Manchu archery, horse racing, camel jumping Manchu is a nation that can ride and shoot well. He used to be engaged in hunting for a long time and was good at archery, horse racing and camel jumping. Archery is Manchu's favorite sports competition. Two years ago, Su Shen and Qiu Lou said, "Everyone is good at shooting, and hunting is their occupation." Women riding horses are no different from men. Teenagers can also "gallop with bows and arrows" In the early Qing Dynasty, Manchu rulers made princes and ministers and their children "familiar with bows and horses". "Anyone who shoots illegally will be reprimanded or humiliated by Yulin. You must try to bow your horse before entering the government. " Therefore, archery is at its peak. In towns and villages where Manchu people live in concentrated communities, there are many arrow towers and pavilions. Every spring, Manchu people gather in one place to have an archery competition. Wenchang Pavilion at the south gate of Liao Yan, commonly known as "Arrow Pavilion", is the place where the children of the Eight Banners shoot arrows in the spring competition. Horse racing and camel jumping are also favorite competitive sports of Manchu people, and this custom comes from following the military training program of soldiers of the Eight Banners in Qing Dynasty. In ancient times, a brave man could fly to the enemy to ride a horse and catch his opponent, which later became a sports competition. In ancient horse racing, when the horse flies, it jumps over the back of the horse from the side and then performs various skills on the horse. In the first year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1644), a horse race was held in Beijing. The racers jumped on horseback, "walked around at will" and "rode on horseback with bows and arrows". Jumping a camel is jumping from the back to the hump when the camel is moving forward, and judging by its jumping ability and courage. However, by the beginning of the19th century, the competition had stopped circulating.

2. "Changes of Spring Festival customs from ancient times to the present"

Spring Festival has been an important festival in China since thousands of years ago, but after thousands of years of evolution, the customs of ancient Spring Festival have changed greatly compared with modern times. In ancient times, December 30th (the lunar calendar) was called "New Year's Eve". On this day, every household hangs money on the door, sticks Spring Festival couplets and changes the door gods. In the evening, they light a fire outside the door, burn Piwendan, light a fire inside the house, and light a lamp by the stove to make the whole house bright, symbolizing prosperity and good luck in the coming year. After the first duty, wine and fruit are set to meet the kitchen god. At midnight, they burn incense and light candles at the door, and place fragrant rice, vegetarian dishes and clean fruits. On the altar, pour jujube wine and green tea to welcome the gods and pray for good luck; Set off firecrackers in worship of ancestors. Then a "farewell" was held, and the younger generation saluted the elders in turn, and the elders gave the younger generation "lucky money". After that, the family sat around the fire to watch the New Year and have a reunion dinner. On the first day of New Year's Day, dragons and lions are danced in the streets and alleys, firecrackers are set off and New Year greetings are exchanged. Men put on their best clothes to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends, and children also go to grandma's house and other consorts' houses, such as Jin's house and Gem's house. The women didn't return to their parents' home to pay New Year's greetings until the fourth day of the lunar calendar. When she returned to her husband's house that night, her mother wrapped oranges, peanuts, lotus seeds, brown sugar and sweet covers in red paper and brought them back to her husband's house to meet her. Since the sixth day, all the neighborhoods and villages in urban and rural areas have invited Taoist priests to hold ceremonies to greet the gods, and invited theatrical troupes and troupes to perform plays to reward the gods. In some places, they also marched in the streets with statues and posted symbols on the doors to drive away the plague. On the fifteenth Lantern Festival, people call it Nianzai, and each family "rubs balls with glutinous powder, the little ones boil sugar rice, and the big ones are wrapped with sucrose, which is called Yuanxiao Pills". Friends and neighbors exchange gifts. Around Yuan Xiao, a lantern festival was held. After the Lantern Festival, the annual Spring Festival celebration ended. This is the scene of the ancient Spring Festival, but in modern times, the days have not changed. Every household will hang couplets on their doors and change doors, but at night, it is not so complicated, just that the whole family gets together for a reunion dinner. In some cities where firecrackers are allowed, people will also set off firecrackers at midnight on 12 to welcome the arrival of the new year, and then give away lucky money, but that is the last time. Different from ancient times. From the first day to the fourth day, it is similar to ancient times, but after the fifth day, there is no complicated etiquette in ancient times. By this time, most people have enjoyed their holidays at home. On the Lantern Festival, they can pack jiaozi, and then the Spring Festival will be over. But in fact, the Spring Festival has almost ended on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in modern times, and compared with ancient times, some young people's etiquette is much less complicated now. There is no need for the Spring Festival, and people don't greet it as cheerfully as before, just plain. I think this is the biggest difference from the ancient Spring Festival. Many changes have taken place in the customs of modern Spring Festival. Some people think it's good to be simple, some people think that there was no such atmosphere in ancient times, but I think the present Spring Festival is actually simple without losing that atmosphere, and it is the biggest and best modern Spring Festival.

