The New Year between the Moso

for Maria Elvira Ríos Peñafiel

The Chinese new year was already approaching. The university was emptying of students. Only some of us were staying foreign that we still had not managed to prepare a good plan to spend this night. He was feeling a certain illusion for making something special, of managing to feel new emotions before the monotony of the following semester. I remembered some of the readings of the previous weeks and we started ourselves.

From Kunming we take a bus that took us the city of Ninglang. In the streets the pedestrians were going and coming towards the market, in search of the best thing for the next nights of holiday. In this place it is where there is the minority Yi, whose women stand out between the multitude for his individuals and big ones you touch squared.

After happening one night there we divide way to the Lake Lugu, famous person for his beauty and for being the hearth of the minority Moso, who in turn are famous persons for living about the lake and for being considered to be a matriarchal society. With the vehicle we coincide with three Chinese young people of the north, who were traveling to the Lake Lugo invited round his friend Zhima, moso it would cause of these grounds that he was traveling next to you. After chatting during a little bit, on having known our interest to know the culture of his people, he invites us to spend also the New Year with his family. The invitation made us happy and confused, since we were finishing of meeting. We accept been grateful.

After three jump hours and curved for the back roads that lead to the lake, after overcoming a port, we begin to see in the distance the lake; sky and water of intense blue, surrounded with hills well forestadas. We happen for several villages until we come to that of our friend. Around 15 or 20 houses on the banks of the lake Lugu.

I breathe. Clean air and the happy people for the return of his daughter, who works in Beijing and only in this date he can come to visit his family. Between they embrace each other and greet in their own language, which as they say that it is related to that of the Naxi. When we enter the house, quite of wood with colors windows, there were they, the women; sat in the principal room of the house, about a fire, which was illuminating the image of a Mud or of Buddha (most of the mosos are Tibetan Buddhists or of its own religion was Giving). They take a dark turban in his heads and topcoat, impose presence, domain in the gesture, strong hands, and beauty in his brown faces of the sun.

We sit down along with them, and been grateful we ate and drank.

The night was a dance of stars, stars in the sky and in the ground, young people with suits of holiday who were dancing about a big bonfire, dismissing the old year and simultaneously, being grateful to the Mud that had visited them in these days and that would give them the blessing for the new year.

In the morning we get up early, with his smiles and charming presence they were waiting for us together with one you very similarly for the Tibetan one (milk, salt, butter and you) and omelettes to the heat of the fire.

In the morning the Mud gave the blessing to all the community then to set off in his boat in the direction of his new destination.

This night was an eve of new year, but the important thing the night was not, but the dawn, when the sun begins going out. For this family not only it would be celebrated the new year, but also the ceremony of adulthood of the daughter, who had already fulfilled 13 years. What was meaning that she was already not a girl and the traditional garment of the moso had to put itself.

At four o'clock in the morning the first fireworks feel, the people get up to extract of the lake the first waters of the year. Then at seven o'clock we begin to attend the ceremony of putting the traditional garment moso to the sister of our friend Zhima.

While Zhima, together with his aunts was helping him to dress the new suit, an age man, it was reciting phrases and then it allowed to hang on the shoulders of the girl a Tibetan white scarf. The suit was consisting of a long white skirt, with a golden shirt and a belt of many colors about the waist. In the head they take a species of crown done with artificial hair (imitating the long hair that were going earlier), with flowers and pearls that decorate it.

When the girl has been dressed completely, he inclines three times, first towards his gods, later towards the persons of major importance of the family, that is to say, the biggest women and in the end towards the guests, who, together with his relatives, give him a present (generally it is a money).

As well as the girls, the children also receive at the same age his moso suits. They dress men's suits, with hats very similar to the Tibetan ones, in skin of animal and suits of pens. This day was even more special one, since in the town there were in whole five children those who dressed his suits, and were going on from house at home where each one was giving them little money.

Then we accompany Zhima together with his sister to the mount, where his ancestors were and to who it is a custom in these dates to take them gifts, meal, drinks, etc and to set fire and incenses. The dead persons are incinerated and then the majority buried in the mounts looking at the lake.

This day they opened the pig that they had prepared according to his propiastradiciones. East consists of refilling the pig with the meat and other ingredients, then they sew the leather and close it and he remains kept by a time until they open it for the New Year.

The day that we were already dividing towards the north, they did a big meal, where all the people of the town were going to eat and enjoy the richest plates prepared especially for the holiday.

We with a little time, since only we had a vehicle with which we could go away, ate and, after moved farewells and the only memories, we continue our way.

To far the lake already hidden between the hills was seen, but we take part of this ground, across so essential trace that he believed that it already not existed. In her the maternal beauty lives between waters of a lake of height, he wakes up between his forests and serene nature, you cover with stars proprietors of the night, women and way in balance.

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