Holiday of the frog between the Zhuang

The Zhuang that live in the average course of the river Hongshui celebrate every year a curious festival in honor of the God frog, which they ask for prosperity for the village, and, especially, good harvests.

This ceremony consists of three phases, and lasts a whole of 25 days.

The first phase is when the activity is celebrated of "Looking for the Frog"
At this station the frogs are hibernating. The people of several villages go out to the field in search of the frogs. The first one that finds a frog turns into the "Fiancé of the Frog". Then the frog takes to the village, one shuts it up in a coffin, is placed in a car adorned with role of colors, and one takes him to the Pavilion of the Frog, between the sound of drums and of fireworks.

The second phase is called "a Wakefulness of the Frog". The frog continues in the Pavilion of the Frogs. For the day the children meet and taking the frog to the shoulder go of house at home asking the people for the rice. It is thought that, on having distributed between the families the called "rice of hundred families", the peace and the harmony takes in the village. In the night bonfires ignite along with the Pavilion of the Frog and the people are meeting. The elders touch the bronze drum, and soon the whole world is dancing to the rhythm that they mark. This way they spend the whole night of wakefulness. This "Wakefulness of the Frog" lasts 25 days.

The third phase is the call "Burial of the Frog". This day the people prepare a breakfast that is an authentic banquet. Then the "Fiancé of the Frog" leads a procession that takes the frog to the place where it will have to be buried. There the bones of the frog are examined buried the previous year. If they are of gray or black color, it is a sign that the harvest will be scarce. Then the people kneel down asking the gods to protect them. If the bones are of golden color, it is a sign of that will be a year of plenty. Then the bronze drums touch, a few volleys go off. It is buried to the frog of this year, and turns to the village to celebrate a big holiday.

According to the legends many years ago, a man grieved by the death of his mother, was feeling terribly irritated by the continuous one to croak of the frogs, therefore warm water threw them to scald them. This way it managed to kill to many frogs and make to flee to others finishing with his inconveniences, but some time after a series of disasters began happening, especially a big drought that dried the harvests putting the people in danger of perishing.

Consulting a fortune teller, the god of Zhuang Boluodou he said to them that the frog was a son of the God of the Thunder, therefore until the people were not apologizing for the horrible crime committed against his son, the God of the Thunder would not release the rain. Following his instructions the people began burying solemnly to the dead frogs, and inviting to the holidays of New Year the God Frog.

Since then the rains returned, the harvests grew satisfying the people and the domestic animals multiplied. It is for it that the Zhuang consider to the frog a sacred animal, to which they protect and respect in all occasions.

In fact the cults to the branch in the south of China have an origin similar to that of the cult to the dragon or to the snake, since on having been animals that live in the closeness of the waters, one relates them to the rain so necessary for the good development of the cultivation.

In the holiday of the New Year, the people disguise themselves as frog, move in leaps and bounds in squatting as the frogs, and they dance in groups imitating his movements about a stone sculpture of the Frog Mother. It is the activity that is considered to be propitious to obtain the blessing of the God Frog.

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