| The Oroqins are mainly distributed over the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province in north China. The Great and Small Hinggan Mountains, where the Oroqins live, are the two mountain ranges of the Heilongjiang valley in Northeast China.
There are a few festivals of the Oroqins. They mainly celebrate the clannish convocation, god worship in every spring and the Spring Festival. The most important festival is held on January 1 of the Chinese lunar calendar. It generally lasts 4-5 days. It is popular in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the Oroqin inhabited areas in Northeast China. The abundant foods will be prepared prior to the festival. Every one has to dress up in fur clothes to welcome the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival of the Oroqins is derived from the Hans' custom. Prior to the festival, people are busy in buying goods for the New Year, and tidying up courtyards. People who are hunting or working outside will hurry home for the festival's celebration.
On the eve, every family worships the ancestors and the Triones, and has a dinner altogether. On the eve night, they keep the flaming fires outside the Xianrenzhu (simple house made of wood sticks in the shape of taper), and in the kitchen. They burn joss sticks in front of the gods. In the late night, they worship the Fire God to pray for his blessing with a happy life. At last, all family members gather in the Xianrenzhu and kowtow to the elder. First, the son toasts to his mother twice, and then kowtows to the elder with his wife and all his children. The elder takes the cup, dipping a little bit wine and flipping to show his godliness. Then he says to his offspring, You should do your best to keep your life happy and hunt more animals. When toasting to the father, the father will say the same greetings in return.
After the kowtow, all people hold entertainments in front of the Xianrenzhu. Some of them will do it in their own family. Some will hold the activity together with several other families. Dancing and singing are the main programs. Sometimes, hide-and-seek game is also played by the Oroqins. If the father-in-law belongs to the same clan, it is necessary for them to pay him a New Year call. The Oroqins have the custom of staying up all night on New Year's Eve, for they consider that to pass the night without sleeping will keep them freshened up; and to eat full will have ample food and clothes all the coming year.
On the morning of the first day of the festival, people are busy in cooking the dumplings, setting off firecrackers or shooting to the air, which means the New Year is coming. All the family members go out and face east or south, burn nine joss sticks, kowtow and worship to the Heaven and gnome. They pray gods for games and luck. After the worship, they sit at the table according to their age and generation. During the dinner, the junior should fill the cup for the elder and kowtow as the New Year's greeting in the order of grandfather and grandmother, father and mother. Younger brothers and sisters have to greet elder brothers and sisters and salute them on knees.
When visiting the eldership in the new year, the senior have to dip wine and flip up and down, left and right to show respects to the Heaven, the Earth and ancestors. At last, they will say something favorable for their offspring. When the sun rises, peoples dress up and pay each other the festal call with their children, bringing meat and wine. The first one to visit is the eldest one of the clan, then to the others. When stepping into the room, they have to burn joss sticks to worship the fire god, throw a piece of meat on the needfire, and pour a cup of wine on it. The host will worship with the guests.
After the worship, the guests propose a toast to the host, offer him cigarettes and kowtow, and pray the good health and longevity for the elder. The elder also greets them with the same lucky words in return. Sometimes, the elder gift them money or some candies as the New Year's presents. On that day, the elder stay at home and wait for the New Year's greeting from the junior.
At the beginning of the second day, the elder greet each other or gather to drink wine. The young people organize entertainments or a dance party; or they hold shooting on horserace, wrestling contest or chess and cards games. The singing and dancing programs are most favorable. Their dance reflects the life of the animals and birds, the story of hunting, and the women's collecting fruits and collecting activities. Their dancing postures are simple and elegant and describe a lifestyle of hunting. The entertainment lasts till the fourth day. People regard the fifth day as the Demon's Day, and abstain from going out. Amusements and clamors are not allowed. People spend the day at home. On the sixth day, the hunters may go to mountains for hunting and the routine production activities are resumed.
In the past, the Oroqins used to worship the sun god on the 1stmonth of each lunar year. One reason was that it was in cold winter; another was that the sun shone in a short period. They turned their yarn for the warmness and the brightness to the sun god worship. They considered it the god of the brightness and justice. At last, it became a custom that they swear in the name of the sun or complain about their sufferance.
On the 15thof the first month of each lunar year, the Oroqins will worship the moon god. Prior to or after the twelfth month of the lunar year, it is the season for hunting. The moon will be the position of the games. That is why the moon worship becomes a custom for them, for praying god for blessing them with more hunting and games, especially in winter.
The Oroqins also worship the North Star by burning 7 joss sticks on the 30thof the twelfth month of the lunar year and the 1stof the first month. They think the Star God can guide the route on that night. This is a trace left from the production and lifestyle of the fishing and hunting ethnic minorities. Because of the eternity of the Star god, some elders have developed a custom of worshiping the Star God for longevity.
On the 23rdof the twelfth month of the lunar year, the Oroqins have to worship the Fire God, and receive it on the 1stday of the first month. It is similar to the worship of the Kitchen God of Hans to some extent. As every family goes to the Xianrenzhu for the New Year's greeting, the Fire God is the first to be worshipped, then the host in turn. At the dinner time, some animal meat should be thrown onto the fire and no water is allowed to splash on it nor to bake the meat with fork on the fire, for these conducts are regarded as offense to the Fire God. It is evident that they worship the Fire God for the warm they need in cold winter. |
