After a lively dance, Niba sang "Xie Shen Tune" and instructed the men who came to carry the knife holder to remove the knife holder.
Everyone got out of the way, and He Huan said: "In the past, they had a process of dismantling knives. The warriors who went up to the mountain of knives had to go up and dismantle the thirty-six knives one by one from the top. But now the knife poles need to be removed at any time.
Use it, just carry it away.
"Why thirty-six knives?" Liang Ange asked.
"Actually, in Tengchong and many performances, there are seventy-two knives placed on the left and right. Originally, there were thirty-six knives placed in the middle."
"What's the difference between seventy-two and thirty-six?"
"In the Tengchong area, it is mainly said that General Wang led them through the seventy-two levels, which is a bit ridiculous. The seventy-two knives were later added as a performance. The heights are the same, and they become two groups, two people
Going up at the same time has the meaning of competition.
The thirty-six knives come from their calendar. Many of our ethnic minorities have created their own calendars. We saw the October solar calendar painted on their walls in Bijia Village."
The experts nodded.
"The Lisu people, including the Nu people and the Dulong people, use a very romantic calendar."
Liang Ange pricked up his ears when he heard about romance.
"Flower and Bird Calendar!"
"Ah!" Upon hearing this nice name, everyone had a smile on their faces.
"They don't distinguish between four seasons and divide the year into two seasons, the dry season and the wet season. The dry season is the season we are in now, from November to February of the next year. The wet season is from March to October.
.This is derived from weather phenomena.
They also observed the time when flowers bloomed and birds chirped, and divided the year into a flower blooming month, a bird chirping month, a volcano-burning month, a hunger month, a grass-gathering month, a harvest month, a wine-making month, a hunting month, a new year month, and a building-building month.
.We are celebrating the New Year now.
There are ten seasons in total, each season has 36 days, and ten months total 360 days. Do you know why there are thirty-six knives?"
The experts nodded and said with a smile: "I got it!"
The Lisu compatriots also nodded, "We know it too!"
After all, they themselves didn't know it, because they thought it was to commemorate Wang Ji, but in fact they didn't know much about this Han general.
"There are only five days left in the 360 days, which is the golden season and the Chinese New Year."
"Oh." Everyone learned again.
"Because the climate is obviously different where they live. The weather is different ten miles away. It is even more obvious in the mountains and valleys. The further north we go, the more obvious it will be for you.
Because the flowers bloom, the birds chirp, and the harvest occurs at different times in each place, their seasons are not exactly the same. In the past, they also celebrated the blooming season at different times."
The governor nodded, "Yes, in the 1990s, the state determined that December 20th of the Gregorian calendar is the holiday. Other places are different from us."
Weixi and the Lisu compatriots in Lijiang nodded, "Yes, there is no fixed time. Because it is almost more than a month, from the twelfth lunar month to the first lunar month, which is the Chinese New Year. We just choose a few days to hold group activities."
He Huan said: "The Flower and Bird Calendar is a set of calendars summarized by the people in the mountains and valleys based on nature. It is very similar to our 24 solar terms. Our 24 solar terms guide farming production based on the weather.
They are more direct and include all their specific activities.
It’s harvest, I’m going to make wine! After making wine and no meat, it’s time for me to hunt. After hunting, I have wine and meat, and it’s time to celebrate the New Year! It’s cold after the New Year, so I’ll be idle. Let’s strengthen the house.
The flowers are blooming and the cuckoo is chirping. It’s time for me to sow seeds. After sowing the seeds, I quickly burn the volcano and cultivate some land. I’m so tired! Why haven’t the seeds grown yet? I’m hungry..."
"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed wildly. The Lisu compatriots were so happy that they even raised their feet.
Cai Yi put his arm around his shoulders, "Are you really hungry? I'll find you something to eat!"
He Huan also hugged his shoulders and held him down.
Everyone laughed non-stop.
