Among the colorful minority culture, Tujia minority stands out for its outstanding folk dance system, which includes Baishou Dance (Waving Hand Dance) and funeral dance. Next, I will introduce more about the two kinds of dances.
在多彩斑斓的少数民族文化中，土家族凭借其一系列出色的民族舞而获得关注。这其中包括了摆手舞和跳丧舞。下面我将就这两类舞蹈来向大家介绍相关内容。
Baishou Dance, or Waving Hand Dance, literally means a kind of dance with hands swaying and shaking. Dating back to thousands of years ago, Baishou Dance has extended and spread in the border areas of Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing and Guizhou. Tujia people, whatever their age, are fond of and skilled at dancing, commonly on festive occasions and sacrifice day. As is known to all, Tujia Minority has such various festivals that people even build a Baishou Hall (Bai Shou Tang) in particular, serving as the stage of Baishou Dance. People dance to show their delight and content towards daily life, enjoying a peaceful and comfortable lifestyle. As one of the treasure in Tujia culture, Baishou Dance was rated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006. Inheritance and innovation are attached importance in the eyes of Tujia people. Today’s Baishou Dance is more than easy to learn and memorize.
摆手舞，顾名思义是指一种手臂摆动的舞蹈。摆手舞至今已绵延了几千年，在鄂、湘、渝、黔交界地带广为传播。不论年纪大小土家人都喜欢跳舞，也擅长跳舞。他们通常是在节日的场合或者祭祀的日子跳舞。众所周知，土家族有丰富的节日，以至于多到专门修建了一个摆手堂专供跳舞所用。人们跳舞是为了表达他们对生活的愉快和满足，他们过着一种祥和舒适的生活。摆手舞作为土家文化的瑰宝之一，早在2006年就被列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录。在土家人眼中，传承和创新是非常重要的。如今的摆手舞已经简化了许多，便于学习和记忆。
Another kind of dance in Tujia culture is funeral dance. Also literally, we can know that this is a kind of dance at one’s funeral. Unexpected? Confused? Well, just be patient and take your time. As is often the case, people especially most Chinese people turn to be serious at the funeral, dressing in black or other formal clothes. They mourn and fall into sadness usually. However, in the culture of Tujia Minority, when attending the funeral, groups of people often dance around. Rather than crying , they show their respect and memory towards the dead through dancing. Of course, they won’t laugh.
土家文化中另一类舞蹈是跳丧舞。同样从字面上看，这是一种在葬礼上跳的舞。有点意外和疑惑？耐心一点，请慢慢看。通常，人们在葬礼上神情严肃，着深色服装或其他正装，特别是大多数中国人。一般他们默哀并悲痛。然而，在土家族的文化中，参加葬礼时，大家通常都会围着跳起来。他们用跳丧而不是哭丧的方式，来表达对死者的尊敬和怀念。当然他们并不会在葬礼上笑出来。
Date: March 1st, 2020
Words: 306
