STUDY IN CHINA GLOBAL (SCG)The Naxi minority is one of the 56 ethnic groups in China and one of the unique ethnic groups in Yunnan. Most of them live in Lijiang City in Northwest Yunnan. The rest are distributed in other counties and cities in Yunnan, Yanyuan, Yanbian, Muli, and other counties in Sichuan. A few are also distributed in Mangkang County in Tibet.
Naxi has its own national language, and Naxi belongs to the Yi branch of the Tibeto Burman language family of the Sino Tibetan language family. Naxi is unique in art, and its poetry, painting, sculpture, music, and dance are famous at all times and all over the world.
The Naxi family organization is widespread, and it is a nationality with a high degree of settlement. The kinship organization of Nari people (Mosuo people) in the Luguhu area maintains relatively ancient characteristics, and Naxi culture is deeply influenced by Han culture.
Traditional festival
Offering sacrifices to heaven is one of the biggest ceremonies of the Dongba religion of Naxi people, and also the biggest traditional festival of Naxi people, which is held in the first month.
New year, the lunar new year, in Naxi language is called “by Benjizheng”, also known as “Kushi”, meaning “new year”. During the festival, Naxi people will hold a series of traditional activities to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
Bangbang club, the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, is a traditional Naxi Festival, which is called “Bangbang club” among the people. “Bangbang club” marks the end of the Spring Festival and the beginning of spring plowing.
Three flowers Festival, “three flowers” is the national protection god of Naxi national belief, also known as “AP three flowers”, which means “ancestors (or grandfather) three flowers”. It is said that he belongs to sheep and is a god of war. Every year on February 8 and August sheep day of the lunar calendar, people from the four townships come to indulge to burn incense and worship gods; Naxi people who go far away have to go to indulge to worship and pray for the blessing of language. The soldiers who go out to battle even worship the three gods; Naxi people all over the country worship the three gods on the first day of the lunar new year. Since 1987, the “three flowers Festival” on February 8 of the lunar calendar has become a legal Naxi national festival.
Torch Festival, from June 24 to 26 of the lunar calendar, is a traditional Torch Festival of Naxi people. Originally originated in the use of fire to resist all kinds of natural disasters. This festival is called “Chuanmei Shengen” in the Naxi language.
July mule Horse Club is a festival of Naxi people in Lijiang. It is held in the middle and late July of the lunar calendar for one to two weeks. It is mainly composed of mules, horses, cattle, and other large livestock. Therefore, it is also called the “July mule Horse Club”.
“Taobao” festival, from the first day to the fourteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, is celebrated by people in the ancient city (that is, Zhongyuan Festival), which is called “Sanmeiboji” in the Naxi language.
There are also many festival customs of Naxi people, such as “Baishuitai meeting” in Sanba township of Shangri La, and offering sacrifices to game goddess mountain by Naxi people (Mosuo) in Yongning.
Special diet
Lijiang Baba: exquisite workmanship and exquisite selection of materials, it uses local top-grade wheat flour, kneads the egg with chemical oil and sesame oil to form gluten, then breaks the crisp and sandwiches the stuffing, and then deep fry it gently, and finally roasts it into a cake with good color and flavor.
Rice enema: it is a famous dish in Naxi snacks.
Chicken bean jelly: it is a kind of jelly snack made of chicken bean (also known as chicken PEA) milled surface and filtrated pulp from Lijiang real estate. Because chicken beans are rich in melanin, the appearance of the cold powder is black, so it is also called “black cold powder”.
Clothes & Accessories
The clothing of Naxi men in the Lijiang area is the same as that of Han people. In winter, they wear sheepskin shawl. In the Zhongdian area, they wear a big cardigan, knee-length trousers, sheepskin pocket, and gaiters. Men in Ninglang, Yongning, Yanyuan, and Muli wear short shirts and long trousers. Men in Ninglang also like to wear bracelets. The old people wear linen collarless long shirts, plus green cloth shoulders and belts. In recent decades, more and more people wear Tibetan clothes.
The dress of Naxi Women varies from region to region. The Naxi Women in Lijiang wear a jacket that is over the knee, wide waist and big sleeves, plus a jacket, a pleated waistband, trousers, and a sheepskin shawl. The Naxi Women in Ninglang wear short shirts, pleated skirts with floor-length, sheepskin, turban, earrings, and bracelets made of gold, silver, jade, and stone, and like to wear “sheep belt” or “girdle belt”. The sheepskin belt is made of cotton cloth. Each belt is about four and a half feet long and two inches wide. It must be used in pairs. The girdle is very delicate and can only be worn on festivals. It is a pair of cotton belts about three feet long and two inches wide, which are embroidered with potted chrysanthemums, Erlong Xizhu, and other patterns. Yongning Naxi Women use yak tail hair to weave a thick wig braid, and then wrap a large circle of blue and black silk thread around the outside of the wig, and hang the silk thread back to the waist.
