World Natural Heritage World Geopark The First National Forest Park of China
shuire@gmail.com ZJJOnine

Tujia Funereal Dance

HOT Culture 2022/02/13 View:5269

Funeral dance , an ancient ceremonial dance at the funeral which is endemic to Tujia people ,especially areas around Qing river waters.Popular as the waving dance is , funeral dance also heated welcomed by Tujia people.

The fact is only men not women can be allowed to performance funeral dance. The dance movements all take birds and animals as imitating models,that is,continuously shake your whole body and sway your haunch at a side-to-side movement with your hands shaking freely.Funeral dance is a presentation of daring beauty.

As the history goes,since Tang dynasty ,the ancestors of Tujia people already had the record of funeral dance.Till today, every time there is a old one passed away,the relatives and neighbors of him/her will gather together to have a funeral dance .Generally speaking,two men or four stand in front of the coffin to have a face-to -face dance ,then more and more men will join in ,usually the peak hits over hundreds of dancers and audience.

Not only the dances but also the songs to fully display the beauty of funeral dance.Both the dances and songs create a happy and joyful atmosphere .In closing ,all the performers will say "sadness are gone" in one voice to express their wishes of removing sorrows.

As usual, funeral dance is the ceremony held for those old ones who died a well-deserved death.

Soured and Translated by Aileen

Reading
  • Introduction of “Summer Begins”

    Introduction of “Summer Begins”

    Introduction of “Summer Begins”:“Summer Begins” comes on May 5 or May 6 every year. When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45 degrees, it’s the beginning of the summer season. Usually people consider this period as the time when crops’ growth enters into the peak season.
    2017-05-06 08:46 View:3993
  • Qingming Festival

    Qingming Festival

    Qingming Festival is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China, falling on April 4-6 each year. After the festival, the temperature will rise up and rainfall increases. It is the high time for spring plowing and sowing. But the Qingming Festival is not only a seasonal point to guide farm work, it is more a festival of commemoration.
    2017-04-05 21:35 View:3178
  • The Beginning of Winter

    The Beginning of Winter

    The Beginning of Winter is the time when winter officially arrives. When vegetation withered away, the weather becomes colder. Everything in the natural world falls into this cycle. In ancient agricultural society, the beginning of winter, spring, summer and autumn are called the “Four Beginnings.” They are all important days. For our ancestors, the beginning of winter is not just the start of a cold season but also a time to rest, a time when living things witness a period of dormancy and self-renewal.
    2016-11-11 11:01 View:3717
  • Zhangjiajie Taboo Custom

    Zhangjiajie Taboo Custom

    As the saying goes: “Different wind in ten-li, different custom in hundred-li.” “Asking taboo, asking custom into countryside.” Every nation and even every family and every profession, has its own different taboo content, it can not only reflect a full of Platonic superstitious cultural mentality, but also infiltrate the times scientific connotation, and reflect the developing trend of the nations constantly marching towards progress and amalgamation.
    2017-01-19 16:22 View:3277
  • Tujia Minority jumping funeral dance

    Tujia Minority jumping funeral dance

    Jumping funeral dance is also called as “Jumping funeral drum” and called "Saerhe" in Tujia language, it is an ancient funeral ritual dance of Tujia Minority people of Ba people’s descendants, with strong local color. It is mainly popular in Tujia Minority area of Qingjiang River basin, and corresponding to the popular region of Shaking Hand Dance, so called “Shaking Hand at south Jumping funeral dance at north”.
    2017-04-10 16:21 View:3773
  • Tujia spending the New Year of three times

    Tujia spending the New Year of three times

    Tujia people spend the New Year of three times, namely spend “Having Caught Up With Year” on 29 (or 28) Lunar December, spend “June Year” on 25 Lunar June, spend “October Year” on 1 Lunar October. When spending “Having Caught Up With Year”, kindle the bonfire at village barnyard, Tujia people dance the Shaking Hand Dance and sing the New Year song around the bonfire.
    2016-12-30 16:20 View:3395
  • Western Hunan Temple Fair

    Western Hunan Temple Fair

    Recorded in “Juan Family Genealogy”: Dayong Tujia Minority and Bai Minority, “Believing the wizard to exceed the God Willing, bugling the ox horn to exceed the battle drum, there are much more laughter persons, but there are a few of persons to have the knowledge. Thus, Cili records is said that: not know the years outside Maohuajie.”
    2017-01-04 16:19 View:3146
  • Miao Minority Autumn Harvest Festival

    Miao Minority Autumn Harvest Festival

    Autumn Harvest Festival is a large folk festival activity of Miao Minority for entertainment, trade, youth exchange to celebrate the future harvest before autumn harvest or autumn beginning.
    2016-11-23 16:18 View:3177
  • Zhangjiajie Tujia Drip Bed

    Zhangjiajie Tujia Drip Bed

    The Tujia bridegroom shall make a “Drip Bed” before marriage.The drip bed does not drop, just like the drip from the eaves. Usually it is divided into a pass drip and two pass drip. Two-drip bed is also called as the “One step” bed, engraved with dragon and phoenix, it is very exquisite and it is a special skill in Tujia.
    2017-01-18 16:17 View:3660
  • Tujia Shaking Hand Dance

    Tujia Shaking Hand Dance

    Tujia Shaking Hand Dance is a large-scale dance with most influence in Tujia Minority, and with a strong religious color. The song is produced along with dance and the dance is named along with the song.
    2017-02-22 16:16 View:3154