3. Mulao nationality

In the northwest of Guangxi, China, there is a picturesque green corridor, which is said to be the hometown of Phoenix, where the Mulao nationality, one of the descendants of the ancient Luoyue nationality, lives. The population of Mulao nationality is nearly 1.6 million. Mulao people mainly live in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County, Guangxi. The Mulao language belongs to the Zhuang-Dong language family of Sino-Tibetan language family. Most people speak Chinese and Zhuang, but they don't have their own language, so Chinese characters are widely used. The religious belief of Mulao nationality is mainly polytheism. The economic life of the Mulao nationality is dominated by agriculture, and rice planting and coal mining are important parts of Mulao production. Mulao people live in relatively concentrated areas. People with the same surname live in the same village. In the same village, the Mulao people with the same surname but not their ancestors generally live separately. Living in groups is an important residential feature of the Mulao nationality. Mulao people's houses are mostly low-rise buildings with brick roofs, and the most prominent feature is cooking with stoves. Stoves are built on both sides of the door of the hall or kitchen. First, dig a hole in the ground, build a brick stove in the hole, and put a big water jar next to the stove. Except for the oven door and the altar mouth, all other places are mud. In this way, the ground stove will not go out all day, and there will always be hot water in the water tank, which can not only cook with a pot at any time, but also make the room look comfortable and warm. On holidays, family and friends eat "hot pot" around the stove, which makes them feel happy. Because of the rich anthracite in ancient mountain villages, it is very common to use ground stoves. Mulao people's staple food is rice, corn and potatoes, and they like hot and sour rice and glutinous rice. Ethnic foods include: white steamed bread, dumplings, zongzi and beef tongue. Red, yellow and black glutinous rice and duck dipping sauce are essential dishes for holidays. Mulao people don't like to eat rotten food, and they often eat it when it is ripe. In rural areas, people often eat nutritious tofu dishes. Mulao people advocate cyan, and there are many cyan costumes. Their clothes are elegant and generous, usually decorated with small strips of embroidery on their sleeves and trouser legs. In the Qing Dynasty, Mulao women generally wore tube skirts, but now they wear clothes and trousers with large rows of buttons, and men's clothes are all short sleeves. The most distinctive feature of Mulao costumes is the pointed shoes worn by women. The vamp is embroidered with patterns, carefully crafted and very beautiful. Young men like to wear a hat shaped like a bowl, which is called "bowl hat" by locals. At present, the costumes of the Mulao nationality are similar to those of the Han nationality, and national costumes are only worn on special occasions. The festival culture of Mulao nationality is rich and colorful, including Wang Po Festival on March 3rd (also called Huapo Festival), Niushen Festival on April 8th, Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th and Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th (also called Zoupo Festival). The most distinctive is the "Yifan Festival", which is held once every three years and once a year. Legend has it that in ancient times, the mountain village of Mulao was often invaded by gods and lions. Later, a girl with a white horse shot a lion for the Mulao people, took back the food from the lion's mouth and gave it back to the Mulao people. She also made oxen and buffaloes for the Mulao people with taro and sweet potatoes, let them cultivate the land, and taught them martial arts and killing animals. Since then, the ancient mountain countryside has been in good weather and a bumper harvest is in sight. In order to commemorate the achievements of White Horse Girl, every year in the winter of leap year, the Mulao people take turns to hold a party with their families as a unit, which makes them accustomed to each other, thus forming the Yifan Festival. On this day, the Mulao people will set up colored gates in front of the ancestral hall, put offerings, and perform dances such as holding bowls and incense. It expresses the desire of the Mulao people to pray for favorable weather, prosperity and national security. Young men and women of Mulao nationality generally practice free love, and the Slope Walking Festival on August 15 is the best opportunity for them to get to know each other and fall in love. On the Slope Festival, they dress up together, look for singing partners in the market, ask and answer questions with songs as the medium, and then give each other tokens and settle down for life.

