Dong Sama Festival

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Dong Sama Festival

Applicant: Liping County, Guizhou Province

Item No.: 473

Project No.: Ⅹ - 25

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Guizhou Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Liping County, Guizhou Province

Protection unit: Liping County Cultural Center

Introduction to Dong Sama Festival:

Applicant: Liping County, Guizhou Province

The Dong Sama Festival is popular in Rongjiang County, Liping County, Congjiang County and the surrounding Dong areas in Guizhou Province, and the Sama Festival of Chejiang Dong in Rongjiang county is the most representative.

"SAMA" is a transliteration of Dong language, "Sa" is grandmother, "Ma" means big, "SAMA" can be translated into Chinese as "big grandmother" (also known as "sasui"), she is the embodiment of the common ancestor spirit of the whole Dong nationality (especially in the southern dialect area). The Dong people believe that their ancestors are powerful and supreme. They can give people the power to defeat the enemy, nature and disasters, and win the happiness of the village, abundant grain and prosperity of human and animal. Therefore, they worship them devoutly and regard them as the God of the Dong people. At the same time, Sama is also the heroine of the matriarchal clan society in the legend. People have great respect for her and regard her as the God who can bring peace and auspiciousness. She is honored as "SAMA". There is a saying in Dong Village: sada of Dong family, miaodai of Hakka (Han nationality). Thus, in the eyes of the Dong people, Sama is their greatest God.

Every year in the first month and the second month of the lunar calendar, the Dong people hold a grand "SA sacrifice" activity, which is grand and spectacular. This kind of sacrifice has been handed down from generation to generation, forming today's "Sama Festival". The festival period is sometimes changed to other months according to the needs of production, living conditions or other major activities. Generally speaking, sacriquets are offered to each village (Group Village) or several villages or adjacent areas. Participants vary from region to region. Generally, only middle-aged and elderly women and elderly men have the right to participate, but there are also places where all the villagers participate together. Comparatively speaking, the sacrific activities in the villages of Sanbao Dong Township in Rongjiang are the most grand.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the people in charge of SA first cooked tea and offered tea to sa. Then, the hostesses in full dress lined up to offer sacrifices. Local people say that SAMA day is also the women's day of the Dong people. During the sacrificial activities, almost all the SAMA teams from all villages were composed of women. They formed a circle on Yeping (square), danced hand in hand, and sang the "YeGe" in praise of SAMA in unison, aiming to have fun with "SAMA". This form of singing and dancing is called "Doye". When it appears in the ceremony, it is simple in form and warm in atmosphere, which often pushes the ceremony to the climax.

Sama is the God of protection, unity and entertainment of Dong people. SAMA culture has a long history and profound connotation, which has a profound impact on the social life of Dong people. Sama Festival has a profound impact on the ideology of the Dong people. The virtue of "supreme goodness" of the ancestors has played a decisive role in the development of the Dong people. In this context, respecting the elderly and other fine customs have become the national tradition of the Dong people from generation to generation.