| The Lis reside on the Hainan Island of the south of China. It derived from one branch of the Baiyue ethnic minority in ancient times. The Lis have their own language. Due to the constant communication with the Hans, many of them can speak Chinese. They used to worship the ancestors and the nature. Nowadays, some of them believe in Christianity. The Lis are mainly engaged in agriculture. They also take up handicraft and livestock breeding as well as business.
The festivals of the Lis include the Spring Festival, Niuzai Festival, March Third Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Junpo Festival and Ancestor Worship Festival. Many festivals are similar to those of the Hans.
Spring Festival
It is basically similar to that of the Hans. Prior to the Spring Festival, every family will prepare the family reunion dinner, brew the New Year wine, and make the Dengye (a kind of rice cake).
The Dengye can be preserved for a period, so that they become tough to the extent that can be cut into slices, then fried or baked. In the dusk of the eve, people begin to worship ancestors, have the family reunion dinner and drink the New Year wine.
The first lunar month is termed in Li language Nianyue, which is the free month for the celebration of the New Year. It is the custom of the Yis to celebrate the New Year at home instead of in alien lands.
Even when it is already on the eve of the festival, people have to return home and have family reunion dinner. In the early morning of the 1stday of the festival, people will attach red symbols on bullpen, pigpen, barn and fruiters, which stand for the private property. They will place a coin and a piece of rice cake on the riverbank or on the well to worship the River God; otherwise, it is not allowed to fetch water. On the 1stday of the festival, family members stay at home. No beating or scolding is permitted, no dirty words are allowed, but only the lucky terms are welcome. From the 2ndto 4thday of the New Year, people pay New Year calls on each other, toast and sing in antiphonal style, go hunting in the mountain, catch shrimps in the river and hold various festal entertainments of folk feature.
The 15thday of the first month of the lunar calendar (the Lantern's Festival) is the Small Spring Festival of the Yis. In the evening, people slay chooks for dinner. All family members gather together and discuss farming plan and family affaires in the New Year.
Dragon Boat Festival
To bathe in Dragon water might be a custom, which is of the local feature. Perhaps, the local people don't know who Qu Yuan was at all, but they take him as the powerful Dragon God; hence, they believe that the Dragon God, healthy and free from sores, will safeguard the baby, once taken a bath. In the very morning, the adults will collect various flowers, especially wild pineapple flowers. At 12:00 am, they steep petals into spring and bathe the baby. People live at the seashore will bathe their children in the seawater near the seashore. The difference is that they put petals on the sea. On this day, Hakkas in Danzhou take a bath of herbal medicines. The herbs used normally have the function of removing heat and inflammation and diminishing coldness.
Junpo Festival
It is the festival to worship the god. It prevails in Qiandui, Pocun Village, Chengpo, Zhenzheng, Hongxing and Hongmao in the Qiongzhong Yi and Miao Autonomous County in Hainan Province.
On the occasion, people dress up. They slaughter swine, chooks, call back their married daughters and have festal family dinner with relatives. After the reunion dinner, the majority of people gather on the ground. They beat gongs and drums and enjoy themselves as possible as they like. When the entertainments begin, people will kowtow to the statues of their believed gods and carry out the demonstration in every village, and then walk around the ground three times. When finished, they carry them back to the temples. Then, people come to worship in the temples with cooked chicken, meat, wine, yuanbao (shoe-shaped gold or silver ingots), incenses and candles to pray for safety and health of human and livestock. During the festival, the Hainan opera is played by a famous opera team. The peddlers set booths to sell goods; peasants set to sell local specialties; some even set up casinos. It is said that because of costly waste and negative effect on the production, this form of celebration has been abandoned by the government counsel. In addition, in Xinbo Town of Qiongshan County in Hainan Province, there is the celebration for the Junpo Festival every year, which lasts four days. It is to memorize the folk hero, Mrs. Xian.