He Huan said: "I was hungry, and the seeds had not yet borne fruit, so I had to go to the mountains to pick some grass to fill my stomach. After two months, the seeds finally borne fruit and it was time to harvest!"
Everyone couldn't help but burst into tears. The hardships of life can be seen in the romance!
The governor said: "Little White Dragon understands life in our mountainous areas! We should bring Little White Dragon to farm!"
There was another burst of laughter on the hillside.
"One thing that is the same is that the Hungry Month for the Lisu, Nu, and Dulong tribes all falls in June. In fact, it is far more than that. It's just that they are particularly hungry this month.
In ancient times, they may have to collect wild grass and vegetables to fill their stomachs half of the time.
According to records from the Ming Dynasty, Lisu men often carried medicinal arrows, bows and crossbows to hunt animals, and their wives dug the roots of grass and trees to feed the sun. They hunted and dug the roots of grass and lived by this method. They also had to pay taxes."
The experts cried, "How pitiful!"
The villagers quickly comforted them, "We are not hungry anymore. We have food at any time! There are no taxes, and the government also gives us a lot of help!"
Everyone started laughing again.
"The mountains are barren, and the land created by burning volcanoes is still occupied by chieftains and bureaucrats. Life is very difficult, and their personalities are stubborn, so they have been fighting.
When he couldn't win, he ran again, crossing the Jinsha River, Yunling River, Lancang River, and Biluo Snow Mountain, migrating towards the sunset and running into the Nujiang Grand Canyon.
No nation migrates and revolts as frequently as the Lisu. Their history is a history of uprisings, migrations, uprisings, and migrations.
Therefore, the Qing Dynasty recorded a lot about them, and the unified evaluation was: fierce!"
The Lisu compatriots laughed a little sheepishly.
"Because at that time they were converted to native lands and were squeezed by the chieftains, the government, and the defenders. So many uprisings broke out.
This gave the Qing Dynasty bureaucrats a headache, so they confiscated and destroyed their sharp knives, bows and crossbows on a large scale. This left them with no weapons to fight, but these were not just weapons!
Slash-and-burn cultivation, hunting for a living, building roads through mountains, and building bridges over water are still their production tools. After being destroyed, their production tools will be very low-level, and their lives will be even more difficult.
So they are very eager and dependent on knives and all iron products."
Everyone was fascinated.
"Going to Daoshan means their close relationship with and worship of knives. Thirty-six knives, thirty-six seasons. Sharp knives, poisonous crossbows, and never leave their bodies.
Their calendar is also their history. Shangdaoshan shows their process of getting along with nature and their constant struggle to find a homeland.
Decorate the trees and knife ladders with flowers, and give your life and wishes to the knife. This is a nation that loves nature, is romantic and brave."
The Lisu compatriots looked at him warmly and were deeply moved.
"I asked them to arrange such a complete ceremony just to let everyone understand the nature worship, national complex and historical meaning of going up the mountain of swords and going down to the sea of fire."
Everyone nodded.
He Huan looked at several state leaders and said, "Thank you all for your support."
The governor who was fascinated by what he heard quickly held his hand excitedly and said, "It's us who thank you, Xiao Bailong, for we have really benefited a lot! I didn't expect you to have so many interpretations of Shangdaoshan! You let us
I have a deeper understanding of our national culture!”
The Lisu compatriots all nodded, feeling even more proud of their ancestors and nation.
The director said: "No wonder I asked Xiao Bailong if he wanted to hold the Knife Mountain event? He said that he would do it if a complete ceremony could be held, otherwise there would be no need to do it. That's why we invited Nipa to come."
"Because Shangdaoshan has been held a lot, and most of them have simplified the content of sacrifices and increased the entertainment content, but I think it is necessary for experts to take a look at these rituals of inviting gods and singing."
The experts nodded, "Thank you, Xiao Bailong, and thank you for allowing us to see such an authentic ceremony. It really shocked us!"
