image: traditional Tujia brocade


Play All)Procedural texts: Tujia New Year Customs

7.2: Tujia New Year Customs

Lu Bangzhen, Tasha Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 27 January 2003

01 la2ye1 nie1 hi2 suo1 nie1 ci1 bi2 ka1-hu3, cu1 mian3hua3 za2-ta1tiu1, la2tu1 zi4 bo3 lie2-ji2-lie3-duo3.
'Little New Year' starts on the twenty-third of the last [lunar] month; we can't spin any more cotton at home, and all the gourds must be fed to the pigs.
02 ci1 bi2 ka1 nie4, ci1 bi2 ka1-liao3, ka1 nie4 me2su3-lie1, lang3qi1-cai3 xian1 wu2-duo3, xian1 wu2-da2-nie2 zi1ge1 le qing2 ha3-duo3 tang3 tang3 tang3 tang3.
On the day of the 'Little New Year', on that day, from daybreak on that day, every evening incense must be burnt. Before burning incense, we have to strike the gongs. (sound of gong being struck)
03 ai1lie1 jiu1 xian1 wu2-duo3, wu2 mo3 kei3 ye4-duo3 le? kai1nian3-lie1 zeng1ye1 la2 hi2 ong1 nie1, la2 hi2 ong1 bu2 ao1 ye4-duo3.
Then we have to burn incense; how long do we need to burn it for? Until the fifteenth, the fifteenth of the first [lunar] month.
04 ci1 bi2 ka1-liao3 le, luo4ci1ba1, luo4bi3-die1, guo1guo1-ma1, a2da1-ma1, yi2si1 sa3 cai2 li3-duo3, die2ka1la1 li3-ta1ti1.
After celebrating 'Little New Year', grown-ups, children, young men, young women, everyone must speak wholesome words, they mustn't say anything bad.
05 la2ye1, la2ye1, nie1 bu2 la2ye1, nie1 bu2 ge1 bu2 si3jie3, ci1 tie2ba1 ka1-hu3, ci1 tie2ba1 ka1-nie3 si3jie3, ci1 tie2ba1 ka1-nie3 ai1 si3, ci1 tie2ba1 ka1-hu3, deng1long3 gua2-ji2-duo3,
The last month, the last month, on the twenty-ninth of the last month, New Year is celebrated, when New Year is celebrated, when New Year is celebrated, when New Year is about to be celebrated, we must finish hanging up lanterns,
06 yan3deng3, pa2qie1-ta3 be2 deng1long3 gua2-duo3, ka1tao1 si3tie2 zi1ge1, si3tie2 ka1tao1 zi4ji3pa3 bai4-bo3-duo3, ba1ba1-ni3ga3 bai4-bo3-duo3, cang3xian3 tie2ba1 jie2mi1ti3 he2ba3 xie2 wu2-duo3,
round lanterns, we must hang lanterns by the walkways, and in front of the table. We must put pig's trotters on the table, and a large 'baba' glutinous rice cake, as well as burning a large incense stick as thick as a finger.
07 sa1mi1 nie1 ci3 seng3kang3 ga3 gong2-bo3-duo3, hong2-bo3-duo3, la2zu1 nie1 zi2 ti2-bo3-duo3, la2zu1 nie1 zong1gang1 zi1ge1-cai3, seng3deng3 ti2-bo3-duo3.
We must put two 'tangsa' crisped rice cakes on the shrine, lean them against the shrine, and light two candles, and a lamp at the front between the two candles.
08 ai1 la2 pe1 le, cu1 jiu1 ci4 luo2 tuo4-duo3, luo2 la2 da2, he3 la2 bu2, lao4reng3ga3-die1 sa3 hao4ri3-ma1 jiu1 dong1 dang3 dang3 dong1,
That night, we must strike a large gong in the house, a gong and a drum. Old folk who know how to must strike them, (sound of drums)
09 huo2 ha3-duo3. tie4tie3 ti2-lie3 le, tie4tie3 ni2 guo2 jiu1 mie2, ni2 guo2 jiu1 mie2-ta1ti1, guo2duo3 mo3 xi2-duo3. bo1li3-die1 le, luo4ci1ba1-die1 le, yi2si1 cu1 ong3, ci1 ka4-bo3-duo3.
just like that. Once the lamps are lit, you blow them, you musn't blow them out, but must let them burn themselves out. Children and adults must all sit together at home to see the New Year in.
10 bo1li3-die1 nie2-hu3 le, ngo4-ti1ke1 di3-i-duo3, gao1 mo3, bang2ye1 ye4-liao3 le, luo4ci1ba1-die1 yi2si1 da4 ngo4-ti1ke1 di3-i-hu3.
When the children have gone to bed, we must go and dig for silver, far into the night, all the adults start digging for silver together.
11 suo1 bu2 la2 hi2 ai1me1 ye2geng1 seng2zong2-nie1, ai1lie1 tie4tie3 le, sang2 bang2ye1 le, jiu1 seng3kang3 dui2-bo3, xia2 bang2ye1 le, jiu1 wo4ta3-bo3 dui2-bo3-duo3.
On the thirtieth, things are even more splendid. The lamps, for the first half of the night they are set facing the ancestral shrine; for the latter half they must face outwards.
12 ai1 la2 pe1 le jiu1, la1cuo1la1lai1, lao4reng3ga3-die1 ye1 hao4, bo1li3-die1 ye1 hao4, biu2 a2da1-ma1-die1 ye1 hao4, guo1guo1-ma1-die1 ye1 ca2,
That night, the whole household, whether they are old people, children, young girls, young women, or young men,
13 yi2si1 da4 ra3 rong2-xi2 ru3-bo3-duo3, ra3 ga3gi1 die3, bong2long1-ta1ti1-nie3 lao4reng3ga3-die1 jiu1...
they must all wait together to hear the cock crow, to hear the cock crow, old people who can no longer move will also sit there ...
14 ai1 tang3long3 le jiu1 pao2zu1 ra3ra3... po1-liao3, seng3deng3 le, ai1lie1 jiu1 wo4ta3-bo3 ba4-liao3, ai1lie1 jiu1 song2ga1 bu2-i-duo3 kuan3tang3...
In the main hall, firecrackers are let off, (sound of firecrackers) and the shrine lamp is turned to face outwards. Then the pounder is put to work. (sound of pounding)
15 hao4! song2ga1 bu2-ji2-liao3 le jiu1 bo1zuo1 bo4-duo3, gang3lang3lang3... gao1-ji2-liao3, ai1di1 yi2si1 da4ha3 jiu1 sa1mi1 za1-bo3 ga2, sa1mi1 za1-bo3 ga2.
OK! When the pounding is done, we have to turn the grindstone. (sound of grinding) When that's done, everyone soaks 'tangsa' crisped rice cakes in hot water, soaks 'tangsa' and eats them.
16 me2su3-lie1 le, ai1lie1 you2 pu3sa3 jing2-duo3, pu3sa3 jing2-lie3 le, ai1lie1 you2 da4 ci1ki1ta1 ba1-duo3,
At daybreak, we must worship the gods. After worshipping the gods, we paste pieces of paper together
17 da2meng1 ga3ha2 ao2mian1 ong1 hhi1, si2 la1meng3 jie3-xi2 ba1-ji2-duo3, li2kuo1tong1, pa2, da1dong1, yi2si1 ba1 mo3, ba1-ji2-liao3 zi1hou2 jiu1 suan2liao1.
above the main door, five pieces on each side; paper must be pasted on all four doors. Also on the ploughshare, harrow, threshing trough, paper must be pasted on all of them. When that's done, it's finished.
18 ai1lie1 nie1 ba4-bo3 wu2 ka3 zuo1-duo3, yi2zi1 gao1 mo3 si3 wu1 ye4-duo3, eng, gao1 mo3 si3 wu1 ye4-liao3 le jiu1 ai1 qian3zi3 ci1ca4-ji2-liao3, guo2duo3 guo2duo3 le la4 ni1-duo3.
On an auspicious day, we have to put the yoke on the ox, and these activities continue until the fifteenth. And when the fifteenth comes, then we tear down all the paper on the walls, and everyone gets on with his normal work.

