Dai people's tree god worship ceremony

Sichuan
🎧  Listen to Introduction

The Yanbian Dai people's tree worship is a solemn nature worship custom in which all members of the tribe participate. It is usually held on the third day of the first lunar month or the sixth day of the sixth lunar month every year. In the morning, the Dai "Dongba" plays the gourd pipe and leads the team. Behind him are the tribesmen who use dustpans and trays to hold sacred objects (copper bells, wooden hexagrams, wooden strips, etc.), sheep heads, fresh fish, live roosters, wine, rice cakes, etc. Two young men carry two incense sticks weighing about 50 kilograms and fresh pine needles weighing about 50 kilograms. They come to the tree from the preparation point, walk around the tree three times clockwise, and stand solemnly with their backs to the west. After the tribesmen scatter the fresh pine needles on the ground, they place the offerings one by one on the ground. In front of the "Dongba", the "Dongba" lit white and green incense and shouted "half chicken, half duck, rice cakes, let's come to worship the gods first" to make the cock's comb bleed, and then use chicken blood to dip three chicken feathers around the tree trunk. After sticking three feathers on the wooden strips, he knelt on the ground and shook the copper bell to chant scriptures. After chanting, he toasted the tree god with wine and tea, then blew the gourd pipe to lead everyone to say goodbye, scattered rice cakes under the tree, and finally returned to the courtyard to eat mutton, chicken, fish and drink wine. In the evening, a bonfire was burned in the center of the dam, and the Guozhuang was danced until late at night, and the sacrificial activities ended. Through this activity, the customs and habits left by the ancestors are spread and preserved, the cohesion of the nation itself is generated, the national self-esteem is cultivated, and the unity of the nation is enhanced. It plays a very important role in the study of Dai traditional culture and is a living textbook for folk work. On April 4, 2023, the "Dai Tree God Worship Ceremony" was announced by the People's Government of Sichuan Province as the sixth batch of representative projects of Sichuan Province's intangible cultural heritage.

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