The cult to the god of the village between the Baiyi

The Baiyi believe in numerous gods: gods of the stones, of the trees, of the dragon, of the water. They venerate also, how many other villages of the area, to his ancestors. But the most important cult for them, it is without place to doubt, the cult to the protective god of the village.

This cult is the most important, the most ancient and the most sacred for them. A cult that relates them not neither to the Yi nor the Dai, but with the peoples Hani, between whom the god of the village also has big importance.

This cult splits into three facets: to say the god of the village, small sacrifice to the god of the village and big sacrifice to the god of the village.

To adore or to say the god of the village.

Until 1949, scarcely the new year was coming, the people the same day at once were beginning with his ceremonies the god of the village. In general, on the 30th of last lunar month, after venerating to the sky, to the ground and to the ancestors, before the arrival of the dawn, they were initiating his prayers to the god of the village.

From this moment the village will remain closed, and nobody could go out nor enter her. The men of every family, before the breakfast, go to the temple of the god of the village taking each one six bowls of vegetable and rice. There they realize a ceremony in honor to the god of the village and overturn the rice and the vegetables in a few big stories prepared previously next to you. On the following day the men go again to the temple. There is distributed the meal of the day previous, and of that time it opens the village to itself and the people spend rest of time in festive ambience.

Small gift to the god of the village.

Shortly after the ceremony of saying the god of the village, goat, dragon or monkey is chosen one day. With festive ambience and music of drums and cymbals, the village closes again. The men go to the altar of the god of the village, where a chicken and rice sacrifices itself. Then they sing and dance and open the village again.

Big gift to the god of the village.

It is undoubtedly the most important of the religious ceremonies of this people. It takes place once every two years. It is always celebrated before the tenth day of the third lunar month, often there is invited a shaman of the neighbors Yi, so that it directs the ceremony. At one or two o'clock in the morning, the young people directed by the chief, taking incense, rice, musical instruments and four couples of chickens and they go to the highest peak of the outskirts to realize the ceremony of calling the god of the village. They walk in silence, without music, and after to come to his target to prepare the gifts in the soil, then the chief of the village begins calling the god of the village in all the directions, asking him to take care of his children again. It is called in all the directions in which there is echo. If after the call, when any world remains in the expectant silence, one listens any noise of an animal or of any another thing, it is considered that he is the god of the village the one that answers.

Then it is already not necessary to call again. On having listened to the answer, it begins a rejoicing with cymbals, drums and fireworks. The young people gives happiness jumps, eats and drinks, offering also his part to the god of the village. After being grateful to the sky and to the ground for his help, they return to the temple of the god of the village. There they realize a riddle ceremony on a chicken, and take a big pig at the edge of the temple, which is sacrificed as soon as any world is in his interior. They place later the corpse of the pig on a table opposite to the temple, the paws of the table are wrapped by red sheets, placing on the back of the pig a knife, a handkerchief on his head, and a few silver earrings in his ears.

On having finished the ceremony, the pork is distributed between all the families, which offer it to the ancestors before eating it. The young people sings and dances up to falling down the night.

On the following morning every housewife of this village must take a rice bowl with a hollow in his interior and two rods of incense, and go to the temple, where the shaman is investigating the families. It is a ceremony in which it has to name to each of the families of his village, and to each of the persons who compose this family, and remember what the previous year has spent, and investigate his future luck. On having had just examined the families, the ceremonies are resumed in honor of the god. Then the people meet and a new chief chooses for next two years. After the election the ritual objects take in a few jumping poles to his house. Then the women return with the rice to theirs.

The chief of the village has principally ritual functions. One of them is to direct the rites in honor of the god of the village. Other one of the most important is to preside at the ceremony of opening the sowing, which every year realizes in the fourth or fifth lunar month sacrificing a chicken.

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