| Location : HomePage >> Folk China >>Lahu |
Lahu Nationality
|
Achang |
||
| Lahu,
an ethnic minority nationality lives in southwest Yunan Province, has named
its national name from tiger: La means a tiger; Hu means bake food with
fire; and Lahu means bake tiger's fresh on fire. They mainly dwell on Jiangdong,
Zhenyuan, Jinggu, Simao, Pur, Yuanjiang, Mojiang and Jiangcheng counties.
A two-storied house is always made of bamboo and other woods, the upper of which is for the family and the downstairs is for livestock. The space of a house is calculated for the population of a family. The display is simple.
Some traditional taboos are in their lives: a divine table, fireplace and iron tripod for cooking cannot be touched, these only for the master of a family. They cherish dogs, for they think it is the dogs which bring the seeds of food. They do not hunt a dog and feed them well, especially when they have a meal, a dog will get its share before. Zha is for a boy's name and Na is for a girl's name. They think call
somebody who has children is not polite, a person should be called 'somebody's
father' or 'somebody's mother'. Capsicum is necessary for a meal. When a family have a meal, the parents will be the first to be served, secondly, the visitors and then for the other people in turns according to their ages. Chicken and porridge are for the honored guests. Biao rat for marrige Shave all hairs out When someone is dead, a woman will carry belongings of the dead to lead to way to the cremation area. In some area, a tomb is made of stones, and on the day all the villagers will stop working to mourn.
New Rice Festival is traditional, when it is on the end of June and at the beginning of August, if any family harvests, it will live the New Rice Festival. On that day, they hang ears of millet on the frontispiece and cook banquet to entertain guests. the villagers will bring present to the family. When meal, the master will hold bowls of new rice in both hands to serve relatives and guests in turns; parents, the elder generation, and then the guests. Kala Festival, is celebrate on traditional Chinese calendar March 3,
it is said to remember an immortal who was called Kala and had saved them
from disasters. Nowadays, Kala Festival is collection of communication
for Kucong people (one branch of Lahu).
Sing and dance are full of air of lives. The steps of a dance are mainly treading with left single pendulum. A kind of poem Tuopuk (riddle) is popular among folk people. |