Tibetan Religion and Culture

Author: Wei Qiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: "From Shamanism to Lamaism": The Mongolian people are a historically long-standing, hardworking, and brave ethnic group in the extended family of our motherland, living and thriving on the northern grasslands of China. Through long-term historical development, the current Mongolian population in China is 4,802,407 (statistics from 1990). They primarily reside in the rural and pastoral areas of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with some living in urban areas. The region currently has a Mongolian population of 3,779,000, accounting for approximately 73% of the total Mongolian population in China. The majority are also distributed in Bayanbuluk Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, and Baise Mongol County in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; in Kalarqin Left Banner Mongol Autonomous County and Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County in Liaoning Province; in Qianjiangluo Mongol Autonomous County in Jilin Province; in Duer Mongol Autonomous County in Heilongjiang Province; in Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu Province; and in Haixi Mongol Tibetan Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. A portion also lives in clusters or scattered across provinces and autonomous regions such as Hebei and Henan.
The Yao people have their own language, which belongs to the Hmong-Mien branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Due to the complexity of its branches, the languages spoken in different regions vary significantly. The Yao people commonly use Chinese or Zhuang scripts, as they do not have their own written language.
"Ancestor Worship and Yao Culture": The Yao people share ancestral roots with the "Jing Man" and "Wuling Man" of the Qin and Han dynasties. The religious beliefs of the Yao people vary by region, including natural worship, ancestor worship, and totem worship. Some areas also practice witchcraft and Taoism. The architectural styles of Yao houses are diverse, with the most distinctive being wooden houses. These houses are built near mountains and water, with lower front floors and higher back floors, and their orientation is unrestricted. Typically, wooden houses have three floors: the lower floor is used for housing livestock; the second floor is for living quarters; and the third floor stores grain and other items. Wooden houses are built without a single iron nail yet remain extremely sturdy. The interiors are well-lit and well-ventilated, making them very comfortable.
Yao clothing is often adorned with embroidered patterns in five colors of silk thread, with the saying, "The Yao people love five-colored clothing." The headgear of Yao women is particularly elaborate. There are the "Dragon Coiling" style, where a ten-meter-long embroidered cloth is coiled on the head; the "A" shape style, made by wrapping an embroidered cloth into a narrow top and wide bottom, adorned with colorful silk threads and beads; and the "Half-Moon" style, which features three silver plates shaped like half moons placed on the head. There are countless other types of Yao headgear.
The patterns on Yao men's and women's upper garments are rich and varied, including depictions of flowers, birds, fish, insects, geometric designs, and human figures. The collars come in round or vertical styles, with open front designs, no buttons, and belts tied around the waist. The lower garments include long pants, short pants, cloth skirts, and embroidered skirts. Leg bands are an indispensable part of Yao men's clothing, serving both to protect the legs and to enhance aesthetics.
The Yao people primarily eat rice, sweet potatoes, and taro, and they enjoy drinking sweet wine. When guests arrive, the host first offers them a cup of sweet wine. There is also a special sweet wine for Yao women during their postpartum period, which differs from ordinary sweet wine. It is cooked with ginger slices, brown sugar, and eggs, making it a good tonic. Postpartum women who drink this sweet wine can strengthen their bodies, replenish their blood, and recover their health.
The Yao people have many national festivals, with the most important being the Pan Wang Festival (also known as the Pan Hu King Festival, the legendary ancestor of the She and Yao ethnic groups, said to be a dragon-dog named Pan Hu) and the Dan Nu Festival. The Dan Nu Festival commemorates the creator goddess Miluo Tuo and falls on the 29th day of the fifth lunar month. On this day, families slaughter pigs and sheep, sing, and dance together to celebrate the festival. The Pan Wang Festival commemorates the birth of Pan Wang and falls on the 16th day of the tenth lunar month. On this day, apart from sacrificing to Pan Wang, young men gather to sing and socialize, a practice known as "singing in the song hall." The song hall lasts for three days: the first day is for sacrificing and parading the deity, with the statue temporarily placed in the village; the second day, unmarried young men and women gather in the square for the "song hall," singing together from morning to night; and the third day, all the villagers parade the statue back to the temple. As night falls, drums and music fill the air, and the song hall concludes in a festive atmosphere.
The folk literature of the Yao people is very rich. "Miluo Tuo" is a famous creation epic; "Pan Wang Songs" depict the broad picture of national history and cultural life; and the handwritten Chinese manuscript "Ping Huang Quan Die" records the origins, migrations, and farming practices of the ethnic group, holding significant historical value. This series of books consists of a total of ten volumes.