Tujia Folk Beliefs and Culture — Auspicious Object Worship (Part 4)
The ancient Tujia ox-deity auspicious object takes the ox horn as its form of expression. The ox horn is the most distinctive part of the ox; its fierce appearance and lethal power inspire awe and worship, so it is often used as a substitute for the ox as an auspicious object. The primary significance of the ox horn is to suppress evil and ward off misfortune. The statue of Xiangwang Tianzi in the Xiangwang Tianzi Temple holds an ox horn as if about to blow it, using the ox...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
The ancient Tujia ox deity auspicious object is represented in the form of ox horns. Ox horns are the most distinctive part of an ox; their fierce form and lethality inspire fear and worship, so they are often used as a substitute auspicious object for the ox. The main significance of the ox horn auspicious object is to suppress evil and ward off misfortune. The statue of King Xiang in the Temple of King Xiang holds an ox horn as if about to blow it, thus using the ox horn to embody the evil-suppressing significance of King Xiang. Among the Tujia, the ox horn is also one of the ritual tools of the Tulaoshi (Tujia shaman), used by the Tulaoshi as a horn. The ox horn horn is made from water buffalo horn, with a whistle made of miscellaneous wood at the tip, capable of producing sharp and flat, high and exciting tones like "wu li wu li." When the Tulaoshi performs rituals to summon gods, drive away evil and summon souls, or call for wind and rain, they often blow this horn to enhance their prestige.
2. Yangque. Yangque is the "cuckoo" or "zigui" bird. Yangque is an auspicious bird of the Tujia people. There are various legends about Yangque, and the accounts of its origin differ greatly, but they also share commonalities, namely that they all contain a story of a suffering life. For example, one legend says: A family surnamed Peng had a son named Guiyang, then the wife died of illness, and he remarried and had another son named Guishuang. Although Guiyang and Guishuang had different mothers, they were friendly from childhood, like brothers from the same mother. However, the stepmother disliked Guiyang, made him do heavy work, and did not give him good clothes or good food. During the New Year, the stepmother made Guiyang go up the mountain to cut firewood in heavy snow. While cutting firewood, due to the heavy snow and slippery path, Guiyang fell off a cliff and died. When Guishuang heard this, he was grief-stricken and vowed to find his brother's body. He kept calling in the mountains: "Gui—Guiyang! Gui—Guiyang!" Only his echo replied: "Gui—Guiyang! Gui—Guiyang!" Guishuang called his brother's name as he walked deeper into the mountains, never to return. In the end, the souls of the two brothers both transformed into Yangque. Every spring, they call toward the village, "Gui gui yang—gui gui yang," urging people to start spring plowing. Another legend tells a touching, lingering love story. It is said that long ago there was a cowherd named Li Guiyang who worked for a landlord, often beaten and scolded, enduring hunger. A maid named Meixiang saw his suffering and sympathized deeply, often secretly bringing him food. Gradually, they developed feelings and privately pledged themselves to each other, engaging in intimate relations. Later, when the landlord found out, he insisted that Li Guiyang had abducted his maid and ordered the servants to tie Li Guiyang up and throw him off the cliff. Meixiang clung to Li Guiyang, crying and refusing to let go, but the servants forcibly separated them and pushed Li Guiyang off the cliff. Meixiang cried herself hoarse, constantly shouting: "Li Guiyang, Li Gui!" and then jumped off the cliff to follow Li Guiyang. However, Meixiang transformed into a bird in mid-air, and the bird flew toward the forest, crying "Li Guiyang, Li Guiyang" all the way. Since then, there has been a bird in the world that often makes the cry "Li Guiyang, Li Guiyang," and that is the Yangque. It can be seen that in the Tujia culture, Yangque is both a bird symbolizing kinship and a bird symbolizing undying love. In reality, Yangque is a migratory bird that announces the arrival of spring. In spring, Yangque flies from the forest to the village, calling to people "Gui gui yang, gui gui yang," telling them that the farming season has arrived and it is time to start spring plowing. Yangque is also a beneficial bird that specializes in eating forest pests. Yangque's habits of announcing spring and eating pests have endeared it to the Tujia people, who have attached various legends related to humans, regarding it as an auspicious object with human nature and spirituality. Therefore, the Tujia people prohibit hunting Yangque. In spring, if you hear Yangque call for the first time while eating, it foretells a year of abundant harvest and enough food. If you hear Yangque call while lying in bed, you should immediately get up and walk around. If you hear Yangque call while walking, you should jump three times on the spot. If you hear Yangque call while defecating, it is considered that the filth has offended Yangque, which is unlucky and will bring misfortune, and you will encounter illness within a year, but the remedy is simple: upon hearing the call, immediately stand up and spit three times. In some places, the remedy is more complex, and afterward, one must beg for "hundred-family rice" to eliminate the disaster.
