The customs of seating in Dong villages dictate that when visiting a Dong family, one must respect the rules of seating. Sitting on the main threshold of the host’s house with one’s back to the ancestral shrine in the main room is considered disrespectful to the host’s ancestors. Additionally, the new red-painted four-legged stools in the host’s home are not to be sat on casually. If a family possesses such stools, it signifies that someone in the family just got married, and the stools are part of the dowry from the bride’s family, designated exclusively for the new bride. Only after the bride gives birth to a child, can these stools be sat on freely by others. Hearth is a place where they cook, warm themselves by the fire, and receive guests. When a guest is invited to sit in the middle of the hearth, it is considered the best seat. The guest should sit upright and refrain from spreading their legs wide apart, as this is deemed disrespectful to women. Crossing one’s legs in a casual manner is also inappropriate, as it may be interpreted as one looks down on the host family.
Invitations for banquets or feasts must be sent out one day in advance. Follow-up invitations should be sent out once or twice on the same day to show politeness. During the banquet, tea, alcohol, and cigarettes should be served.
Attending the Ao Fair, also known as “going to the Ao”, is a traditional custom of the Dong people in the north. The dates for holding the Ao Fair are generally fixed, such as June 6th of the lunar calendar for the Yachao Ao at Chaping, and February 19th, June 19th, and September 19th of the lunar calendar for the Liangchahe Ao at Liangsan. Ao Fairs are held at lawns, attracting tens of thousands of people each time.
Lusheng Caitang Dance is popular among the Dong and Miao people in Jingzhou County. They like to organize Lusheng dances in villages. Such activities have fixed dates, venues, and even large-scale Lusheng gatherings. For example, the Lusheng gathering of the Dong people in Xinjie on July 15th of the lunar calendar, the Lusheng gathering of the Miao people in Mianhuadi, the Lusheng gathering of the Dong people in Shaba on the second day of the first month in the lunar New Year, and the Lusheng gathering of the Dong people in Chongnen on the fourth day of the first month in the lunar New Year. On the day of these gatherings, Lusheng performers from surrounding villages all dress up in their finest costumes and attend the events.
Singing under the moon is also called “Singing at night”. It is a way of courtship for young men and women of the Dong. They know each other and express emotions by singing. The singing place is generally selected in advance. They sit facing each other with men on the right and women on the left, with a distance of one to two meters. The elderly and children from the village sit around them. The antiphonal singing begins with the women singing three songs, known as a round (il piat in Dong language). The man must respond to the first two songs, and sing the third song with a different theme. Anyone who fails to respond is considered to be the loser. Without a solid foundation in Dong songs, one cannot venture into the singing hall. The antiphonal singing takes place in three stages: The first stage involves songs of knowledge, covering topics such as human origins, the 28 constellations, the Chinese 60-year calendar cycle, riddles, and so on. The second stage involves switching to a new round of songs, with only one or two rounds, each consisting of three songs. These songs serve as an invitation to sing love songs, as well as a subtle hint for the elderly and children sitting around to leave the singing hall. The third stage is the substantive phase, featuring antiphonal love songs between young men and women.
In the first stage, the two sides participating in the antiphonal singing are required to have a broad range of knowledge and quick wits. Therefore, both male and female participants make full preparations. There is a saying in Dong villages that “without practicing singing for three winters, one dares not attend the 'Wei Ye' gathering." After the rice harvest in August and the grains are stored in barns, the primary task for young men and women is to learn singing. Every evening, they gather either in the drum towers or at someone’s home, learning and practicing songs in preparation for the antiphonal singing. During the gathering, people with the host village usually sing three songs first, and the visiting guests respond with three songs in return.
The male singer must respond according to the content sung by the female singer, and must not evade the question. After the male singer finishes his response, the female singer continues to sing, and this process repeats itself over and over again. The content of the lyrics always revolves around mutual testing, greetings, and making fun of each other. During the process, if the singer cannot recall the lyrics, the audience can remind them, especially in the guessing song. When the mutual greetings have reached a certain degree, usually after the first or second crow of roosters, the female singer first sings a verse-changing song. If the male singer is not well-prepared and has exhausted all the songs in the first stage, he can also, depending on the situation, sing a verse-changing song first to invite the other side to enter the next stage. The lyrics do not contain any explicit expressions of love, but the metaphorical meanings are profound. During the singing, the young men and women will know each other better.
The next night, they will continue to sing songs in pairs. Some young men and women will pledge their life-long love after three or four nights of the antiphonal singing.
The June 6th Song Festival, also known as the Cenlangpo Song Festival, is called “qak jenc leegx” in Dong language. It is an annual gathering of young Dong men and women in the Sanshengpo area.
Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there was a man named Zou Qingquan, who had a beautiful daughter named Zou Xia. She fell in love with a farmhand named Cui Xianglang. Upon learning of this, Zou Qingquan was enraged and berated Zou Xia, expelling Cui Xianglang from his home and separating the lovers. One day, Zou Xia met with Cui Xianglang when shopping on the street. They came to Cenlang Hill and secretly pledged their love, tying the knot as husband and wife. The two fled to take refuge in a remote mountain in Chengyang Village, Guangxi. When Zou Qingquan learned the news, he went to persuade them to return home. Shortly after, constables from several counties stormed into Cui's home and found a chest of silver in Cui Xianglang’s room, claiming it was stolen from the county treasury. They promptly bound Cui Xianglang and took him away. When Zou Xia visited her husband in prison, Cui Xianglang banged his head against the stone wall, ending his life with grief. After returning home, Zou Xia wept inconsolably every day. On the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, she came to the maple tree under which she and Cui Xianglang had sworn their vows at Cenlang Hill and took her own life.
When the news spread, the Dong people around Sanshengpo were deeply moved. Every year on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, they spontaneously gather on the Cenlang Hill to commemorate the couple through singing. From then on, the tradition of the “June 6th Song Festival” at Sanshengpo has been passed down.
The Dawuliang Song Festival is a traditional ethnic festival with a long history located at Sanshengpo of Yatunbao Town in Dong Autonomous County of Tongdao, the junction of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou.
According to historical records, the Dawuliang Song Festival originated in the Song Dynasty and flourished during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Its process of the Dawu Liang Song Festival is determined by its nature originating from the folk and the seasonal customs of singing gatherings. Firstly, it requires no planning or leadership. Secondly, it is a seasonal. The song festival must be held on the day of the Dawu (a special day in the lunar calendar) in the third month of the lunar calendar. Most importantly, young Dong men and women in Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou express their emotions and seek partners through the antiphonal singing at the festival, making it the Valentine’s Day for the Dong people.
(Translated by Yang Hong)