4. The most solemn festival of Dai people: Water-splashing Festival.

Songkran Festival is the biggest festival of Dai people, and it is also the most influential festival with the largest number of participants in ethnic festivals. Songkran Festival is the Dai New Year, which is equivalent to the middle of April in Gregorian calendar. This festival usually lasts for 3 to 7 days. On the first day, the Dai language was called "Mairi", which was similar to the Chinese New Year's Eve. The next day, the Dai language is called "angry day" (empty day); The third day is the first day of the New Year, and it is called "Overlord Horse", which is actually the beginning of a year. People think this day is the most beautiful and auspicious day. In the early morning of the festival, Dai men, women and children put on festive costumes and carried clear water. They first went to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then began to splash water on each other to wish each other luck, happiness and health. People are dancing and shouting "water! Water! Water! " The sound of gongs and drums resounded through the sky, and the water of blessing splashed everywhere. The scene is really spectacular. During the Songkran Festival, Dai youth like to play the game of losing packets in the open space in the forest. The flower bag is made of beautiful flower cloth and contains cotton paper, cottonseed and so on. , and decorated with five spikes at four corners and center. It is the token of love, and young men and women get to know each other through losing and receiving packages. After the girl consciously let the young man lose, the young man gave the girl the prepared gift, and both of them left the crowd and went to a secluded place to fall in love. There will be a dragon boat race during the Songkran Festival. The competition was held on the Lancang River. Groups of dragon boats, dressed in red and green, beat the waves with gongs, shouts and whistles, attracting thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists to the Lancang River, adding a lot of tension and joy to the festival.