3. Fish. Fish is one of the oldest auspicious objects of all ethnic groups in China. On the painted pottery unearthed from the Yangshao culture site at Banpo in Xi'an, dating back about six thousand years, there are numerous fish patterns, indicating that fish had already become an auspicious object in people's beliefs at that time. Over thousands of years of history, fish has accumulated very rich auspicious meanings, such as symbolizing favorable weather, abundant harvests, many children and blessings, and so on. To this day, eating fish during the New Year still carries the wish for "abundance year after year." However, as an auspicious object, fish has unique uses and meanings among the Tujia people. In the past, when the Tujia people celebrated the longevity of the elderly, fish was essential. Birthday gifts included wine, meat, noodles, eggs, candy, glutinous rice cakes, and longevity peaches (mostly a steamed peach-shaped pastry, or fresh peaches if in season), etc. Among them, fish was probably the most precious birthday gift. Because at birthday celebrations, the numerous fish roe symbolize a house full of children and grandchildren, and continuous descendants. Fish have a long lifespan, so it also symbolizes a hundred years with fish (abundance).
IV. Utensil Auspicious Objects
The Tujia people are a beauty-loving ethnic group, and also a simple, practical people, so their utensil auspicious objects are mostly daily necessities, with a small portion being purely decorative handicrafts.
1. Dew Skirt. The Dew Skirt is a special garment worn by Tujia girls when they marry. It is an eight-panel silk skirt, with the top opening to the right, large sleeves and a wide hem, and the bottom with large trouser legs, both with lace. On the back of the garment is embroidered a bowl, and on the chest is embroidered a bright mirror. It is said that wearing it on the wedding day can suppress evil and drive away ghosts, ensuring eternal peace. The Dew Skirt has an evil-suppressing function in Tujia legends. Legend has it that long ago there was a Tujia young man named Chun Ge, whose parents had both died, and he had no brothers or sisters, an orphan who made a living by selling firewood. One day, Chun Ge went up the mountain to cut firewood and encountered a fox carrying a golden pheasant in its mouth. The struggling pheasant actually spoke human words: "Chun Ge ge, Chun Ge ge! Help me, help me!" Chun Ge found it very strange, so he chased after it and threw a sickle at the fox. The fox saw a flash of white light, dropped the pheasant, and fled for its life. Chun Ge bandaged the pheasant's wound, took it home to heal, and every day washed its wound and fed it rice. When the pheasant saw Chun Ge, it would call incessantly: "Chun Ge ge, Chun Ge ge!" After six times six, thirty-six days, the pheasant's wound healed. One day, Chun Ge accidentally cut his finger while chopping vegetables, and blood dripped onto the pheasant. As soon as the pheasant touched human blood, it transformed into a beautiful woman of eighteen or nineteen. It turned out that this pheasant was transformed from a girl named Jin Ji. Jin Ji was picking tea on the mountain when she encountered a female demon, who used magic to turn Jin Ji into a pheasant. Now, with Chun Ge's blood on it, the pheasant returned to human form. Jin Ji then married Chun Ge. Jin Ji lived a happy life but did not forget the other girls who had suffered persecution by the demon at the same time. She invited Chun Ge to rescue them. Just as they were leaving, they encountered Guanyin Bodhisattva in the colorful clouds. Guanyin Bodhisattva sprinkled a few drops of dew on Jin Ji, and the dew turned into pearls of various sizes strung together, and on her dress drew a golden bowl, and on her chest drew a bright mirror, then left. With Chun Ge's help, relying on this garment, Jin Ji subdued the female demon and rescued the sisters. The garment Jin Ji wore was made of dew, so it was called the Dew Skirt. It is commonly believed that the Dew Skirt can suppress evil and drive away demons, so Tujia girls wear it when they marry to drive away evil on the wedding journey. This legend highlights the evil-driving function of the dew garment. In fact, the wedding garment of Tujia brides is called the dew garment mainly because Tujia weddings are mostly held at night, and the wedding garment worn by the bride has the function of preventing dew; its evil-driving function was added by people to express their wishes for the newlyweds to be free of disasters and have a happy life. When Tujia girls marry, besides wearing the dew garment, they also wear dew shoes and carry a dew umbrella. These were originally tools to shield against the heavy dew in the mountains, and later their health-protecting function evolved into an evil-driving function. The dew garment thus became an auspicious object for warding off evil in marriage. In the Tujia grass-hoeing gong and drum song, it is sung:
"Come early, come early,
Wearing the dew garment, wearing dew shoes,
Holding the dew umbrella, I wouldn't come if not for my love."
2. Dream Kerchief. When a Tujia girl marries, she must wear a red cloth kerchief on her head, which the Tujia people give the very romantic name "Dream Kerchief," meaning a kerchief that makes dreams come true. It can be seen that the Dream Kerchief is an auspicious object carrying people's good wishes for the bride. The Dream Kerchief also has a legend. Legend has it that long ago there was a family with only one boy. The child's parents doted on him excessively. When the boy grew to seventeen or eighteen, his parents arranged a marriage for him. Unexpectedly, the boy had a bad temper, and after inviting matchmakers to propose to more than a dozen families, he found none to his liking. The father became angry and insisted on arranging a very ugly girl for him. This girl had only one eye and a head full of scabs. The girl's family knew she was not presentable, so on the wedding day, they put a red cloth kerchief on her head. After the wedding ceremony, when they were sent to the bridal chamber, the groom lifted the veil and saw a beautiful woman. The next day, when the groom's father saw this fairy-like daughter-in-law, he was very puzzled. Later, the girl told others about her strange experience, which resolved the mystery. According to the girl: "After putting on the red cloth kerchief, I vaguely entered a fairyland and had a dream of exchanging heads with a fairy; when I woke up, I looked like this." From then on, the custom of brides wearing red cloth was formed. In fact, this custom was introduced from the Han people, and after being introduced to the Tujia, new meanings were added, and such legends were attached.
