Spring Festival "February 8"
Classification:
Bai Shui Tai Scenic Area
Detailed description
Every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month is the ethnic festival of the Naxi people. People from various ethnic groups such as Naxi, Tibetan, Yi, Han, Lisu, Bai, and Hui within a hundred miles gather with their families to Bai Shui Tai to worship the gods, enjoy spring, and have picnics.
From the "Newly Revised Zhongdian Gazetteer Manuscript" compiled during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, it can be seen that the scale of the sacrificial activities at Bai Shui Tai was already quite grand over a hundred years ago.
On the eighth day of the second lunar month, thousands of people bring abundant food, wear their respective ethnic festival costumes, and form groups before dawn to head towards Bai Shui Tai. Upon arriving at Bai Shui Tai, they first burn incense and bow at the Qizi Cave in front of the platform, then they start a fire in the fire pit for cooking. From ancient times to the present, the locations of the fire pits remain unchanged, as each family or clan has set up an altar above their fire pit. On that day, the Naxi people first perform sacrifices beside the fire pit, and then go to the large incense altar by the spring at Bai Shui Tai to burn incense and pray for blessings. The smoke from the incense altar rises thicker and thicker, and the people praying and offering sacrifices crowd together, making it hard to distinguish who is chanting. Around ten in the morning, the scattered fire pits are already filled with smoke and fire. The sunlight shines on the ancient willow trees, oak trees, and the lush grass. As the incense smoke rises, the people from Wuzhuwan are the first to sing and dance the "Akabala" dance. Suddenly, with the strong rhythm of the dance steps, the powerful and resonant ethnic songs echo through the sky. After lunch, people sing and dance joyfully until they clean up the venue before sunset.
Key words:
Bai Shui Tai Scenic Area
eighth
lunar
revised
zhongdian
compiled
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Scenic Spots
The Upper Tiger Jump is the narrowest section of the entire canyon, with a river width of only about 20 meters. In the middle of the river stands a giant rock, about 13 meters high. It is said that a fierce tiger once jumped to the opposite bank using this rock, hence the name Tiger Jump Stone, and the canyon is also named after it. This giant rock splits the rushing water into two, with waves crashing thunderously, the water and rocks colliding like a roaring tiger, deafening and powerful; bursts of water mist spray onto the face, allowing one to feel the coolness of the water and the vitality of life.
Here, the river is lined with rocky reefs, and the river drops more than a hundred meters within a distance of less than 5 kilometers. The Jinsha River is like a dragon breaking through a narrow pass, rushing forward, with waves crashing against the shore, and muddy waves surging, forming 18 dangerous rapids, famously known as "Stars in the Sky." The rock walls on both sides are like they were cut with a knife or axe, with steep cliffs surrounding them. The poet Sun Ranweng once wrote: "The axe leaves no trace when splitting the barbarian city, and the plow ox flows towards beauty. Every day a trench is made in the line, and the two mountains squeeze the stone as a gate."
The Jinsha River has become much gentler in the lower Hujump section, and the thrilling aspects of the canyon have gradually disappeared, with less danger and more elegance and openness. The view is broad, and all that the eyes can see are fertile fields and winding paths, with the mighty river flowing forward freely. Here, one can appreciate the graceful dance of the Jinsha River girl, the twists and turns of her journey, and the joy of breaking through the stone gate; one can also gaze at the beauty of Haba Snow Mountain and Yulong Snow Mountain.
The goddess manifests her spirit
At the foot of the White Water Terrace, there is a natural statue, pure white like jade, resembling a pregnant woman. It is a place where local people worship the fertility goddess and newlyweds pray for children. Here, there are often devotees and newly married couples who come to burn incense and bow down. The local people regard it as the "goddess of fertility." It is said that men and women who are eager to have children or are infertile will have their wishes fulfilled as long as they worship here.
After the Bai Shui Tai divine spring water flows out, it gathers on the platform to form colorful pools of various sizes. Legend has it that this is the "Shu" (natural deity) bathing pool, called "Shu Ming Gu Chi Gu" in Naxi language.
The crescent-shaped spring pool, also known as the colorful pool, is another micro-landform formed by the accumulation of travertine. It is the most wonderful and aesthetically pleasing terrain in the travertine accumulation landform of Baishui Terrace. The heights of the spring pools differ by 10 to 15 centimeters, stacked layer upon layer from top to bottom, resembling a crescent moon and shaped like terraced fields. The reason why Baishui Terrace is known as the "fields left by immortals" is precisely because of the spring pools.
The Dongba ancient text "Genesis" records that the nine brothers of the sky and the seven sisters of the earth created the heavens and the earth. However, the heavens and the earth were unstable, so the celestial deity established the precious pillar to support the sky, holding up the blue sky above and stabilizing the earth below, thus forming the world initially. The pillar is carved with eight auspicious patterns: white conch, pure water bottle, precious umbrella, auspicious knot, dharma wheel, double fish, lotus flower, and victory banner. The eight treasures are common auspicious patterns in Dongba ancient texts and Dongba paintings, offered as treasures to the deities to bring them joy, thereby bestowing blessings upon people.
Bronze Statue of Natural Deity
"Shu" is the natural deity worshipped by the Naxi people, governing all things in nature and being omnipresent in the natural world. The leader of the "Shu" gods resides in the famous mountains and great lakes. Baishuitai is an important habitat of the "Shu" god as recorded in the Dongba scriptures and a unique place for the worship of natural deities.
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