5. The Folk Culture of Central Plains Culture: It has a long history and is colorful.

Folk culture has a long history and is a colorful cultural memory of the Central Plains. In the Central Plains region, which is known as the cradle of Chinese civilization and the hometown of etiquette, the hardworking and brave people of the Central Plains have formed many fashions and customs in their long-term production and life, which have been inherited from generation to generation and accumulated rich and colorful folk culture of the Central Plains for a long time. The folk culture in the Central Plains includes not only the living customs of food, clothing, housing and transportation, the etiquette and customs of daily social communication, the living customs of childbirth, weddings and funerals, the Lantern Festival during the Spring Festival, but also the customs of daily life, productive labor, industry and commerce, folk festivals, folk crafts and folk arts. The Central Plains was the center of political, economic and cultural activities in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. As early as this period, a relatively systematic etiquette system was initially formed, and later they gradually evolved into the traditional etiquette system in China. The marriage custom in the Central Plains first appeared at the end of the ancient couple's marriage and the beginning of individual marriage, and it became perfect in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and gradually formed the "six gifts" of accepting gifts, asking names, accepting gifts, inviting guests and welcoming relatives. On this basis, it became a marriage custom such as proposal, ceremony and marriage, which has continued to this day and become the main marriage custom in China. According to archaeological excavations, there were funerals in the Central Plains as early as 20,000 years ago. By the Zhou Dynasty, a relatively complete set of funeral etiquette had been formed, which became an important custom in China. Customs closely related to production and life, such as walking on stilts, rowing on a dry boat, playing with lions, hanging lanterns, etc., such as offering sacrifices to stoves in off-year, observing the 30th anniversary, eating jiaozi on New Year's Eve, lighting lanterns on Lantern Festival, worshiping ancestors in Tomb-Sweeping Day, inserting mugwort leaves in Dragon Boat Festival, watching the stars on Tanabata, enjoying the moon in Mid-Autumn Festival in August, climbing mountains on Chongyang in September, etc., mostly originated in the Central Plains, where the Spring Festival is commonly known as "New Year" or "New Year" After the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, we began to prepare new year's goods. As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the worship of the Kitchen God was one of the "Five Sacrifices". On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as "New Year's Eve", every household has to offer sacrifices to the kitchen god. On the last day of the twelfth lunar month, from the Eastern Han Dynasty, people in the Central Plains called it "New Year's Eve". On this day, every family should pack jiaozi, and the more packages, the better. Every household should post Spring Festival couplets, which originated from the peach symbols created by the Yellow Emperor. Everyone eats jiaozi on the first day of school, which mainly means "making friends at a young age". Paying New Year greetings is an important activity during the Spring Festival. On the first and second day of the New Year's Day, it is a greeting from the family. After the third day, it is a New Year greeting between neighbors, relatives and friends, which lasts until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month. The folk Lantern Festival in the Central Plains is rich in content and grand in scale, and is known as "Small New Year, Big Fifteen". Lighting at 15 o'clock in the first month is an important activity to worship the gods and pray for blessings during the Lantern Festival. During the Spring Festival, there are many colorful "playing with social fire" in the Central Plains, such as walking on stilts, rowing dry boats, playing with lions and hanging lanterns. It originated from ancient worship of land and fire. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has evolved into a comprehensive cultural activity of folk tradition and has become an important part of the national Spring Festival cultural activities. The Central Plains has long been the mode of production of small-scale peasant economy, and has always worshipped the dragon god who can give orders. Legend has it that the dragon ascended to heaven on the second day of the second lunar month, and the ancient Central Plains people designated this day as the "Dragon Head-raising Festival". On this day, there will be various activities, one is to pray for rain from the Dragon King, and the other is to pray for disaster relief and detoxification. Sacrificing ancestors and sweeping graves is the core content of Tomb-Sweeping Day custom in the Central Plains. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrived, people took sacrifices to the cemetery to burn paper and light candles in memory of their ancestors. On Qingming Day, willow branches should be planted at every door, and both men and women should wear wicker rings. In the pre-Qin period, there was a custom of Dragon Boat Festival in the Central Plains. The Dragon Boat Festival in the Central Plains has not only the customs of eating zongzi, pasting Ai Hu, hanging calamus and drinking realgar wine, but also some customs of eliminating disasters and diseases and preventing plague. On this day, people stick the collected mugwort leaves on the door to ward off evil spirits. The "Qixi Festival" on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month originated from the myth that "Cowherd and Weaver Girl Meet Tianhe" originally spread in the Central Plains. Because all the participants are young women, it is also called "Begging for Cleverness Festival". The Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to the moon to welcome the cold in the ancient Central Plains. As a festival, it was formed in the Western Han Dynasty and enjoyed the moon in the Jin Dynasty. It was officially named the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty and has been enduring for a long time. The Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month has a long history, and there are different opinions about its origin. In ancient times, people in the Central Plains took refuge in Huan Jing in Wu Jun's Continued Harmony. On this day, there are customs such as traveling, climbing, looking far, inserting dogwood, drinking chrysanthemum wine and so on, so it is also called "Climbing Festival". In addition, in the traditional concept of Zhongyuan people, "double ninth" means longevity, health and longevity. On this day, with the elderly as the center, there are many activities to respect, love and respect the elderly. The folklore in the Central Plains is not only reflected in various customs and habits, but also in folk festivals, folk arts, folk crafts and other folk cultural activities. The ancient folk temple fairs in the Central Plains are enduring, including the grand Taihaoling Temple Fair, the lively Zhongyue Temple Fair and the grand Xunxian Ancient Temple Fair. Among them, Taihaoling Temple Fair has the longest history. Fuxi Mausoleum, built in Tai Hao and Huaiyang during the Spring and Autumn Period, is commonly known as Renzu Temple. Every year from February 2 to March 3 of the lunar calendar, good men and women from Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Hebei, Hubei and other places come in an endless stream. Some of them worship their ancestors, and some touch the "descendants kiln". During the temple fair, the "selected team" who came to burn incense and worship Buddha sang and danced in front of Taihao Mausoleum, and acrobatics, lions, dragon lanterns, bamboo horses and dry boats were also very lively. The toy "mud dogs" sold at the temple fair are quaint and unique, and people who visit the temple fair will never forget to buy a few. The ancient temple fair in Xunxian County, Hebi, lasted more than a month from the first day of the first month to the second day of February, and spread to more than 80 cities and counties in five neighboring provinces. During the peak hours, the traffic is nearly 300,000. The county seat is four doors and four streets, and the crowds are like a tide. The square garden in the county town has gathered dozens of people from all walks of life, and merchants from several provinces have also arrived at the venue as scheduled, which is called "the first ancient temple fair in North China".

Pick any one.