
Miao people’s daily clothes change from place to place. The Black Miao in southeast Guizhou wear indigo clothes, a color similar to black, hence the name. In northwest Guizhou and northeast Yunnan, men wear colorfully embroidered linen (亚麻布) jackets and woollen blankets with geometric patterns on their shoulders. In other areas, men wear short jackets buttoned down the front or to the left, long trousers with wide belts, and long black scarves.
In west Hunan and northeast Guizhou, women wear jackets buttoned on the right and trousers with delicately embroidered collars, sleeves, and legs. In other areas, they wear high-collared short jackets and pleated skirts (百褶裙) of different lengths, sometimes with hundreds or even thousands of vertical pleats.
Young Miao women’s pleated skirts have special legends about how they started. One legend says a mother and daughter made a unique skirt for the Miao to stand out. They couldn’t decide what it should look like until they saw a local fungus that inspired them. They sewed a skirt imitating the fungus’ pleats and wore it to a flower site. Other Miao women praised it, and soon everyone wore pleated skirts of different lengths.
These pleated skirts come in three lengths: long (near the ankle), mid-length (below the knee), and short (above the knee). The length helps identify different Miao subgroups. For example, in Leishan, there’s a group called “short skirt Miao” because their skirts are only about 20 centimetres long. The legend behind this short skirt is about a brave hunter who gave his beloved, Abang, a golden pheasant (野鸡). To thank him, Abang made a beautifully decorated short skirt imitating the pheasant’s feathers. When the hunter returned, she wore the short skirt and looked as magnificent as the golden pheasant. Later, this style became popular in Leishan.
During festivals, Miao women wear shiny silver adornments (装饰品) on their beautifully embroidered clothes. Silver symbolizes wealth, light, and good health for the Miao, warding off evil spirits and bringing good fortune. Heavier silver is better, so some outfits can weigh 20 to 30 jin (10 to 15 kg).
原创编写 版权所有 侵权必究! 每日更新 个性化阅读 英语飙升!