Year of Tujia

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: year of Tujia

Applicant: Yongshun County, Hunan Province

Project No.: 1203

Project No.: Ⅹ - 128

Time of publication: 2011 (the third batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Hunan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Yongshun County, Hunan Province

Protection unit: Yongshun Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

Introduction to Tujia year

Applicant: Yongshun County, Hunan Province

Tujia year is the most grand festival of Tujia people. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, the people's Government of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture implemented the party's ethnic policy and listed Tujia year as a local legal holiday with one day off.

Compared with the Spring Festival of the Han nationality, Tujia's New Year meal is one day earlier than Han's. According to the annals of Longshan County, Yongshun Prefecture, Hunan Province, written by Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, "the natives spend their years on the 29th day when they are older, and the 28th day when they are younger." The reason for celebrating the Chinese new year one day ahead of schedule is explained by the people that they are going to fight the next day.

The year of Tujia has been passed on in a wide range of regions. Eight million Tujia people in Wuling mountain area of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou, which is the remnant of Yunnan Guizhou Plateau, all passed the year of Tujia, which is an important symbol of Tujia ethnic identity. The content of Tujia new year is very rich, such as making new year's goods, making new year's dinner, paying New Year's respects to relatives, and doing Sheba (waving hands). The time and scale of waving activities are different in different villages. Small hand waving is usually held in the same family name or the whole village, while large hand waving is held in a township or several townships. The activities include driving into the hall, sweeping away evil spirits, offering sacrifices to ancestors, singing terracotta songs, waving hands and performing Maogusi. It is a grand gathering of Tujia culture. The custom of Tujia New Year Festival is of great value to the study of Tujia history and folk culture.