Miao Family Music Prose in the South of Caiyun

Yanshan, a small border county in the southeast of Yunnan Province, is inhabited by Yi, Zhuang, Miao and Hui ethnic minorities. Xiangshuilong, the largest Miao gathering place in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, is located in Yanshan County. As the saying goes, Miao people occupy the top of the mountain and Zhuang people occupy the head. With the support of the government, these Miao compatriots who were scattered in the hills in the past have moved down from Heiqing, Qinghai, Shuichongchong and other places to live in Xiangshuilong, a new Miao village with unified street planning and unified houses. Every Tuesday, Xiangshuilong is a lively market where villagers in surrounding villages buy and sell goods. From the second day to the eighth day of each year, Xiangshuilong is the stage for the Miao family to hold the "Flower Picking Mountain" activity.

"Flower Mountain", also known as "Flower Mountain Festival", is the most solemn festival of Miao people. "Flower-picking Mountain" is the title of Chinese, and Miao language becomes "Gongdao". The exact meaning of Gong Dao is "mourning in Shan Ye". The festival "Gongdao" actually comes from the commemoration of Chiyou by Miao compatriots. Legend has it that the ancestors of Miao people lived in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, where the land was fertile and cattle and sheep swarmed. The cruel yellow emperor wanted to occupy the Miao nationality's place, so he sent troops to attack the Miao nationality. Miao Wang Meng Ziyou and Chi You led his nine sons, eight girls, Miao people to fight against the Yellow Emperor. Eventually outnumbered, Miao Wang's children died in battle, and Miao ancestors had to migrate to the south. Mengziyou set up a flower pole on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, and held a sacrificial ceremony on the second day of the first month to commemorate the children and compatriots who died in battle. This festival has been handed down from generation to generation. The traditional "Flower-picking Mountain" is for offering sacrifices, but now "Flower-picking Mountain" is a festival for Miao people and even people of all ethnic groups to get together for entertainment in the Spring Festival. From the second day to the eighth day of each year, Xiangshuilong holds competitions such as folk songs, lusheng performances, pole climbing, gyro playing, cockfighting and bullfighting in turn.

I remember that on the second day of the first month of the year before last, we were lying on the hillside under the singing platform of Xiangshuilong, quietly listening to the singing contest. Under us were thick pine leaves, and the sun shone warmly through the cracks in the pine trees. Two singers who participated in the duet finals are holding a competition, and the mountain songs spread in all directions with the tweeter. On the radio, the two began to ask and answer, and gradually the speed of the male singer's answer slowed down. Finally, the competition ended when the female singer sang three songs in a row and the male singer could not sing the lyrics in response. After the host announced the results of the competition, the applause was big or small. If there was any, it sounded from the opposite stage and from the surrounding mountains.

On the sixth day of the first month, it was the fifth day that Xiangshuilong held the activity of stepping on Huashan Mountain. Today's activity was a bullfight, so we drove to Xiangshuilong. There are still hundreds of meters away from Xiangshuilong, and cars are parked on both sides of the road, so we have to get off and walk. When I got off the bus, I saw that the people of Yi, Miao and Zhuang ethnic groups, who were dressed in festive costumes, helped the old and brought the young, and came in pairs from all directions, either by car or on foot. The sky is clear and sunny. On both sides of the road, you can vaguely see scattered petals on peach trees scattered at the foot of the mountain, but the faint pink undoubtedly indicates the coming of spring. The cars parked on both sides of the highway are shining in the bright spring, reflecting all kinds of national costumes, and the world is full of brilliance.

From a distance, I saw that the competition venue was packed. Children sitting on trees, men standing on stones and women standing under trees all craned their necks and looked at the center of the venue. In the small broadcast, the village chief told the cattle owners to draw lots, and the cattle owners went to draw lots in twos and threes to prepare for the game. After a while, two cows in the first race were pulled to the center of the field by the owner, and the race began as soon as the owner loosened the cow rope. I saw the cow on the left rush towards the cow on the right, and the cow on the right ran away without looking back. The audience burst into laughter, and a long-awaited game ended like this. The cows parked in the pine forest waiting for the game reflected round brilliance under the sunshine. The daughter said, "Mom, their bodies are so clean!" " When a Miao woman heard her daughter's words, she quickly said, "Oh, people have to bathe the cow before pulling it to the competition, comb its hair smoothly, and usually feed it carefully."

Yunnan is a barbarian land where ethnic minorities live together in history. In the old society, most of the Miao compatriots used slash-and-burn production methods, lived in poverty, migrated frequently, barefoot, and struggled to get enough to eat. Today, what kind of mood is it when they are bathing their cows and preparing to pull them to the competition? "I asked curiously:" The owner of the cow is so careful to pull the game during the Spring Festival? " A Zhuang woman next to her rushed to answer, "No, they usually fight and play together when they are happy." I only spent a day in Onda on the third day. I came here to participate in the competition this year, and the first prize was awarded 12 yuan by the state. The current national policy is really good. " Yes, in the traditional concept, cows are just tools to help farmers plow their fields with their backs to the loess. But now? When they are in their spare time, pulling cows for fun, what is their status with their cows?

while people are waiting, another game has started. The black cow on the left looks strong, but the yellow cow on the right is full of spirit. The black-flowered cow rushed over, and the yellow cow dodged cleverly, and then found the right time to get together with the black-flowered cow, and they all got up their strength and refused to give way. As the competition became more and more fierce, the audience shouted "Come on, come on". Seeing which way the cow retreated, the organizer with a whip next to him drove it back to the competition field. I remember that a few years ago, I also came here to watch bullfighting. The competition venue was in a ravine, and the audience all squatted or stood on the hillside next to it. The defeated cattle rushed to the hillside, and the audience panicked and laughed, carrying the children, pulling the old man to escape to another hillside, squatting down and continuing to watch. Such a scene is played many times every day. Today, such a scene has become a memory. After several competitions, the black bull panted and lost. The once tense nerves of the audience relaxed again, anxiously waiting for the coming of the next game.

Looking at these bullfights, I can't help thinking that last summer, we went to a Miao colleague's house to pick apricots and eat dog meat. On the mountain road, I met a Miao man who was driving an ox cart. He proudly told us how his cow won the championship in the Spring Festival "Flower Mountain" competition. This year, where will his cattle fight again?

Today's Xiangshui Dragon is not only a bullring, but also a stage for performances by various ethnic groups. The Miao skirt, the Yi waist with bright colors, and the Zhuang headdress with exquisite decoration and strange shape complement each other here. Lusheng dance of Miao nationality, string dance of Yi nationality and towel dance of Zhuang nationality jumped up at the gate, under the eaves and along the road anytime and anywhere.

In recent years, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups in Yanshan have improved, and their spiritual life has become increasingly prosperous. All villages and villages have established literary teams, and the Lusheng sound from Miao Mountain and the Killer sound played in the Yi cottage are playing ancient and harmonious national songs. The Miao people's "Flower Picking Mountain", the Zhuang people's "March 3" and the Yi people's "Torch Festival" make Yanshan, a small border county, full of festive atmosphere all year round, shining with charming national style.