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中国范儿158 侗族新年：民族村寨里的盛典
Dong New Year: A grand ceremony in ethnic villages
The Dong people in the mountains of Southeast Guizhou have had a busy year. Now as the year draws to an end, local Dong people put on their costumes and hold a grand celebration to welcome the most significant day of the year, the year of Dong.
The year of Dong marks the new year for the Dong people. In terms of gaiety and liveliness, it is comparable to the Spring Festival. On the day, people — men and women, old and young — get up and dress up early and gather at the drum tower in the centre of the village. Drum Tower is an important place for discussion, leisure and festival gatherings in the village.
Dong's new year is welcomed with songs. Singing is an important aspect in all festivals for the Dong community. They have various forms of singing —without conductor, accompaniment, multi voice and no fixed music score. Songs can also imitate the natural sounds of birds, insects, mountains and rivers. Even without a conductor, they imitate sounds of nature in a tidy and harmonious way. In addition, blowing lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, and performing Dong opera are also part of the celebrations.
Dong people like bullfighting and each village churns out its own "buffalo king" for the competition. On the morning of the festival, iron cannons are sounded three times and the "buffalo kings" of competing villages enter the ring amid the sound of gongs and drums and lusheng instruments. If one village loses, their banners are taken away by the women from the other village. They need to redeem the flags by means of flag redemption ceremony and duel songs. The winning "buffalo king" is dressed in red cloth to celebrate.
Dong New Year is not just a means of entertainment and celebration, but also an extravaganza of delicious food. Salted fish, Ciba (cooked glutinous rice pounded into paste) and Youcha (a kind of tea) are indispensable delicacies on the menu.
腌渍是侗家防止鱼类腐败的传统方法，却也因此发展出风味独特的侗家腌鱼。经过数月腌渍的酸鱼，鲜香酸辣中带有丝丝回甜，生吃、油煎、碳烤皆宜。
Pickling is a traditional method to prevent fish from spoilage but in case of Dong salted fish it carries a unique flavor. Several months of pickling infuse the fish with sour, spicy and sweet flavours. It can be had raw, fried and charcoal roasted.
Ciba, which is a symbol of good harvest, is made of glutinous rice and mixed with sugar and sesame. It is sweet and soft glutinous rice. It is among the most delicious foods in the region.
Youcha is a unique tea had by Dong families which includes tea, rice flower, crisp soybean and fried peanut as ingredients, soaked in oil tea water, supplemented with pig viscera, scallion and other food materials.
Compared with the Spring Festival, the year of Dong is a more community-oriented festival. When it gets dark, people bring their own food and wine to set up a unique "long table banquet" in Guluoping Plaza. The residents get together to feast, drink wine and have a good time. “At the long table banquet", people come and go, propose toasts, chatter, sing and enjoy each other’s company.
The year of Dong is celebrated on different dates in different villages. This allows families to visit each other. On the day of the festival, the hospitable Dong families invite as many guests as possible. Guests continue to arrive even on the next day.
As night falls, the Dong community bids goodbye to the past year with melodious songs. People light bonfires, sing and dance to usher in new beginnings.