The governor asked seriously: "Well, Xiao Bailong and the experts, do you think it is better for us to follow the original ceremony or the current ceremony?"
"Let's do the ceremony now," He Huan said, "because I mainly want the experts to understand. We are here to study national culture, so the deeper the better, and we can't be superficial.
But if you want to entertain the public, promote it, and have a mass appeal, it must be the current entertainment, competitions, sports, acrobatics, any form, which is easier for the masses and tourists to accept than sacrifices."
The governor nodded.
He Huan watched as several men carried away the knife ladder covered with colorful flowers and put it on the small truck. "Any nation that continues to modern times is constantly changing and developing in order to adapt to the new environment and era.
When we protect traditional culture, we do not mean to completely restore it, which is destined to perish. The national wisdom can be seen from the continuous evolution of mountains of swords and seas of fire."
After the knife pole was carried away, several Lisu women stood in the field with dustpans on their heads. Various objects were placed in the dustpans, and several Lisu men came on stage with bows and arrows.
Liang Ange asked curiously: "What is this for?"
"Crossbow shooting competition. Whoever shoots the colorful objects in the dustpan wins."
The experts were very excited. After seeing their sharp knives, they could also see their powerful crossbows!
But I started to worry again, "Is this okay? Isn't it too dangerous?"
"This would not be possible now," He Huan said, "not because of the danger, but because if you do it this way, some people will say you don't respect women. Everyone will stop doing it this way. But this is their original tradition.
"
The governor nodded and said with a smile: "If you show it to tourists, some people may not understand it, but you can show it to experts. This is what our original crossbow shooting competition looks like."
"Then those people are going to scold us."
"That's because they don't understand." He Huan said, "Historical records of the Ming Dynasty record that Lisu was particularly good at crossbows. Every time he asked his wife to carry a small wooden shield forward, he would shoot the crossbow from behind, and the shield would hit the woman without hurting her."
"so smart!"
Just hearing a burst of cheers from the surroundings, someone had already shot something in the dustpan, and sure enough, the target was spotless.
He Huan said: "In the past, they had armed fights and blood revenge, and all men in the tribe were obliged to participate. Women were responsible for care and logistics.
But as long as a woman, no matter from which side of the battle, rushes to the battlefield, waves her skirt and shouts for an armistice, even the fierce fighting will stop immediately."
The experts laughed and said, "It's very interesting!"
"Hmm. I don't know which wise ancestor decided that men should learn to use crossbows from a young age, but they cannot shoot women. This gives men the obligation to fight, and at the same time gives women the power to cease war."
Liang Ange nodded, "This is much better than starting a war over women."
"Yes, marital feelings were originally one of the reasons why they fought. The whole clan also participated in the war. Similarly, if a woman ran out to stop it, the war would cease.
No matter which side this woman feels sorry for, in short, there is no need to fight, right? There will always be someone who will leave sadly."
A group of people were overjoyed.
"So...some people say this is disrespectful to women, so we won't broadcast this episode." He Huan said keeping up with the times.
The experts were speechless. Look at them again. This is trust, right?
A man has the ability to speak without false intentions, and women also believe that he has this ability.
The archers competed in archery, and the singers couldn't stand it anymore, and the hillside was filled with singing again.
Everyone experienced what a cultural and sports carnival is! We also felt the romance and bravery of this nation!
In the evening, the Little White Dragon Troupe and the singers went to have dinner, and a bonfire was lit where the knife poles were made.
When I came back after eating, the campfire had been extinguished, leaving only a pile of red coals.
Niba sang ancient mysterious songs and danced around the coals. Suddenly he took a sip of water and sprayed it around.
"This is a cleansing place, please ask the Dragon God." He Huan explained, "With the protection of the Dragon God, you won't get burned if you go into the sea of fire."
When the experts looked at the pile of red charcoal, they felt hot even when standing next to it.
"Are we really going to go into the sea of fire?"
