sword dance are basically similar.
Gadot
Also known as "Fan Duo", it is a kind of prop dance. This dance used to be performed during grand religious festivals, but now it is only popular in Mengding and Menglian counties of Gengma County.
"Duo" is a deified animal. It is said to have a lion's head, a dog's mouth, antlers, a long neck, and fine hair. This dance is called "Red Deer Dance" in Chinese. Gaduo still dances with props. The props are one foot long and eight feet long. They are made of bamboo grates and made into a 45-centimeter circle. The outside is wrapped with cloth and cut white paper is glued on top to make feathers.
Generally, two people work together to play the role of a red deer. The dancer in front decorates the head and front body of the deer, and uses a stick to support the neck to perform scratching movements. The dancer in the back controls the tail and performs agile small jumps and flops to both sides. , Tengzhuan and other actions. The dance steps and drum beats are similar to peacock dance.
Yilahe Dance
Also known as "Fan Yihe". Popular in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
During the Dai New Year "Water Splashing Festival" and "Open Door Festival" or festive days, the Dai people will dance this dance happily, because each libretto is followed by "Yilahe" as a liner. Got its name. The characteristics of Yi Lahe dance are similar to that of Jia dance with light. ?
Water-Splashing Festival
Water-Splashing Festival is a traditional festival for the Dai people to see off the old and welcome the new. It takes place in mid-April in the Gregorian calendar. The main activities during the festival are ancestor worship, making sand, Festivals such as water splashing, sandbag throwing, dragon boat racing, fireworks, and singing and dancing carnivals.
The Close-Door Festival
The " Close-Door Festival" is called "Jinwa" in Dai language, which means the Buddha enters the temple. The traditional religious festival of the Dai people in Yunnan starts on September 15th of the Dai calendar (mid-July of the lunar calendar) and lasts for three months.
According to legend, in September of the Dai calendar every year, the Buddha went to the West to preach to his mother. , it took three months to return to the human world. Once, when the Buddha was in the West to preach, thousands of Buddhists went to the countryside to preach, destroying the people's crops and delaying their production. The people complained and were very dissatisfied with the Buddha. After the Buddha learned about this, he felt uneasy. From then on, whenever he came to the West to preach, he would gather all the Buddhists and stipulate that they were not allowed to go anywhere during these three months and could only repent in order to redeem themselves. Therefore, people call it "Opening Festival", also known as "Chuwa", which is called "Haowasa" in Dai language. A traditional festival of the Deang people and some Wa people. Popular in Yunnan, it originates from the ancient Buddhist habit of living in peace during the rainy season, which is similar to the restoration of Buddhism in the Central Plains. The time is on the 15th day of the twelfth month of the Dai calendar (about the middle of the ninth month of the lunar calendar).
The Open-Door Festival symbolizes the end of the three-month rainy season and the lifting of the marriage taboos between men and women since the "Open-Door Festival". From now on, young men and women can start free love or hold weddings. On the festival day, young men and women dressed in costumes go to Buddhist temples to worship Buddha and offer food, flowers, wax sticks, and coins as offerings. After the sacrifice is completed, a grand cultural gathering is held to celebrate the end of the fast since the Close-Door Festival. The main contents include setting off sparks and soaring, lighting Kongming lanterns, singing and dancing. The young people will also dance around the village with lanterns in the shapes of various birds, animals, fish, insects, etc. At this time, the rice harvest is completed, so it is also a festival to celebrate the harvest.
It is taboo for outsiders to ride horses, drive cattle, carry burdens and enter the village with disheveled hair; when entering a Dai bamboo house, you must take off your shoes outside the door and walk softly inside the house; you cannot sit on top of the fire pit or Crossing the fire pit, you cannot enter the master's inner room, and you cannot sit on the threshold; you cannot move the tripod on the fire pit, and you cannot step on the fire with your feet; it is taboo to whistle or cut nails at home; you are not allowed to use clothes as pillows or sit on pillows; when drying clothes , tops should be exposed to the sun at a high place, and pants and skirts should be exposed to the sun at a low place; shoes should be taken off when entering a Buddhist temple, and it is taboo to touch a series of Buddhist sacred objects such as the head of a young monk, Buddha statues, spears, flags and flags. Don't make any loud noises.
Most Dai people have the habit of eating two meals a day, with rice and glutinous rice as their staple food. The Dai people in Dehong eat Japonica rice as their staple food, while the Dai people in Xishuangbanna eat glutinous rice as their staple food. People usually believe that japonica rice and glutinous rice can only lose their original color and fragrance if they are eaten freshly and freshly pounded. Therefore, they do not eat overnight rice or rarely eat overnight rice, and they are used to kneading the rice with their hands. Migrant workers often eat outdoors. They use banana leaves or rice to hold a ball of glutinous rice, along with salt, spicy pepper, sour meat, roast chicken, Nanmi (meaning sauce in Dai language), and moss pine. All side dishes and snacks are mainly sour, such as sour bamboo shoots, sour pea powder, sour meat and wild sour fruits. I like to eat dried sauerkraut. The method of making it is to dry the green vegetables in the sun, then boil them in water, add papaya to make them The taste becomes sour, then dried and stored. When eating, add a little to boiled vegetables or put it in soup. The Dai people who have a place for this pickled cabbage eat it almost every day. It is said that the reason why the Dai people often eat sour dishes is because they often eat glutinous rice food that is not easy to digest, and sour food helps digestion.
Their daily meat diet includes pigs, beef, chickens and ducks, and they do not eat or eat less mutton. The Dai people living in the mainland like to eat dog meat, are good at roast chicken and roasted chicken, and like fish, shrimp, crab, snails, and moss very much. and other aquatic products.
Using moss as a dish is a unique flavor of the Dai people.
The moss that the Dai people eat is the moss on the rocks in the river in spring. Dark green is the best. After it is picked, it is torn into thin slices, dried in the sun, and tied with bamboo strips for later use. When cooking, fry the thick ones in oil, roast the thin ones over fire, make them crispy and then mash them into a bowl. Pour boiling oil on them, then add salt and mix them. Use glutinous rice balls or bacon as a dip to enjoy the delicious taste.
Cooked fish is often made into sour fish or grilled into lemongrass grass carp. In addition, fish is also made into minced fish grits (that is, grilled fish, pounded into a paste, and mixed with coriander and other seasonings), fish jelly , grilled fish, eel in white sauce, etc.
When eating crabs, the crabs with shells and meat are usually chopped into crab sauce and eaten with rice. The Dai people call this crab sauce "crab Nanmibu".
Bitter melon is the most produced and consumed daily vegetable. In addition to bitter melon, Xishuangbanna also has a kind of bitter bamboo shoots, so the Dai flavor also has a bitter flavor. The most representative bitter dish is the beef skin cold dish platter cooked with ox bile and other ingredients.