RELIGION OF THE BULANG

As there exist big social and cultural differences between the Bulang of the districts of Lincang and Simao, with those of the Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, this way important religious differences exist also.

The traditional religion of the Bulang was a polytheism that was evident fundamentally with the cult to the nature and to the ancestors.

In Xishuangbanna, nevertheless, practically all the Bulang are Buddhists. They practise the branch of the Buddhism Hinayana or of the Small Vehicle. And the religion is present in the different phases of his existence. All the young people spends a stage of his life like monks in the temple, generally approximately 3 years, where they learn to read and write the writing dai, and to that it has not happened for this stage is not considered to be him worth beginning in the activities of the adults. All the holidays, so much the Buddhists, like the traditional ones, are organized by the monks, and include between his activities the gifts in the temple. All the villages have his temples Buddhists where to realize the religious and traditional ceremonies.

The persons specializing in religious activities are the Baimo or wizards, the Huotou or religious leaders and the monks Buddhists.

In Xishaungbanna the holidays have pronounced religious character Buddhist. And they are practically similar to the religious holidays of his neighbors Dais.

In fact, the polytheistic beliefs and the Buddhists are much mixed in this area. For example, before sowing, they ask the monk to say to them in that mountain to sow, and this one divides three rice fistfuls in 3 banana sheets with 3 names of mountains, and according to the one that decides the hazard they will plant his seeds. The monks are present in the important ceremonies of the agricultural cycle. Reading his writing and sacrificing chickens they seem to guarantee good harvest. The animal sacrifices, so much in the Xishuangbanna region, as, of course in Shuangjiang and Mojiang, are present in all the religious ceremonies.

In the region of Shuanjiang, Zhengkai, Mojiang and Jingdong, the traditional religion is still supported with a lot of force. As formerly, the Bulang think that there are a lot of gods who can influence the life of the men, therefore they dedicate different ceremonies to ask them for protection and to avoid the evil. Since we will see already further on, throughout the whole year holidays are realized in honor of the most important gods. As the God of the Stoves, the God of the Earth, the God of the Mountains, the God of the Fire, the God of the Thunder. Since it can influence each and everyone of these deities in that the natural elements act of charitable form for the man, or of disastrous form.

In Lancang and Mojiang there are also some Christian families, heredity of the missionary work previous to 1949. It has not evolved very much because he prohibits them to smoke or drink, customs that are much established in the traditional religious ceremonies, and that are not easy to retire.

Copyright © 2004 www.wuhancom.net