Nuo dance (chige day in Wenxian county)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Nuo dance

Applicant: Wen County, Gansu Province

Project No.: 110

Project No.: Ⅲ - 7

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Gansu Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Wen County, Gansu Province

Protection unit: Wenxian Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

Introduction to Nuo dance (chige day in Wenxian county)

Applicant: Wen County, Gansu Province

Nuo dance is a primitive dance with the nature of sacrificial rites in traditional society, which has a long history. It is said that there were the titles of "Da Nuo" and "Xiang Ren Nuo" in the Zhou Dynasty, which gradually became an important part of the national orthodox ritual system after the Han Dynasty. Nuo dance aims at driving away pestilence and praying for peace, which has strong participation of the masses. During the performance, the dancers wore masks, shouting and chasing, which attracted many followers, and the scene was very lively. Nuo dance is widely spread all over the country, especially in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui of the Yangtze River Basin and Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and Hebei of the Yellow River Basin. Among the minorities in Southwest China, there are many kinds of exorcism instruments and Exorcism dances with various forms and complicated functions.

Wenxian County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, known as "Yinping" in ancient times, is located in the southernmost part of Gansu Province. Its territory is covered with lush forests and green waters, which are both magnificent in the north and beautiful in the south. The Nuo dance chige day in Wenxian county was born here.

Chi Ge day, also known as "ghost face", is also known as "white horse mask dance" because he wears a mask when performing. In Baima Tibetan language, "brother Chi" means Mountain God, and "day" means dance. Baima people are descendants of Baima clan in ancient Qiuchi state, with a history of more than 2000 years. Baima Tibetans have no written language and do not know Tibetan, but they have their own unique language. National dance is their body language to record language, which was born with the formation of their nation.

Wenxian chige day is popular in tielou Tibetan Township, Shijiba, Tianchi and other places in Wenxian county. It combines dance, song and pleasure. It not only has mysterious religious atmosphere, but also shows strong entertainment color. Chi Ge day is a group activity in Shanzhai, which has a fixed form of performance. It runs through dance from beginning to end, and its costumes, props and dancing posture are different from other singing and dancing styles. Chi Ge day dance team is generally composed of nine people, four of them dressed as mountain gods, called "Chi Ge"; two dressed as Bodhisattvas, called "Chi Mu"; two dressed as husband and wife, called "Chi Ma"; and a teenager dressed as a monkey. Four "Chi Ge" and two "Chi Mu" are wearing masks, two "Chi Ma" in general costume, monkey face black pot, quite like a stage clown. Every year during the Spring Festival, "Le Bai", the descendant of Chi Ge day in each village, organizes sacrificial activities to drive away evil and pray for good fortune from east to west. The activity started from maigongshan village in tielou Township on January 13. It was a village by village dance, two days for big villages and one day for small villages. It ended in Liziba and diebaozhai villages on January 18.

Chige day in Wenxian county is a primitive and simple group sacrificial dance that remains in Baima Tibetan life. It has been carrying Baima people's emotions for thousands of years. At present, great changes have taken place in the traditional way of life, and Chi Ge day's inheritance chain is broken, which is in urgent need of rescue and protection.