From June, 5438 to February, 2006, Xihe County was named "the hometown of Qiao Qi culture in China" by China Folk Writers Association, and became the third place in Gansu Province to be named "the hometown of Chinese folk literature and art" after Min County and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture were named "the hometown of flowers in China". On June 14, 2008, "Xihe Qiaoqi Festival" was selected as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage in China. Xihe Qiaoqi Festival is a living fossil of China's ancient begging custom. The integrity of the reserve is unique in China.
In the morning, 23-year-old Zhao Yan packed up the clothing store, sat on the bench in front of the store and sent a text message to her sister who was studying in Tianshui to discuss when to go back to the village for the New Year. "All unmarried girls in our hometown will have a holiday. I bought two sets of new clothes for my sister and myself. When she comes, I'll try them on to see if they fit me. " Zhao Yan smiled happily while folding clothes. Every year in the late June of the lunar calendar, girls in Xihe County and surrounding villages are very busy, and Zhao Yan is one of them. Unmarried girls in the same village and neighborhood get together to discuss how to spend the Beggar's Day. "Generally, several sisters with good relationships initiate activities, and unmarried girls in the same village form a' meeting place' (commonly known as a' clever meeting place')." Zhao Yan said. After choosing the venue in Qiao Qi, the girls used their spare time to practice singing "Qiaoqi Song" in menstruation's home with better living conditions. "Songs are mostly taught by older women. Old songs should be passed down from generation to generation, and new songs are mainly pop songs. " On the evening of June 29th, the girls dressed up neatly and lined up, picked up "Empress Joe" and presented trays of candle wax paper. Under the leadership of elderly women, a ceremony to welcome Joe was held by the river.
By the river, the owner burns incense and waxes, burns paper and shoots. The head of "Qiao Niangniang" knelt down to greet the worship, while the other girls stood by the river and sang "Yingqiao Song" together. "On July 7th every year, the Cowherd matches the Weaver Maid in the sky, and the clever empress sets the lotus table. You open the worse gate and send my empress Qiao out. One day is two days. I'll take over the satin shoes worn by Empress Joe, and I'll pick you up in the high mountain. The odd shoes worn by Qiao Niangniang will be picked up by the river ... into the courtyard to sing "Song of Entering the Courtyard" and into the house to sing "Song of Sitting Clever". Then came the dedication of tea fruits and the singing of Tea Song, and the begging activities officially kicked off. From the first day to the sixth day of July, Qiao Qi girls should be present to congratulate each other, exchange songs and dances, and connect the feelings between fellow villagers and neighbors. On the seventh day, begging activities reached a climax. Regardless of the clear spring wells, there are skilled teams singing and dancing in Dazhuang village, and men, women and children gather here to watch the excitement. The host burned incense and paper, set off firecrackers to worship the water god, and the girls danced hand in hand and sang "Song of Meeting the Water". " Meet the water god meet the water god, I welcome the water god to the door, today is the seventh day of July, shooting and burning incense to meet the water god, my daughter bowed her head, the water rippled around the stone, put the water in two jars and shone on my petals ... activities from dawn to noon. In the afternoon, the nearby mountain temple was lively again, and the skillful team went there to worship God and pray for a bumper harvest and a happy life.
In the afternoon, the girls got together and had a big meal. This banquet is called both "farewell dinner" and "heart-to-heart dinner". At the banquet, laughter accompanied by tears in the song, because I don't know which girl will get married in another village next year, so I can't participate in the most free and romantic begging activities of these girls. After the banquet, some girls are going to follow the petals, some are going to give a clever gift, and some continue to sing and dance. It's even more attractive according to the petal ceremony. The girls have already brought their bean sprouts to Qiao Qi. The small porcelain jar for dining table is filled with golden bean sprouts tied with red rope, and the colorless porcelain basin is filled with the water ushered in in the morning. They pinched a bean sprout and threw it on the water, and looked at the reflection reflected at the bottom of the basin by candlelight. One person takes a photo, while others sing "According to Petals Song": "Bean sprouts are thin and curved."
According to the petals, it's already starry night, and it's time to prepare to send Empress Joe back to heaven. The girls burst into tears, singing and dancing, and the host began to set up incense tables and give gifts to the gods.
At the first sound of firecrackers, "Qiao Niangniang" was picked up together with the Lotus Platform, and the sour song "Qiao Niangniang" was sent to the Tianhe Bridge to meet the Cowherd. "Joe empress Lianhuatai went to next year this year, and I want to leave you for a period of time. I'm afraid there will be too much time in heaven. Brother Wild Joe (Magpie) came out to see me across the river. Bad heaven door opened soon, so I can walk in ... "Firecrackers exploded, and the figure of Empress Joe burned to ashes in the fire, and the girls' songs and cries slowly disappeared, begging for originality.
Qiqiao is an ancient folk custom with a wide spread and a long history. It originated from three astronomical phenomena in China culture: Weaver Girl, Petunia and Hehan. It was first seen in Cui's Four-Man Moon Order in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ge Hong's Miscellanies of Xijing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty also recorded that "women in the Han Dynasty often put seven-hole needles in the building on July 7, and everyone gave them", which is the earliest record of begging for skill in ancient literature. "Begging for wisdom" means praying for wisdom from the gods. Begging is begging, and cleverness is ingenuity or clever thinking. Its essence is wisdom. "Begging for Cleverness Festival", also known as "Clever Empress Festival", refers to the day when women celebrate their blessings alone on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Unmarried young women, in order to respect the highly respected "Qiao Niangniang" (Weaver Girl), hope that they can be as ingenious and clever as this fairy, and pray for wisdom and dexterity from Weaver Girl on the day when Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet on Tanabata.
Qiaoqi Festival is a comprehensive festival folk cultural activity integrating sacrifice, poetry, music, dance and arts and crafts. Gansu and even all parts of the country have this custom, and the begging festival in Xihe County of Longnan is the most distinctive. In other parts of China, Begging for Clevership Festival is mostly held on July 7th, but in Xihe County, it lasts for 7 days and 8 nights from June 29th to July 7th. The begging custom in Xihe County can be called the "living fossil" of the ancient begging custom in China. It is one of the best-preserved and oldest large-scale folk festivals and activities in China. Folk programs with long duration, large scale, large number of participants and strong integrity are unique in China. Xihe County was named as the "Hometown of Qiao Qi Culture in China" by China Folk Writers Association on June 5438+February 2006, and became the third county in Gansu Province to be named as "Hometown of China Folk Literature and Art" after Min County and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture were named as "Hometown of China Flowers". On June 14, 2008, "Xihe Qiaoqi Festival" was selected as "the second batch of Chinese intangible cultural heritage".