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preface
In recent years, Ganzi in Sichuan Province has become the preferred "summer resort" destination for many tourists.
However, although the scenery of Tibetan areas is desirable, there are also many "taboos" there!
For example, a kind of white tent can be entered by Tibetan locals, but outsiders must not step in, otherwise no one will be able to save you.
Why is that?
Could it be that if you go into the white tent, something terrible will happen? What happens when you go in?
Today, let's learn about the "little-known secrets" of Ganzi, the second largest Tibetan region in China!
The content of this article is written with authoritative information combined with personal opinions, and the source of information has not been marked in the article, please be aware.
The lovely home of the Tibetan herdsmen - the tent
When you mention Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan, what do you think of?
It is a quiet and peaceful Mugecuo Lake; or the king of Shushan "Gongga"; Or is it the love song of Kangding that sings the world?
If you want me to say, the first thing that comes to mind is the simple and enthusiastic Tibetans and their colorful tents!
Tents can be described as the living quarters of Tibetan herders.
Although with the development of the times, many new buildings have been built in Ganzi in Sichuan and Tibet, and with the improvement of people's living standards, many herdsmen have stopped "drifting" and began to live a settled life, but the ancient traditional houses, especially tents, are still their lovely home!
A new look in Ganzi, Sichuan
I have to sigh that the herdsmen are meticulous about their homes.
Do you know where the Tibetans made their tents from?
Most of them come from their own cattle and sheep, and they will use ropes made of yak hair to support their tents, and yak horns are used to make tent stakes and then fix the tents, and some Tibetans even use antelope horns to fix their tents.
You must know that the medicinal value of antelope horn is higher than that of yak, and the price per gram is generally between 1,000-20,000.
Of course, despite being Tibetan, due to some reasons, tents in different regions are slightly different in terms of materials and internal structures.
So, how exactly are Ganzi tents made?
The black yak is very important to the Ganzi people. In the past, black tents were generally made of black yak hair twisted into threads, then woven into pieces, and finally sewn, and even the poles that supported the tents were sometimes used as yak hide!
I believe that friends who have traveled to Ganzi, Sichuan have also found such a phenomenon, what is the phenomenon?
Most of the Tibetan tents there are black, but some are not pure black either, and their "door" has a white thing made of wool.
The Ganzi people call it "Riya", and the reason why this is so is actually related to their habits.
According to relevant media, some Ganzi people think that the "Riya" made of wool will look better.
Once upon a time, as long as passing by the vast grassland on the land of Ganzi, people could always see a few herdsmen sitting in front of the black tent on the grassland, enjoying the fragrant yak meat, and a group of yaks or horses grazing leisurely nearby.
It's really a beautiful picture of "the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep"!
Maybe seeing this, some friends can't sit still and want to say that there is no white tent in Ganzi? I heard you say here, why did I find so many white tents when I went there?
In fact, it is not that there are no white tents in Ganzi, Sichuan, but that their white tents are a little special, how special are they?
Maybe if you go in, you won't be able to go home, and no one can help you, so where do you start?
The reason for the need to hide from the white tent
There are 56 ethnic groups in China, each with its own characteristics.
Not to mention anything else, take the Tibetan people as an example, their clothing is very unique, the clothes have white, black, red, yellow, blue, green, gold and silver these eight colors, which is also known to some people as the eight colors of Tibet.
Although there are regional differences, the overall characteristics of their costumes are large plackets, wide waists, long sleeves, and no buttons.
The history of Tibetan clothing is also extremely long, according to historical research, as early as the 11th century B.C., Tibetan clothing has the general characteristics of modern Tibetan clothing.
In addition to Tibetan clothing, Tibetan wedding customs are also a major feature of their culture, and the reason why we want to hide in white tents is inextricably linked to the folk customs of the Ganzi people......
I never expected that the wedding customs in the Ganzi Tibetan area of Sichuan would be so interesting!
According to the "Ganzi News Network", in the Ganzi Tibetan area, there is such a traditional custom, if a girl grows to the age of fourteen or fifteen, the family will set up a beautiful white tent outside the house, what is this white tent for?
