Every May of the lunar calendar, the Panhu Dragon Boat Festival is held in Mayang County. The dragon boats racing are sacrificed to the God of Panhu, which contributes to a unique folk culture.
Panhu Dragon Boat Festival—A Romantic Tale of “Genesis”
It is believed by the Miao people that the God of Panhu is their ancestor, and should be worshiped during the festivals.
Legend has it that in ancient times, Emperor Ku (the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor) promised to marry Princess Gaoxin to anyone who could repel the invading Quanrong tribe. Upon hearing this news, Panhu, the divine dog of Emperor Ku, immediately became ambitious and raised its head and let out three long whistles. Emperor Ku played a joke with the dog, “If you can retreat, I will still recruit you as my son-in-law.” Panhu galloped towards the outside of the camp with three long whistles. The next morning, Panhu amazingly retrieved the head of the enemy chieftain. So Princess Gaoxin got married with Panhu as promised.
In order to free himself from the embarrassment of the marriage between human and beast, Panhu requested Princess Gaoxin to get himself muffled in a large steamer, set up with a large pot, and steamed at high heat for seven days and nights. Princess Gaoxin was worried that her “husband” could not bear it, and she could hardly wait to open the steamer one night in advance. Suddenly, a naked and handsome man appeared in front of her, with only a piece of dog hair on top of his head. It was regrettable for the princess and a long silk handkerchief of hers was available to blot out the dog hair on the her husband’s head.
Consequently, the silk handkerchief on Panhu’s head was sneered from time to time. Panhu and his wife moved south deep in the mountains. A few years later, they gave birth to six sons and six daughters, and were paired into six couples, hence the descendants of Miao, Yao, She and other ethnic groups, sharing the forefather who is revered as the “God of Panhu”.
Due to the hard life in the mountains, Panhu spared no effort to find rice seeds and brought a buffalo to plow the fields in the mountains. A few years later, Panhu grew old and hoped to regain his youth, yet it had to be transformed back into a dog. Seven weeks later, it returned to the steamer and got himself boiled before it could be transformed back into a youngster.
The descendants of Panhu were befuddled by the buffalo and they chopped the “dog shaped” Panhu into pieces and tossed it along the river. Princess Gaoxin, who was waiting for her husband to return home, had a dream one night, and Panhu, covered in blood, came to her at last. When she opened her eyes, Panhu drifted away like a white dragon from the window. So the whole family went out that night to seek for Panhu in or by the river. The next day, the descendants of Panhu rowed rafts and boats to seek for him again, but in vain. The family chopped off the buffalo’s head and minced its body, tossed the beef and paper money as sacrifices while rowing along the river. The six daughters couldn’t help singing songs in memory of their father Panhu, hence the “Panhu Dragon Boat Festival” up until now.
Panhu Dragon Boat Festival—from the 1st to 7th Day of the 5th lunar month
Mayang’s Dragon Boat Festival is descended from the worship of the God of Panhu. On the 1st day of the 5th lunar month, the door of the gods is opened. People gather at the Panhu Temple. At the beginning of the ceremony, the song of “Opening the Gate of the God” and “Where Am I from?” invites the ancestors to participate in the festival. Subsequently, with firecrackers each household holds a sacrifice to the God of Panhu until around 5 p.m.
On the 2nd to 10th day of the 5th lunar month, “Major Dramas” are performed at the Panhu Temple nearby the village by theatrical troupes.
On the 11th day of the 5th lunar month is held the so-called “Dragon Descends into the Water”, including three ceremonies. Three ceremonies would be held on the same day. The first is “Worship to the Gods”, praying to the Ancestral Gods at Panhu Temple and singing the “Longevity to the Gods”. The second is “Parade of Gods”, patrolling around the villages and the ancestral tablets, accompanied by teams such as paper dragon boats and lanterns. The third is “Consulting the Oracle”, singing the “Consulting the Oracle” at the Panhu Temple, inviting the dragon head and tail, and feasted with hot pot of newly butchered pigs in the hut of dragon boat. Then the dragon boat are descended into the water, dressed up as a Panhu dragon boat. From the 12th to the 14th day, people “pay homage to the gods”. The rowers on the Panhu dragon boats follow the river to search ancestral migration relics, singing “Where Am I from”. The Miao people along the river set out tea to entertain the Panhu dragon boat, singing “Thanksgiving Song” or “Pray to the Gods”, etc. From the 15th to the 16th day, it is a “Race Period”. Hundreds of boats race across the rivers, with hustle and bustle of spectators aside. On the 17th day, it is the “Day to Return to Gods”. On that day, three ceremonies are held. The first is “Win favor of Gods”, i.e. the two heads of Panhu dragon boats are tied together before the race. The winner would be favored with the prosperity in the future. The second is “Expel the God of Plague”, i.e. overturn the dragon boat, singing “Expel the God of Plague”, which bespeaks the eradication of the plague. The third is “Return to the Gods”, i.e. sing the “Return to the Gods”, inviting the dragon’s head and tail to return to the Panhu Temple. Thus ends the annual Panhu Dragon Boat Festival with the ancient songs.
Panhu Dragon Boat Festival—Inheritance and Protection
The God of Panhu is an ethnic totem commonly revered by Miao, Yao, She and other ethnic groups throughout the western Hunan and northeastern Guizhou. In the vicissitudes of time, the relics of Panhu culture is preserved intact only in Mayang County. There are 18 Panhu relics in the Jinjiang River Basin, which is less than a hundred miles away in Mayang. In June 2006, the “Mayang Panhu Dragon Boat Festival” was enlisted into the first batch of intangible cultural heritage in Hunan Province. In recent years, through extensive excavation, salvage, inheritance, and promotion, the unique folk culture of Panhu Dragon Boat Festival has been comprehensively restored in Mayang.
(Translated by Tian Xia)