Current Position: Home >> Benxi Overview>>Folk Custom Three Unusual Things of Manchu Folk Custom Each nationality has its own distinctive folk custom different from others and so does Manchu. Manchu folk custom is characterized as rich and unique style. Particularly, some of them are regarded as odd and special ones such as “three unusual things of Manchu folk custom”. Have you ever heard of that? Before windows were made of glass, it was very popular to make windows with paper in China. However, Manchu residents were likely to paste the paper over outside the lattice windows. In this situation, the windows could play full in keeping away from wind and snow with strong support of lattice. It differed entirely from the folk custom of Han that sealing the paper inside the lattice windows. This is the first unusual thing of Manchu folk custom, i.e. paper were pasted outside the lattice windows. In the past, Manchu people and its ancestors had been surviving on fishing and hunting called “chasing water grass for living”. It was a hard time and full of threat from attack of snakes, scorpions, mosquitoes and insects. Smoking dried tobacco could not only expel mosquitoes and insects but prevent from snake. It was well known that even the most poisonous snake was afraid of the long-stemmed tobacco pipe oil. As a word, smoking played an important role in body guard instead of just for fun. With the time passing by, Manchu formed the habit of smoking carrying on from generation to generation. Almost each family used to have a tobacco basket. The tobacco was served as well as tea when guests dropped in. All the people, no matter old man or young man, young girls or wives, smoked. This is the second unusual thing of Manchu folk custom, i.e. young girls and wives smoked with a long-stemmed tobacco pipe. An exquisite long-stemmed tobacco pipe used to be taken as the most important part of dowry. Women of Manchu have thrown away the old folk custom like this without doubt when stepping into new era and new environment. Only the aged grandmas love to smoke with long-stemmed tobacco pipes often while they are chatting joys and sorrows and past and future of life together. The third unusual thing of Manchu folk custom is raising babies by hanging them up. The cradles waving to and fro take countless babies into nice dreams. Many intelligent and courageous Manchu boys and beautiful and diligent Manchu girls are growing up from the cradle. The folk custom has close relation with fishing and hunting life style at the early phase of Manchu. In the boundless grasslands, they usually had to fight against jackals, wolves, snakes and scorpions. It was quite dangerous and wet to leave the babies alone on the ground. So, hanging babies up in the cradle made it possible to do farm work, baby care and housework at the same time. Some of the three unusual things known as “pasting paper outside the lattice windows, young girls and wives smoked with a long-stemmed tobacco pipe and raising babies by hanging them up” have died out gradually with the development of society. Some are still remained and inherited during the daily life of Manchu. Above all, disappeared things stand no chance to survive and vice verse.