Mongolians: Descendants Of A Grassland Nationality
Mongolians in Yunnan have a population of 28,100, most of whom live in Xingmeng Township of Tonghai County and are the descendants of Mongol troops led by Kublai Khan on the southern expedition to Yunnan in the Yuan Dynasty. Though influenced by Chinese Han life-styles and beliefs, the descendants of this grassland nationality have kept up many of their own customs.
The Traces of a Nomadic Life: The Clothes and Ornaments of Mongolians in Yunnan
Mongolian men in Yunnan wear the Han clothes and ornaments but since childhood Mongolian women wear their own ethnic clothes and ornaments with azure and white as the basic colors. Though no longer worshiping the Saman Religion, Mongolians in Yunnan have kept its idea in their clothes and ornaments. A Mongolian girl makes her pigtail round her head with the two ends bending upward like two horns, a remembrance of the nomadic life on the grassland.
From Cheese to Rice and Flour: The Changes of Mongolian diet in Yunnan
The foods of Mongolians in Yunnan have changed greatly in the past 700 years. They no longer eat cheese and milky tea but have rice and wheat flour as the staple food as other local ethnic groups do. Besides, their customs for celebrating festivals have also changed a lot. During their traditional Nadamu Festival, various folk performances are staged, which suggests that their former nomadic life-style has been influenced by the agriculture style of the ethnic groups of South China.
The Wedding of the Descendants of a Grassland Nationality
A Mongolian wedding always falls on an auspicious day on which the bridegroom will offer the bride betrothal gifts. On the wedding day, before entering the bridegroom’s house, the bride will burn some Marriage-God Sheets. After entering the house, the bridegroom will help the bride put her feet into a rice-filled basket, which symbolizes a bumper harvest in the future. The bride will eat alone in the bridal chamber and the bridegroom will bring her dishes. In the evening, their friends will come to present congratulations and there will always be a happy celebration.
