French Kissing Demonstrations, First Kiss How To

In the mountainous area of southwest China, there is a small Miao tribe that takes pride in their intricately handcrafted silver earrings and unique dresses and costumes. Women’s batik shirts are embroidered at the neckline, cuff, and sides. Their tall, black pointed hats are characterized by a long colorful silk ribbon, which looks quite conspicuous. Throughout the year, women wear a very short pleated skirt that is only 16 cm in length. So this Miao tribe gets an interesting name: Short Skirt Miao.

It’s said that in ancient times Short Skirt Miao people used banana leaves to cover their body and wore a pointed hat made of tree bark. Later when cloth was invented, people had pleated skirts. The drape on the pleated skirts was made based to mimic the vein of banana leaves. For women, to wear a short skirt is easier to work in the field.

Each year between lunar February and April, single young people use grass and plants to make straw men in the mountain. Girls wear silver earrings and sing love songs around these straw men to seek for their life partners. This is the interesting Straw Men Festival, the Valentine’s Day for the Short Skirt Miao people.

About the origin of this interesting festival, here is a story.

Long, long time ago, the Short Skirt Miao kept an old tradition: people were not allowed to marry those who resided in the same village as themselves. So men had to look for a wife from other places, and girls all married far away from their home. After girls got married, they usually could only come back to their hometown once a few years. Parents missed their daughters, and girls missed their parents too.

To relieve feelings of sadness, people went to the mountain to make a line of straw men. The tallest straw man standing in the middle symbolized the oldest daughter. And those beside the tallest one meant the younger daughters. If parents missed their daughters, they would go to the mountain to take a look at these straw men.

Later people were permitted to marry those in the same village, but the custom of making straw men was kept alive, and soon became a festival for single people to look for their partners. On that day, girls all dress themselves up with unique silver earrings and necklaces. Those with the largest silver earrings will attract the most attention.

During the festival, if people find someone who grabs their heart, they will fix a date for the next meeting.

Some married people can also attend the festival, not for looking for lovers, but enjoying themselves and making new friends.

In Short Skirt Miao villages, you can find that their barns are all built on water that is about 40-50 cm deep. The local people say in this way their food can be kept safe from the threats of rats, insects, and fire. These specially-built barns and their large handmade silver earrings are hardly seen in any other areas of China.

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Who are the Miao?

The Miao is a minortiy group residing in the mountainous southern and southwestern China. They are also named Hmong. The Miao are well known for their extraordinary handmade arts and crafts like embroidery, brocade, batik, and unique silver jewelry.

During holidays, Miao people like to go singing and dancing to express their great passion for life. Holidays also offer a good opportunity for young guys to seek for their partners.

Flirting

If a man shows interest in a girl, he will follow her and may suddenly give her finger a gentle pinch. The girl will look back and give the man a sweet smile; or only ignore him if she has no interest.

Some men can find an excuse like “asking for candy” to play with girls.” He’ll ask a girl for some candy, and if she doesn’t like him, she will say, “my candy is all sold out, you can go to somewhere else to ask.” But if the girl likes the man, she would suggest, “ now follow me.” Then she leaves. Following her, the man goes to the riverside or woods to have a chat together.

Dating

When going on a date, Miao lovers have their own signs to indicate the place and time to meet. The one who gets there first will make a knot with some grass and put a unique mark on it to tell the other where to meet.

Every single sign has an implication. A bee made of couch grass means: I am waiting here, will you come? A dragonfly weaved by a vanilla plant implies: come to the same place, where I will wait for you! A grasshopper signifies: please forgive me, I can’t come to see you now. A white flower pleated with grass signifies: I won’t see you anymore because you have never kept an appointment.

When another one reaches there, she/will use the same bundle of grass to make a second knot meaning “don’t bother us”.

After meeting a few times, the couple will exchange some of their private things as a keepsake. The man gives his waistband or tobacco pipe to the girl, while the girl gives the man her silver rings,  hair pin,  or a pair of embroidered shoes.

Marriage

When a Miao couple decides to get married, they will tell their parents, who then ask a matchmaker to fix the wedding date.

If the parents don’t agree, then a funny thing happens. The man will bring some people to “break” the girl’s home at night to “kidnap” her and take her to his home. Three days past, the man’s family now send an old reputable man with a chicken to see the girl’s parents, and persuades them to agree.

On the day when they get married, a big fire will burn at the door of the man’s home to pray that their marriage will last long. In the evening, a choir with both families will sing songs for many hours until daybreak.

The songs tell how the couple met and fell in love, the basic information of their parents, grandparents, and great-grand parents. They will also tell how their ancestors moved around China throughout history.

The bride and the groom are busy with preparing the sweet rice wine for their guests during the whole night.

In some Miao areas, married women can’t go back to their parents’ home until they have a kid.

I’m C. Liu and I am very interested in Miao culture. I even have a website with some of the most beautiful examples of Miao silver jewelry available here. The best silver jewelry is produced in Miao areas: such pure silver can be hardly got in your local markets, and their workmanship is unmatchable.

Technorati Tags: Chinese culture, dating, divorce, love affairs, marriage, Miao culture, Miao history, Miao silver jewelry, Miao silver ornaments, pendants, relationship, silver braclets, silver earrings, silver necklaces, silver rings