It is mainly set up to let their girls find their favorite men, and in layman's terms, this white tent serves as a "blind date stage".
What if a man has a crush on the woman in the tent?
Then the man can go to the girl's white tent to meet her and fall in love, and if the woman does not like the man who comes in, she can refuse it.
Some people may have doubts at this time, if the woman is pregnant, what can it be?
What is jaw-dropping is that even if a woman gives birth to a child, the young man is not responsible.
In other words, at night, almost every man within a radius of several miles can try to go to the girl's tent and talk to her about his ideals, how long does this last?
Until the woman gives birth to a child, it is as if to verify the woman's fertility.
What is more outrageous is that if the girl gives birth to a boy, she has the right to choose who to marry; But if you give birth to a baby girl, you can only wait for the man's choice.
It's just shocking, if you don't know about it, you really don't know that the Ganzi people are so "informal".
In fact, the reason for this situation is closely related to the living conditions of the Tibetans.
If you think about it, the altitude in Tibetan areas on the mainland is generally very high, and the Tibetans live in such a high place, and the living environment is still so bad, don't they have to find a way to maintain the continuation of life?
Perhaps it is precisely in this way that when a woman reaches adulthood, she will set up a tent outside her home, to put it bluntly, this is also a measure in desperation.
Of course, with the passage of time, it may be that this custom is rare now, but the white tents of Ganzi still exist today.
I believe that when you see this, you can also understand why it is said that "when you travel to Tibet, you have to avoid white tents", especially friends with families.
Otherwise, if we go into the white tent and become the "door-to-door son-in-law" in Tibet, are we a little embarrassed?
Since we travel to the local area, we also have to respect their customs and culture.
Speaking of which, I can't help but think of another interesting wedding custom in the Ganzi Tibetan area, which is called climbing the building.
What is stairs climbing?
Other magical wedding customs in Tibetan areas
In fact, when Tibetan men reach adulthood at the age of 16 or 17, they will look for "Xiayi", that is, lovers, and after that, they begin to climb the house, go to the woman's house at night to get married and spend the night, and go home the next morning.
At first, the marriage was still secret.
If a young man has a woman he likes, he will usually snatch the woman's headscarf or ring and courting her when he is playing a dam, jumping from the pot or doing farm work, and then if the woman has no intention, she will ask for the thing directly or by someone else;
If he wants to, the man can quietly come to his crush at night.
Playing the dam
What's even more interesting is that if the man "can't climb at home", then he can only look at the wall and sigh.
Of course, this custom has also become rare over time.
As for Tibetan marriage, although there are regional differences, the general steps are still the same.
Previously, after a young Tibetan man and woman had become along, they had to ask the lama to see if their future marriage was auspicious, and if they were satisfied with the results of the hexagram, the man and woman would move on to the next step.
After a series of tedious steps, a couple will have a wedding.
But now it is different, with the progress of society, Tibetan men and women pay the same attention to free love as we Han people, and they may still retain some traditional customs, but they have long kept pace with the times.
What do you want to say about the magical customs of the Ganzi people? Feel free to express your opinions!
Ganzi Daily, September 25, 2017
China Tibet Net, published on July 20, 2019
The sources in this article are from:
1. "Baidu Encyclopedia - Sichuan Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture, Tibetan Marriage Customs";
2. "Listening, Seeing the Snowy Land, Reading at Night丨Herdsmen's Important Belongings - Tents", Liao Dongfan, China Tibet Net, released on July 20, 2019;
3. "Tent - A Free Abode Walking on the Earth", Ganzi Daily (the organ newspaper of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan), published on September 25, 2017;
4. "Drilling Tents and Climbing Buildings, Tibetan Marriage Customs You Don't Understand", Ganzi News Network, released on May 23, 2016;
5. "Traditional Tibetan Marriage Forms", Ganzi Daily, published on December 21, 2015, but in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, please read sensibly, for reference only!