Primitive religions are still preserved in Qiang areas, and animism and spiritual worship of various faiths are prevalent. The gods worshipped by the Qiang people can be roughly divided into four categories and more than 30 kinds, including nature worship, ancestor worship, spiritual worship and totem worship. Except for Vulcan, represented by Hucun (Tang Huo), others are widely worshipped as a symbol of white quartz stone (called Ahol in Qiang language, which means white stone god). The white stone god worshipped at the highest place in the middle of the roof is the Shenmu Bita in the sky.
Historically, there were no local religious organizations and temples in the Qiang area, and all the people engaged in religious activities were Qiang wizards (Duan Gong in Chinese and Abaxu in Qiang). "Xu" is limited to men and can get married and have children. Its main scripture is *** 16 of the altar sutra in the upper, middle and lower layers, which has been handed down to this day without written records. Scripture is a verse with four words and one sentence, two sentences and one section, which emphasizes ups and downs and rhymes. The main instruments of "Xu" are monkey head hat, sheepskin drum, gong, magic stick, teacher's knife, token, animal bone seal, claw ring and so on. The witchcraft of Xu includes divination and divination (sheep divination, egg divination, white dog divination, etc. ), exorcising ghosts and evil spirits (sending hairy people away), stepping on red pots, plowing birch trees, opening red mountains, rowing bowls, etc. Before practicing "Xu", you should clean your future with clean water, burn incense and smoke your body or kill white chickens to worship your ancestors. In case of large-scale sacrificial activities, such as worship ceremony, adult ceremony, etc. You must abstain from eating onion and garlic and fast bathing 49 days in advance to show piety and respect for God. In Qiang villages, everything is done, such as mountain worship, crown ceremony, wishing, calming the nerves and exorcising ghosts, treating diseases, unexpected filth, evoking souls, eliminating disasters, watching geomantic omen, building houses, marrying men and women, naming newborns and turning over the dead. They must be presided over by Xu, so they have a high position among the Qiang people. They are not only the intermediary between man and god, but also the disseminator of culture and play the role of spiritual leaders.
The most solemn national festivals of the Qiang nationality are "Mountain Festival" (also known as Zhuanshan Festival) and "Qiang Year Festival" (also known as Qiang calendar year), which are held in spring and autumn respectively. Praying for good weather in spring and thanking the gods for their harvest in autumn is actually a farming activity, but it is always full of strong religious color and reflects the glory of mysterious culture. The time of holding mountain festivals is not uniform in different places, including the first month, April and May, and it is also held 1 time or 2-3 times every year. The procedure of mountain sacrifice is extremely complicated. Due to different legends and totems in different places, sacrifices are also different, which can be roughly divided into three types: "sheep sacrifice mountain", "cattle sacrifice mountain" and "dog sacrifice mountain". Most of the ceremonies were held on an empty dam in the deep forest. In some places, it is forbidden to cut firewood, cut grass, dig seedlings and hunt in the mountains three days after the mountain sacrifice.
The Qiang people's New Year is celebrated on the first day of the tenth lunar month every year, usually lasting 3-5 days, and in some villages it lasts until the tenth day of October. According to the folk custom, in the year of Qiang, gods should also be sacrificed, such as the gods of heaven, mountains and landlords (village gods). The whole village will have a reunion dinner, drink Zasa and dance Sharon until everyone is happy. The whole ceremony was presided over by Xu, while the miscellaneous wine was opened by the respected elders in the village. During the festival, relatives and friends can congratulate each other and welcome each other.
In history, Qiang men have reached the age of 15, and there is still the custom of holding an adult ceremony (coronation ceremony). Invite friends and relatives to sit around the fire in advance. The coronation recipient wore new clothes, bowed down to the statue of the ancestor of mankind, and accepted a gift from Xu on behalf of the gods-a five-color cloth (amulet) with white male wool tied on it. Later, the elders of the clan will tell the history of their ancestors, and Xu Can will recite scriptures and pray for blessings (commonly known as "Peace and Protection") to worship the gods of the family and sheep.
Due to the limitation of natural conditions and environment, most Qiang people in the upper reaches of Minjiang River stay in the stage of farming culture. Where they live, they live, eat and dress, plant and harvest, and be self-sufficient.
Housing Qiang houses are generally made of local materials and stone. They are divided into two or three floors, mostly flat-roofed houses. The back of the house is tamped with yellow mud to keep out the rain, and the surface is slightly inclined to facilitate drainage. Two-story building with livestock pen and toilet; The bottom floor of the three-story house is a barn, and the houses are connected by wooden ladders. Thirty or fifty rooms are gathered in a village, which is the situation of the Qiang people. They are located in the high mid-levels and valleys, row upon row, spectacular. "Wenchuan County Records" in the Republic of China said: "Qiang people live in villages and look like foreign buildings from a distance."
Denglong (carved by Qiang people) is another characteristic building of Qiang people, with a height of more than ten feet, which has been enduring for several years. Qionglong cage is made of stone, with four edges, six edges, eight edges and eight edges, and the lines are vertical and clear. Generally built in Zhaikou, it plays a defensive role in wartime and acts as a beacon tower, which is a cultural phenomenon of Qiang people.
In the history of costumes, Qiang costumes are mostly woven from self-produced hemp, commonly known as "linen shirts", or woven from cow wool, commonly known as "qi shirts", and there are also cloth shirts, mostly cyan. Men wear belts and women wear flowers on their waists. She was wearing a sleeveless sheepskin jacket with badminton tied to her feet. She is wearing straw sandals or "Yun Yun shoes" (Qiang embroidered cloth shoes). After liberation, the Qiang people in the valley were all Hanfu.
The diet is mainly corn, wheat, wheat, beans, potatoes and vegetables. The diet mainly includes steamed rice, steamed bread, Daoxiao Noodles buns, dough (noodles), wheat bran (noodle soup) and potato cakes. Featured foods include steamed wine and blood steamed bread. Self-produced orchid cigarettes are widely smoked. The Qiang area is rich in cash crops such as apples, peppers and walnuts, which are sold at home and abroad.
The marriage of Qiang people is monogamous. In history, there are customs such as "pointing to the belly as a relative", "early marriage", "changing relatives", "buying and selling relatives" and "robbing relatives". There are also procedures such as "women staying over", "drinking", "thanking guests" and "returning to the door", which are extremely grand. Men are not discriminated against when they go to women's homes. After getting married and having children, it is customary to send meals and drink full moon wine.
In addition to cremation, there are customs such as burial, Ming burial and rock burial.
Qiang folk literature is extremely rich. The famous narrative poems "Mujizhu" and "Beating Anju" and "The Battle of Qiangge" are not only national epics, but also precious cultural wealth. Folk stories such as "surging into the sky" and "creating the world" reflect the unique aesthetic and artistic views of the Qiang people. Qiang nationality is a nation that can sing and dance well. Beautiful salon dance and touching folk songs are the crystallization of national traditional culture.
The exquisite embroidery technology of Qiang nationality occupies an important position in the history of arts and crafts in China.
From "living by weeds" to "living by mountains and taking rocks as their houses", the Qiang people have experienced a long period of time, created splendid culture and made great contributions to developing the southwest frontier and safeguarding the reunification of the motherland. Qiang culture has a long history and is rich and colorful. In the new era, the Qiang people have endowed the Qiang culture with new connotations. Relying on the advantages of nature and resources, the Qiang people will vigorously develop hydropower, tourism, agriculture, industry and commerce, and the Qiang area will have a better tomorrow. Qiang culture will be more brilliant.