| The Jingpos mostly reside in the mountainous regions in various counties of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province of China. The Jingpos have their own languages -- Jingpo dialect and Daiwa dialect, which make it difficult for them to communicate with each other. The Jingpos have rich, graceful and popular oral literature including epics, myths, stories, fables, proverbs and riddles, reflecting the origin of the minority and the history of migration. They are mainly engaged in agriculture.
Munao Singing Party
Munao is transliterated from Jingpo dialect, and means dancing together. It is the singing and dancing entertainment of the Jingpos in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province. It is also a traditional festival that the Jingpos celebrate to drive away the evil, promote the goodness, greet the luck and welfare and celebrate the bumper harvest. It is usually held on January 15 of the lunar calendar year and lasts 2-3 days.
The Munao has a long history. Legend has it that there was no Munao Singing Party in the world. Once upon, an envoy sent by the sun came to the earth and invited all lives on the earth to take part in their Munao Singing Party. The earth sent all birds to participate in the party. When the birds got back, they elected the peacock as the leading dancer to give a performance again. The ancestor of the Jingpos admired the graceful dance performed by all the birds and decided to transfer the Munao Singing Party to the world. In the meantime, they fixed January 15 of the lunar calendar year as the date of the celebration. Another legend says that there was a hero of foundation from the Jingpo, whose name was Ning Guanwa. His parents told him before their death: After we passed away, you have to dance and hold the worship, so that we can turn into earth where you can become human being, multiply and survive. Ning Guanwan just wanted to go to the Sun Kingdom to learn the dance. He saw birds holding a Munao Singing Party under a yellow fruiter, for they had learned how to dance at the invitation of the Sun God. It took no time for him to master the dancing. He drew the dance postures draft on chestnut poles and located the dance floor at the foot of the Himalayas. Hence, the first Munao Singing Party was held and came down to the world.
After the Munao Party, the Jingpos became wiser, braver and more united. Since then, it became a traditional festival of the Jingpos. Whenever in the festival, the boys of Jingpos from the Longchuan, Yingjiang River and Ruili in Yunnan Province, will dress themselves in black clothes and wear black head wrapper; the girls put on the black Chinese-style jacket with buttons down the front or short jacket with buttons down the left, colorful apron, woolen leg wrappings, decorated with silver jewelry and chains; they take handkerchief in different patterns, and wreath; the elders carry Tongpa (satchel) embroidered with folk patterns, and shoulder bamboo tube containing rice wine. People beat drums and gongs, shoot and set off firecrackers. They gather in crowds from near and afar to the place of the Munao Singing Party. The brotherly minorities in the neighborhood are also in a hurry to participate in this great party.
In the center of the ground, there is a Munao Pillar at around 20 meters high; on the top of the pillar two boards are attached, where the fancy and symbolic graphics are painted at both sides. On the both sides of the pillar, there are two plates of about 8 meters high, where are painted some pictures blessing for the prosperity and luck of the offspring. On the horizontal tablet above are printed with the Himalayas, the place of origin of the Jingpos; on the bottom, with the croppers and livestock standing for yearning and pursuit for a happy life in the future; there are two hathpaces in front of the Munao Pillar. It is said that from there people can overlook the Himalayas, the place of their origin. On the pillars around are hanging eight gongs, drums and other musical instruments, which stand for happiness and celebration. At the outer side there are two rounds of fences, representing victory.
Surrounding the Munao Pillar and along with the bright gong beating are people either dancing at the rhythm of the Xiangjiao Drum and Gaobi music (made of two bamboo tubes different in length and diameter, which are divided into the main tube and the side tube. It has 5-6 sound holes) or singing and dancing following Erga (vocalist), the leading singer. Young men and girls are performing the Guest Greeting Dance and Rice Pestling Dance while the girls propose toast to guests with the rice wine in bamboo tubes to express their respects and best wishes. After that, some fellows, dressed in dragon suits, taking long swords in hands, wearing a peacock feather on head, lead all people singing and dancing along a fixed way. With more and more people engaged, the dance team gets longer and longer like a long dragon moving slowly on the ground. Though there are many dancers, the change of team pattern and steps are kept in order.
Picking Herbs Festival
It is a traditional folk festival of Jingpos, which is popular among some Jingpo regions in Yunnan Province. It takes place in October. The Picking Herbs Festival is celebrated to remember a legendary girl named Gatukong and also for the need of the wine brewing. It is said that the girl trapped the porcupine pilfering her crops. The porcupine, in order to escape, indicated her four kinds of herbs in different flavors: sweet, sour, bitter and hot, and, as a kind of compensation, taught her to brew the wine drug (yeast for brewing rice wine or fermenting glutinous rice). Hence, the Jingpos mastered how to brew and enjoy rice wine.
At the beginning of the festival, two handsome fellows are selected by a senior villager and take wine, eggs and glutinous rice to go up the mountain with a necromancer. In the mountain, the two fellows with the senior villager sit face to face with the necromancer, who chants the deeds of Gatukong, then, they start collecting herbs. Several days later, the villagers may begin to collect herbs in the mountain. The more ceremonious the rite is, the better the wine tastes.
Nengshang Worship Festival
It is a folk worship festival of Jingpos. The word Nengshang is a transliteration of the Jingpo language, and is called official temple by local Chinese. In fact, it is a place where Jingpo villagers held farming worships in the past. The construction is in shape of a humble booth with a roof but no walls. It is called Official Temple, for mountain officers held the worships there. The worship is held twice a year. The first occurs prior to the spring seeding; and the second takes place after the autumn harvest. The spring worship is for the purpose of praying the Heaven and Terra Ghosts for thriving paddy and preventing from the disasters. The offerings are some small animals. The necromancer has to play magic in a field (formerly in the public field), then, a couple of man and woman start seeding. The woman digs and seeds; the man covers and makes it firm by treading on it. There is no farming work in the next 2-3 days after the rite in to show the respect for the Terra Ghost. In terms of the autumn worship, big livestock has to be sacrificed as offerings, the worst with pigs, and the best oxen. The purpose is to celebrate the harvest and to present the thanksgiving for the Heaven and Terra Ghosts. While worshipping, the necromancer will chant. After the worship, people have to hang the ox skulls, pig skulls and baskets with offerings on the surrounding poles.
Fresh Grain Eating Festival
It is celebrated on the Dragon Day in the eighth month of the lunar calendar. On the occasion, people prepare rice with pounded and fried fresh rice mixed with old rice. This stands for the abundance in the supply of the old and fresh rice. By taking the fresh rice, people should spread part of the rice, dish and wine to the field, which means to offer to the Terra Ghost, and then the whole family can enjoy the meal. |