Ox Festival
The Yis consider the ox a symbol of fortune and luck. Households set a Treasure Pot of Ox Soul at home and in the temple of Ox God in the village. On the Ox Day of the seventh month of each Li's calendar year, people hold the rite to call on the ox soul. On the festival day, the byres are to be restored and wine is offered to the ox to build up its health. In the evening, people start beating gongs and drums; they perform the dance to call on the ox soul, which blesses every family for abundant ox and fortune. Every time on the Ox Day, ox slaughtering is prohibited.
Paddy Festival
The Lis consider that the paddy has soul and that the harvest depends on the paddy soul. Every year, on the Dragon day of the late paddy harvest, people will gather in the village and set the feast for the ritual. They beat gongs and drums all night, and perform the dance to call back the paddy soul, blessing for the bumper harvest in the coming year.
March Third Festival
Among their festivals, the most famous is the March Third Festival, which is celebrated to worship the ancestors and to ask for blessing for the harvest of crops, hunting.
On the festival, the men and women, old and young from Lis' villages, carrying Zongzi (dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) and cakes, gather from far and near in the Yanwo Mountain. In the daytime, boys catch fish; girls cook and bake fish. Then, they bring the offerings in front of the cave to worship the ancestors. Girls dress on seven colored clothes and wear bracelets of various styles; boys tie red bands on waist and take patterned parasols. They start festal entertainments such as singing in antiphonal style, wrestling, push-and-pull, shooting, swinging, which last overnight. The festal scene is full of animation and lucky atmosphere.
The March Third Festival is the traditional festival of the Lis in the Hainan Island, south of China. It takes place on March 3 of each lunar calendar year. It lasts one day. It is said that long ago, there was a severe drought in Qizhi Mountain. People suffered a lot.
One day, in the morning, Yayin, a young man told the villagers that he dreamed about a lark. In order to get rid of the disaster, one person ought to climb to the crest of the Five Finger Mountain, and blow nose flute to trap the lark. Yayin volunteered to do so. He blew his flute on the peak and kept on for three days and nights. There was a lark flying from the dingle. Yayin hurried to catch it. He pursued it and tramped over a mountain. Finally he found that the lark became a pretty girl of Li, who promised to help the people and free them from the disaster.
After freeing the people from the disaster, the Li master was ruffled, who sent his people to capture the Lark Girl. At this moment, Yayin showed up. The couple hid themselves in a cave. The master ordered to set fire to the cave. But at this critical moment, black clouds covered the sky and it thundered. The mountain burst apart and the master and his people died.
Yayin and the lark girl became a pair of birds, flying into the sky. People came to see them off and felt so excited that they danced and sang. They wished them a happy life. This day was March 3, which, since then, became the traditional festival of the Lis.
The preparation has to be made half a month in advance as to celebrate the March Third Festival. Men go to mountains to hunt, and preserve all that they get. Women pound rice at home, and make Zongba cake for the worship. Young men and girls make pretty costumes and gifts for their future lovers. The quarry and Zongba cakes are taken as the offerings to worship the ancestors in the front hall. If no game is hunted, chicken will be the replacement. The worship is presided over by an elder of the clan.
On the festival day, the local Lis will hold the entertainment to pray for a good harvest and hunting. At the meantime, this day also provides a chance for the girls and young men to get to know each other and date. On the morning, girls put on their pretty skirts and unlaced black blouses, carry bamboo baskets and gather in the Five Finger Mountain.
Prior to the festival, young men hunt in the forest with guns and bows. They will get back to the village on the festival, talk about their experience of hunting and describe how they are brave to try to get girls' favor.
During the festival, Bamboo Pole Leaping will be held. The participators are mostly young men and girls. They stand at two sides, four persons each group. They put the bamboo poles into four parallel lines and dance to the music, and the beating of gongs and drums. The holders of the poles will open and close the poles in accordance with the rhythm of the music. The dancers deftly dance and leap along with the opening and closing times of the poles.
In the evening, young men and girls sit around the camp fires, performing the Firewood Cutting Dance, Hunting Dance and Rice Pounding Dance, which reflect scene where the Yis cut firewood, pestle the rice and hunt.
Many people find their lovers on the festival. Hence, the young people of the Lis fix March 3 as the date of love, which symbolizes that their love will be as graceful as the spring. |
