Folk Beliefs and Customs

Ⅹ-85Folk CustomsXinganmengkeerqinyouyiqianqi, Inner MongoliaBatch 5 (2021)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

"Bayan Jurh Uula" means "the rich mountain at the heart"; it lies within Horqin Right Front Banner, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia, and from the Qing dynasty onward it gradually became a mountain believed in and worshipped by the people of Horqin Right Front Banner, a practice transmitted to the present day.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Historically, the festival day was the twenty-seventh day of the fourth lunar month each year, with the sacrificial activities presided over by the banner prince's mansion; the activity is now undertaken by the "Jasaghtu Bayan Jurh Uula Sacrificial Culture Association," founded voluntarily by local people. The association's members are herders who love local folk culture, gacha heads (village heads), town heads, and scholars from the eleven nutug (districts) across the banner. They actively organize the annual sacrificial activities, raise funds themselves to build a mountain god temple, and collect and organize related folk cultural materials. The object of worship in the Bayan Jurh Uula Festival is the mountain god "Wangchuke Zhalabu" (a Tibetan name), meaning "the noble and rich high mountain." Its sacrificial platform is the forty-nine ovoo (stone cairns) situated on the summit, a scale that is truly rare in the Inner Mongolia region. Before the Bayan Jurh Uula Festival, the worshippers prepare offerings and utensils. On the morning of the festival day, the procession of worshippers hikes for several hours to invite the "Mountain God" (the statue of the mountain god) enshrined in the "Mountain God Temple" to the main ovoo at the summit. The chief officiant reads out the significance and procedures of this sacrifice and announces the beginning of the ceremony. First, offerings are presented to the mountain god; there are nine kinds, including a whole sheep and dairy foods. Afterwards, the worshippers kneel in worship and chant the "Hymn to Bayan Jurh Uula," reciting sacrificial scriptures. When the ceremony is concluded, the worshippers circle the group of ovoo three times in the direction of the sun, presenting offerings, adding stones, and praying for blessings. After the ceremony on the mountain ends, the "Mountain God" is carried back to the "Mountain God Temple," and representatives of the eleven nutug across the banner in turn present offerings to the "Mountain God," kneel in worship, and pray for blessings. Thereafter, the people conduct household sacrifices. After the whole process is finished, the people hold nadam activities at nearby Ulan Maodu Sumu (township) and other places. During the activities, competitions in traditional costume and folk song are also held. The Bayan Jurh Uula Festival has a long history of transmission and rich cultural connotations; besides belief and sacrificial ritual, there are numerous expressive forms of food culture, costume culture, and traditional sports and recreation.

Inviting the mountain god to the main ovoo

After hours of walking the mountain image is brought from its temple to the chief ovoo among the forty-nine on the summit.

The nine offerings and the declaration

The master of ceremonies states the purpose and order, then nine kinds of offerings including a whole sheep and dairy foods are presented.

Chanting the mountain praise

The worshippers kneel and chant the mountain praise and the sacrificial text, each verse taken up by the elder singers.

Circling the ovoo towards the sun

Three circuits towards the sun, adding a stone and a pinch of barley flour to each of the forty-nine ovoo.

The offering by the eleven banners

Representatives of eleven districts offer in turn at the temple, after which each household performs a simple rite at its own door.

The naadam games after the sacrifice

Games, costume displays and impromptu song follow the sacrifice, extending the mountain cult into a full festival.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Bayan Jurh Uula Festival is a customary activity reflecting the nature worship and mountain god belief of the people of northern Horqin, Inner Mongolia, and is distributed mainly in the northern Horqin region. This folk activity has a broad popular base; besides the local Mongolian people, many Han compatriots from the surrounding areas also take an active part, and it has already become an important component of the local people's cultural tradition.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

This folk custom also establishes an ecological civilization concept of respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature, and has profound significance and value for the protection and transmission of the local ecological environment and traditional culture.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

Wu Jishan 05-3019
Xu Shunwei 05-3020
Huang Guanghui 05-3021
Chen Jikun 05-3022
Sinapinchu 05-3023
Liu Shimei 05-3024
Zhang Qingming 05-3025
Zheng Quanguang 05-3026
Ye Da 05-3027
Li Yaohui
Luo Shengzong

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Folk Beliefs and Customs (Xinganmengkeerqinyouyiqianqi, Inner Mongolia) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回英文名录。