3. Flower Lantern. Flower lanterns have been rich in meaning and auspicious for all ethnic groups in China since ancient times. Among the Tujia, flower lanterns are mainly used during the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month. Every first lunar month, people hold high flower lanterns made in the shapes of fish, shrimp, lions, etc., with candles lit inside, and parade through streets and villages with colorful lotus boats, paying New Year calls and sending spring to every household. At each house, they perform programs such as rowing the colorful lotus boat, dragon dance, and lion dance. The colorful lotus boat performance is carried out by a new girl and four boatmen. The new girl is inside the colorful lotus boat, holding a flower boat made of bamboo and colored paper, taking small steps as if the boat is moving. The boatmen row outside. The boatmen and the new girl sing in antiphonal style; after singing a section, they circle the area once. Wherever the flower lanterns go, there are huge crowds. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, playing with flower lanterns reaches its climax. The next day, various flower lanterns are burned, announcing the end of the lantern festival. During the festival, flower lanterns and the folk custom of playing with them have meanings such as celebrating a good year, hoping for another good harvest in the coming year, and blessing people with happiness, health, and family prosperity.
The Tujia people also have a special lantern called the Biao Lantern. The Biao Lantern is made of tissue paper, pointed at the top and round at the bottom, 8 feet high and 3 feet in diameter, with two shoulders at the top, and a bamboo strip circle at the bottom, with a thin wire cross in the circle, and a cloth ball soaked in oil tied to the center of the cross. The Biao Lantern can rise into the sky. Every Qingming Festival, the Tujia people fly this Biao Lantern. Two people hold the Biao Lantern, one person lights the oil cloth ball, and when the lantern is filled with hot air, it quickly rises into the sky, some can fly up to a thousand meters high. Only when the cloth ball burns out does the Biao Lantern slowly descend. The significance of flying Biao Lanterns on Qingming is to drive away the fire god Zhurong and send away the plague god, so it is commonly believed that the farther the Biao Lantern flies, the farther Zhurong and the plague god are sent, and the place where the Biao Lantern lands will suffer fire and plague. In recent years, flying Biao Lanterns has lost its superstitious color and has become an entertainment activity competing to see whose Biao Lantern rises higher.
4. Urn-Belly Basin. The urn-belly basin is one of the dowries given when a Tujia girl marries. It is made of wooden boards, round in shape, wide in the middle and narrow at both ends, resembling an urn's belly, hence the name. The urn-belly basins used for marriage are generally two, nested together. The man uses the large one, the woman the small one. The reason this foot-washing urn-belly basin is made in the shape of an urn's belly is to use the form of a pregnant mother's abdomen to bless the newlyweds with an early child. The urn-belly basin is an auspicious object symbolizing the mother's womb and wishing for children.
5. Hundred-Family Lock. When a Tujia child turns one year old, a hundred-family lock is made for him and hung around his neck to protect him from illness and disaster and ensure healthy growth. The hundred-family lock is a lock-shaped silver ornament hung on a neck ring; its meaning lies in using the lock to lock up the child's fate and prevent evil from invading. It is called a hundred-family lock because this small silver lock is forged by someone commissioned with money pooled from a full hundred families; its meaning lies in gathering the strength of many families into the lock to strengthen its power to lock down destiny and help the child pass through the perils of childhood. On the day the child turns one, relatives and friends all come to congratulate, and each family must contribute a small amount of money to make the hundred-family lock for the child. If fewer than a hundred families contribute, the child's parents must go to some households to beg for money (a very small amount) to make up the money of a hundred households, then give it to a silversmith to forge the hundred-family lock. Inside the lock is placed a slip of paper bearing the names of the hundred household heads, and the surface of the lock is engraved with blessings such as "Long Life, Wealth, and Honor." It is popularly believed that when a child wears this silver lock, he can turn misfortune into good fortune. The lock is not removed until the child is over twelve years old; at that time the hundred families must again be invited to be present, and a Daoist priest performs a ritual to remove the lock, signifying that the child has safely passed through the perils of childhood. Pooling the money of a hundred families is often not easy to accomplish, so there is also a simpler method: exchanging money for a beggar's money. A beggar's money is collected door to door, so it naturally comes from a hundred families; when exchanged to make the lock, the lock is likewise made from the resources of a hundred families. The hundred-family lock and its custom are also popular in Jiangxi and may have been introduced from there.