The Troops-Summoning Festival of She Minority

110.The Troops-Summoning Festival of She Minority

Nominating Unit: City of Chaozhou

The Troops-Summoning Festival of She Minority in City of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province is a folk activity, combining ancestor worship and totem, and featuring mainly by sacrificing and praying. It is the most solemn and grandest traditional folk festival of the local She people, mainly celebrated by She Minority in the She village of Shek kwu ping, Fenghuang town, the She village of Li gong keng, Wenci town (including Wong Chuk Yeung village), the Shanli She village of Gui hu town, Wanyao She village, Lingjiao village, village in Leichu Mountain, Yixi Town, Xiangqiao district, Lanwu She village of Raoyang town, Raoping county and Fengping She village of Fengshun county.

The She Minority usually has its own inheritor Masters, responsible for praying for rain, inviting gods and exorcism in the She village and local areas. Villages that have their own Masters hold the Troopssummoning Festival every two or three years. They usually invite the troops on the eve of the lunar New Year or one day before that, and send off the troops on the fourth day of the first lunar month. While villages who have not Masters usually hold the festival every three or five years, conducting the troops-inviting and troops-sending-off activities together, depending on the villages’ economic condition.

The primary god of the festival’s sacrifice is Panhu. According to folk legend, Panhu was a black dragon in the East China Sea, reincarnated in the left ear of Liu who lived in the imperial palace of Gaoxin--the great grandson of Yellow Emperor who is thought to be the ancestor of the Chinese people--and became the best and brightest man when he grew up. When the country was invaded by another foreign country, Gaoxin put up a notice to invite men of wisdom and valor, which said: Anyone who can defeat the king of the invading country can marry my third daughter. Panhu was voluntarily recruited and successfully bit off the king’s head, thus suppressed the revolt and became the emperor’s son-in-law. Then Panhu settled down in Guangdong Province, and went to Maoshan Mountain to learn dharma. He summoned all the troops and soldiers to support healthy energy and eliminate evils, and to protect all the people. She Minority celebrate the Troops-summoning Festival, in the hope of cherishing the memory of Panhu, passing down his spirit and that the god’s troops would come to the village to protect the people and their fowls.(https://www.daowen.com)

Historically, the Troops-summoning Festival is organized autonomously by every She village on the Fenghuang Mountain; the Master would choose an auspicious day to hold the ceremony during the three days before and after the winter solstice. The festival lasts three days, including twenty-eight items which are divided into five sections, namely praying, inviting gods, positing gods, summoning troops and exorcism. It is an activity of praying for blessings from gods of ancestors on the offspring and fowls, filled with She people’s respects and memories of Panhu.

The Troops-Summoning Festival of She Minority is a comprehensive showcase of She’s culture, covering the area of She’s religion, legends and myths, language, music, dance, wushu, costume and accessories, food, etc. It displays the most natural She culture in an all round way, thus carries with high academic value and aesthetic value.

However, due to various kinds of reasons, although the troops-summoning ceremony has been simplified, it is seldom held. Besides, as the She ethnic minority has no written words, the cultural quality of the Master is limited and the rules of the minority group are not allowed to be disclosed to the public, the passing on and developing of the Troops-summoning Festival is beset by crises and calling for effective protection and support.