Lisu Dao Gan Jie

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Lisu Dao Gan Festival

Applicant: Lushui County, Yunnan Province

Item No.: 475

Project No.: Ⅹ - 27

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Yunnan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Lushui County, Yunnan Province

Protected by: Lushui Cultural Center

A brief introduction of Lisu Dao Gan Festival:

Applicant: Lushui County, Yunnan Province

The Lisu Dao Gan Festival, which is called "a Tang De" in Lisu language and means "climbing Dao Festival", is a traditional festival of Lisu and Yi people living in Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The festival is held on the 15th of the first month of each year.

"Going up daoshan, going down the sea of fire" is the main custom performance activity in Daogan Festival. It reproduces the mountain people's life experience and the arduous spirit of climbing vine and negative Ge. At the same time, it is also a kind of folk traditional custom activity. There is a legend about the origin of Dao Gan Festival: Wang Ji, the Minister of the Ministry of war in the Ming Dynasty, was sent by the imperial court, led his troops to the Lisu inhabited areas in the border of Yunnan, deployed military and civilian joint defense, quelled the rebellion, recovered the occupied land, and drove away the invading enemies with the cooperation of the local people. In order to make the border people rich and the army strong, he led the Lisu youth to practice martial arts. Later, the emperor listened to slander and poisoned Wang Ji. Lisu people commemorate this patriotic general by celebrating the "Dao Gan Festival".

"Going up the Dao mountain and going down into the sea of fire" includes the steps of lighting flowers, lighting knives, playing knives, welcoming flowers, setting up altars, sacrificing poles, erecting poles, sacrificing dragons, going up knives, folding knives and going down into the sea of fire. There is a set of strict rituals. Going up daoshan and going down the sea of fire are the most soul stirring parts of the ceremony. On daoshan, 36 sharp knives are tied on the chestnut tree poles, about 45 feet high. Each knife is about five feet apart, and all the blades are facing up. The performers step by step climb to the top of the pole with sharp steel knives on their bare feet, and perform performances such as opening the gate of heaven, hanging the red and scattering the valley in turn. Under the sea of fire is the performer under the knife pole and then step into the red hot charcoal fire, performing stunts. Now, in festivals, the content of primitive belief has been replaced by "tiaoga", which shows healthy and novel lyrics and rich hand dance movements, and has a broader mass character.

Dao Gan Festival is not only the product of Lisu People's nature worship, but also the embodiment of Lisu People's patriotism and national spirit of fearing no hardships and dangers.