The four warriors had taken off their shirts, rolled up their trouser legs to their knees, were barefoot, and drank the water given by Nipa.
Niba beat the gongs and drums and led the four warriors into the field.
The surrounding Lisu compatriots cheered in unison, played the flute and played the flute, and the four warriors danced and jumped into the red charcoal fire.
"Ah!" The experts stared wide-eyed.
The four warriors bent down and groped in the hot coals.
The experts didn't dare to blink, and they didn't dare to express their anger.
I saw a warrior picking up a red-hot iron chain from the coals and dancing wildly around him.
Iron and fire made a clanging sound, and fire dragons danced under the night sky.
The experts were all shocked, "I have seen a dragon dance, but I have never seen a fire dragon dance!"
But the warrior danced vigorously, jumping back and forth in the hot coals, dancing the iron chain, and then threw it to the next person, who then danced the fire dragon.
Liang Ange was shocked, "This music trip is completely an acrobatic trip!"
After dancing the fire dragon, the four warriors took up charcoal fire and wiped it on their naked upper bodies.
Dancing, sparks flying.
Experts watched in shock as they were rained down with fire.
"This is called a fire bath. It can wash away the pain and bad luck on the body, making the new year healthy and auspicious!" He Huan explained.
We can no longer describe it in words.
A group of Lisu people were not surprised at all, and became more and more happy singing and dancing.
The experts also calmed down and could only pretend that the warriors who had plunged into the sea of fire were gods descending to earth, cheering for everyone, and dancing with them.
When the warriors from the sea of fire came out, the experts quickly gathered around them with concern, "Are you okay?"
The four warriors proudly raised their feet and showed their palms. Not only were they unscathed, but their skin was not even blackened.
How impressive!
"Why won't it hurt like this?" Liang Ange asked curiously.
The warriors said of course: "Because the God of Fire and the God of Dragon are protecting us!"
The experts looked at them and couldn't understand. This was no longer acrobatics, it really looked like witchcraft!
The experts looked at the little white dragon again.
He Huan looked at them, "Although my name is Xiao Bailong, I am not the Dragon God, and I don't know either!"
Everyone laughed.
He Huan added: "Fire is the object of their worship. Many ethnic minorities in Yunzhou worship fire, and that's how the Torch Festival came about.
People who practice slash-and-burn farming have fire pits in every household, and they also light bonfires for singing and dancing. They are naturally psychologically closer to fire than we are.
The same goes for knives. The ethnic minorities here in Yunzhou used to carry knives with them since childhood. They were also close to and dependent on knives.
Playing with fire and knives has been their habit since childhood.
Of course, even if they are Lisu people, not everyone can go up the mountain of swords and into the sea of fire. In addition to skills and experience, the most important thing is the psychological factor.
They believe that they have been possessed by gods and will not be injured after performing a series of pious rituals. Knives and fire are close companions that have been with them since childhood, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
Experts looked at the pile of hot and crackling charcoal fire, and there was nothing to be afraid of?
"In the past, at the Tengchong Knife Pole Festival, some Han people were injured when they went up the mountain of knives and into the sea of fire. Later, everyone agreed that this activity could only be done by the Lisu people, and others would be injured if they participated.
There is hesitation in their own psychology, and the result of injury triggers taboos. But they believe in God's protection and are never injured, so they are even more fearless."
Everyone looked at them and couldn't understand.
"Psychological suggestion is indeed very important. It will bring obstacles to us and stimulate our potential. Science cannot explain this clearly. In short, the power of faith is indeed great.
If we are as hesitant, scared, and unbelievable as we are, then we definitely can’t go up mountains of swords and seas of fire, or we will get hurt. So don’t imitate, let’s just take a look.”
Everyone nodded. Who dares to imitate this?
"Since we have seen it with our own eyes and cannot explain it scientifically, we might as well accept their statement."
The experts put aside their confusion and joined them in singing and dancing around the fire coals and partying until late at night.