 

 

 

 

 

n: 12th month (of lunar calendar) num: two num: ten num: three cl: day n: (New Year) n: small (one) vt: to spend (time) vsuff: [imminent] n: home n: cotton vt: to spin vsuff: [can't+now] n: gourd n: pig part: (IO) vt: to give vsuff: [end] vsuff: [past] vsuff: [want] n: day vsuff: [past+now] vi: to dawn nsuff: [at, from] advt: at night suff: [there/then] n: incense vt: to burn vsuff: [not] vsuff: [yet] n: front part: (new topic marker) n: gong vt: to hit onom: (sound of a gong) conj: then conj: then part: (-wise) pron: where vt: to arrive n: beginning of the year n: 1st month (in lunar calendar) num: one num: five cl: (for compact round items such as eggs, stones, millet, firecrackers, and for events of brief duration) advl: there n: adult n: son nsuff: [plural] n: elder brother vsuff: [doer] n: elder sister advm: all n: words, matters n: good (one) vt: to say vi: to be bad vsuff: [can't] num: nine n: period of time n: large (one) suff: ['s] pron: that n: time n: lantern vt: to hang n: round lantern n: corridor nsuff: [near] advm: also n: on top n: table n: pig trotter vt: to lay out vsuff: [stative] n: glutinous rice cake nsuff: [female] n: incense stick n: finger advm: such a big one vt: to have n: deep-fried puffed glutinous rice cakes cl: (for limbs, rice-cakes, buckets) n: shrine n: on vt: to offer (in worship) vt: to lean against n: candle cl: (for long thin things: roads, sticks, guns, bamboo, candles) vt: to light (lamp, candle) n: middle n: altar candle cl: night vi: to be large n: gong vt: to knock cl: (for trays, hats and bowl-shaped objects) n: drum n: elderly person vt: to know onom: (sound of drum-beat) onom: (sound of drum-beat) advm: so n: lamp pron: you pron: he vt: to blow pron: (him)self vt: to extinguish n: child vi: to sit vt: to guard vi: to go to bed n: silver nsuff: [lump] vt: to dig (up) vsuff: [irrealis] vt: to work, do n: midnight advm: all, together conj: then advm: still more vi: to be grand vsuff: [some] n: first part vt: to face n: latter part n: outside nsuff: [towards] advm: (as a) household advm: also vi: to be good n: daughter vi: to be good n: hen vi: to crow (of a cock) vsuff: [that which] vt: to hear onom: cock-a-doodle-doo! part: (emphasis) vi: to move n: main hall n: firecracker onom: (sound of firecrackers) vt: to place, pasture, release, shoot vt: to look at n: pounding apparatus vt: to pound onom: (sound of pounding) n: grindstone vt: to grind (with a hand mill) onom: (sound of grinding) pron: that advm: all, together vt: to steep vt: to eat, bite advm: again; both... n: god, Buddhist idol vt: to show respect n: paper vt: to stick n: main door n: on n: both sides cl: (for thin, flat things: paper, leaves, flags) num: four n: door, gate vt: to shout, call n: ploughshare n: harrow n: threshing box advt: after, behind expr: OK n: cow n: firewood vt: to hang advm: all along num: ten num: five part: (excl) n: wall paper, poster vt: to tear n: road vt: to look for


Copyright (C) 2004 Philip & Cecilia Brassett