时间：2022-09-16 12:05:49
[Abstract] As a minority in china, Manchu developed a rich colorful and splendid culture. It is worthwhile studying on its fairy tales, funeral rituals, marriage conventions, sacrificial practices, child-birth and raising customs as well as taboos.
[Key words] Culture；Special features
There are various types of Manchu customs including family etiquettes, traditional fairy tales, funeral rituals, marriage conventions, sacrificial practices, child-birth and raising customs as well as taboos.
Ⅰ. Family etiquettes
It is prohibited for brides to have a dinner with her husband and parents-in-law. When the seniorities are eating, daughters-in-law have no choice but to serve them nearby, otherwise it is considered disrespect and a black sheep. Elder uncles can’t play a joke with the wife of the nephew. The arms and legs of the nephew’s wife can’t be seen by the elder uncles. The trend of respecting the seniorities is honored in Manchu. When coming across the elder, the youth should stand with hands down and answer the questions raised by the elder friendly. For the youth, they should go to present their respects to the elder every other two days informally and every other four days formally. When two women meet each other, they would hold hand in hand called “lalali”. Very close relatives seeing each other after a long period of separation will hold each other on the waist and contact each other on the face and exchange greetings by raising hands. It is called a formal ritual of “baoyaojiemian”. If the juniors see the seniors, the juniors will hold the seniors’ waist and the seniors will touch the juniors’ back with the hands. The old woman will go and touch her husband’s chest and her husband will touch her neck on the back slightly when they reunion after a long period of separation. It is called “dingtouli”.
Ⅱ. Fairy tales and legends
A large amount of fairy tales and legends exist in Manchu culture, whose content is rich and feature is special. They are the summary and core of shamanism. Some of them is written, while others are spoken. Its contents include the origin of man and the origin of the universe, etc. The typical feature of Manchu fairy tales is that the myth of animals and plants coexists with the myth of ancestors and the myth of nature as well as the relic of totemism.
Ⅲ. Funeral customs
Manchu devote particular care to the funeral customs. The whole process of funeral ritual includes three parts: “tingling”(keeping a coffin in a temporary shelter before burial), “jidian”(holding a memorial ceremony for death) and “chubin”(carrying a coffin to the cemetery). For a common household, three pieces of wood will be put on the kang① to form a bed called “tingshipaizi” that has the same direction with it so that the corpse can lie down on it. The corpse’s head will be towards westward and its feet will be towards eastward. A coin made of copper should be put into the mouth of the dead, which is called “hanlian”. “Tingling” will last three days. The next day, “jidian” begins at noon. After that, “chubin” appears, in which the eldest son will hold a “lingtoufan”( a kind of thing that can lead the soul of a person into the paradise after death) and walks the first, in the meantime, other sons and daughters follow him holding the thin and long cloth tied to a stick like a flag called “mingjing”. After the burial ceremony, a dinner will be served for the attending relatives and close friends, which is called “ciling dinner”. The days of memorial to the dead include the following: the seventh day, the twenty first day, the thirty fifth day and the forty ninth day. Apart from this, the one hundredth day, the first anniversary after death, the third anniversary and tomb sweeping day ceremonies to memorize the dead should also be held. For these ceremonies, the family members and subordinates should carry some good food or fruit to the tombs for burning, which is believed that the dead could receive them.
Ⅳ. Child-birth and raising customs
Manchu attaches importance to the child-birth. Once the woman is pregnant, it is regarded as the family’s happy event. At this time the mother-in-law will tell her some knowledge about fetus protection and traditional taboos. For example, pregnant woman is prohibited to go to other woman’s delivery room, to sit on the top of the kitchen range or the windowsill, to cry and laugh loudly, to serve for the gods of ancestors , to go to the stable or pull the horse at the fifth month of pregnance.
Ⅴ.Sacrificial practices
Manchu’s sacrifice activities are mysterious and solemn. They are very formal from the procedure to content. The whole process of sacrifice can be divided into the following parts: offering up a sacrifice to ancestors, offering up a sacrifice to Gods, offering up a sacrifice to heaven, offering up a sacrifice to stars. Sacrifice activities are very important in the ancient time, while they are rare now.
Ⅵ. Taboos
There are many taboos in Manchu customs. Gods and ancestors are protected from profanation. Men can’t sleep in the west kang and objects can be put on it either because Manchu believe West should be honored and the box containing their forefathers’ name should be placed on west kang.
Hurting dogs is prohibited and dogs-killing or dogs-meat eating is also stopped. There is no way for a man wearing a cap made of dogskin to enter the owner’s house. It is said that “nuerhachi”② told his clan: “dogs know his owner and can save him, so they are beneficial animal”. Since then on, it becomes a convention for Manchu to love dogs and respect dogs. What’s more, Manchu don’t eat crow’s meat and they raise them as well as worship them.
Annotation：
①A bed made of earth and bricks which can be used as a heater in winter for fire can be set under it.
②The first emperor of Manchu who is said to be saved once by dogs.
References：
[1] Guo Mengxiu, Research on the Generation of Manchu’s culture, Study of Manchu’s Language,[J],2009.
[2] Hu Zhiliang, Zhang Guangcai, Lanhai, the Protection of Manchu’s culture and its Problems, Business Economics, [J],2008.