Li nationality originated from a branch of ancient Baiyue. Luo Yue, Li and Man were used in the Western Han Dynasty, slang and Liao were used in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and some ethnic minorities in the South were used in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The ancestors of Li nationality in Hainan Island are also included in these general terms. The proper name of "Li" began in the late Tang Dynasty and was not fixed until the Song Dynasty, and it is still in use today.
Culture and art
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Although Li nationality has no mother tongue, it has created rich and colorful oral literature. Its form is lively, with a wide range of subjects and rich content, which has been passed down from generation to generation. It mainly includes stories, legends, myths, fairy tales, religious genealogy and so on. The more famous ones are The Origin of Man Gong, The Great Fairy of Wuzhishan, The Legend of Flood, The Dry Palace Bird, The Deer Turn Back and so on. It not only reflects the social history, summarizes the life experience, spreads all aspects of knowledge, enriches people's spiritual life, but also entrusts the good hopes and pursuits of the Li people.
Li people are good at singing and dancing, and their music and dance have a distinct national style. Folk music has its own traditional musical instruments: nose flute, oral bow, jingle board, wooden drum, frog gong and so on. There are mainly two kinds of folk songs: one is called "China Ci" with Hainanese as lyrics and the rhythm of Li folk songs as aria; One is to use Li language as lyrics, which is called "Li tune". The content is diverse, including labor songs, life songs, love songs, carols, ritual songs, narrative songs, miscellaneous songs and so on. The singer improvised lyrics and sang heart songs, which was fascinating. There are different forms such as solo, duet, rap, chorus and lead singer. Melody The melody in different areas is slightly different.
Where there is a song, there is a dance. Li people are not only good at singing, but also love dancing. Their dance comes from production and life, and from the worship of their ancestors. The content mainly includes production dance, life dance and religious ceremony dance. The more famous dances are "auspicious dance", "firewood dance" (bamboo dance) and rice boiling dance. When dancing, singing, percussion and shouting are often combined, and the scene is cheerful.
The plastic arts of the Li nationality are most famous for their brocade techniques. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the textile technology of the Li nationality was more advanced than that of the Central Plains. Li Jin and Li Dan are famous all over the world. They use all kinds of textile tools, from cotton ginning, cotton elastic, spinning, dyeing, warping, weaving and embroidery, until they produce colorful brocade, quilts, quilts, skirts and ribbons. , and formed a set of systematic production technology. So far, the famous "Asian quilt" and "Shuang Mianxiu" are famous for their exquisite craftsmanship, gorgeous colors and rich characteristics. In addition, Li's unique wood production and bamboo and rattan weaving technology are also very famous.
An important festival of customs and habits
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Li nationality is a monogamous patriarchal family. When their children grow up, they live in a "squatter house" outside the house. After marriage, once the wife settled in her husband's family, the husband and wife separated from their parents and did not cook. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, parents had the final say in early marriage, but before marriage, we were free to fall in love. The custom of not leaving the husband's family after marriage (the bride goes back to her mother's family to live in it for one or two years or even seven or eight years before settling in it) is prevalent. Children born out of wedlock are not discriminated against. Divorce and widow remarriage are more free.
Li women tie a bun at the back of their heads, insert hairpins made of porcupine hair or metal and cow bones, wear embroidered headscarves and have no buttons on their coats. They wear knitted clothes, collars, bracelets, anklets, earrings and so on. In some places, when women dress up, there are many and heavy earrings, and their ears hang down to their shoulders, which is called "earlobe" in history. Residents in some areas still retain the ancient custom of tattooing and tattooing, especially for women, which is usually completed between the age of 12 and before marriage, and some after marriage. Tattoo tools are plant needles, small bamboo sticks and plant dyes. Tattoos are mainly located on the face, neck, chest and limbs. Tattoo patterns vary greatly in different regions. This custom has basically disappeared at present and can only be seen in remote areas. The man has a mane on his head, a collarless double-breasted coat, and two hanging eaves on the front and back. These clothes are made of cotton and hemp. They are self-spun, self-woven, self-dyed and self-stitched. The diet is relatively simple, with rice, sweet potatoes and corn as the staple food, mostly non-staple food collected by hunting, and only a small amount of vegetables are planted, mostly imported from Han areas. Women love to chew betel nuts. Most houses are golden huts, and the walls are made of mud and bamboo. In the remote mountainous areas and harmonious areas of Baisha County, there are still boat-shaped houses with roofs like awnings and floors overhead from the ground.
Funeral ceremonies vary from place to place, and there are customs close to Han areas, such as stopping coffins, watching Feng Shui, and choosing a place to start a grave. In harmonious areas, the dead are buried in clan cemeteries, with wooden coffins, no graves and monuments, and no sacrifices after burial.