Corban Festival (Zai Sheng Jie, Xian Sheng Jie)
As an important Muslim festival of Islam, it lasts three days from the 10~ of the 12~
month according to the Islamic calendar. The festival is observed by the minority peoples
of Islamism in Xingdiang, Qinghai, Ningxin and Gansu in northwestern China.
"erde" means festival, and "corban" means slaughtering sacrificial animals. The festival
derives from an Arab legend. The Prophet of Arab people called lbrahim dreamed Allah
ordered him to kill his son as a sacrifice to test his loyalty on the 10~ of the 12'h month of
the islam calendar, ibrahim decided to do as he had been ordered on the day. Allah had
a black lamb sent to him and told him to kig it instead for Allah was moved by his
devoutness. From then on, Arabs cerebrate the Corbat~ Festival every year to. express
their gratitude to Allah for his kindness.
All Muslim families sweep their houses, slaughter sheep or cattle and fry dough rings,
toast pancakes to mark the occasion. Muslims bathe, dress neatly and go to a mosque for
services early on each morning of the festival days. Amid clarion and melodious music,
they shake hands embrace and exchange words when they gather at the gate of a mosque.
Then they follow an imam into the mosque hall to bold th festl e te arch he
sacrificial animal slaughter and listen to the imam chanting Koran. Some better-off families
slaughter a sheep, a cattle or a camel after the rite to offer to imams and other Muslim
leaders, ~lativcs or friends. The bones and blood arc to be buried to keep them sacred.
Muslims usually visit their relatives or friends with gifts. The hosts treat their guests to
mutton, deep fried cakes and fruit. While taking the foods, they cordially exchange
blessings. Young Muslims sing and dance in courtyards or on grounds late into night.
Xingjlang's Uygurs are particularly noted for their grand entertaimncnts, They set up
colored canopies, cloth tents and wooden board sheds around a ground. Various
refreshments such as roasted stuffed buns, shasbliks, deep fried dough rings, cool
noodles and all kinds of fresh and dried fruits are displayed on ~be wooden desks or
carpets in the tents or under the canopies. All these rich foods are for holiday makers.
Among the three ethnic dances of entertainments, sala is an old group dance for men, the
dancers, wearing colored costumes and red green-striped triangular aprons, they make
rhythmical movements now to the ]eft and now to the right. The dancers shout "hey]
Hey!" to melodious drumbeats and other musical local strains. Another dance is called
saitem. This graceful and lyric dance is mainly performed by female dancers. Wearing
colorful embroidered hats, silk jackets, silk skirts and glistening head ornaments, the
dancers dance to varied musical strains. The doulangsailem is a group dance featured by
distinctive Uygur flavor performed by people of all ages. It is of varied whirling or
leaping movements.
During the festival, people in Xrpjiang also offer sports of goat wresting and horse
racing. A venerable elder prays for the success of competitors while the competitors on
horseback give their blessing to him before the goat wresting begins. Then he places a
small goat at an appointed spot. The competitors whip their horses ahead for the goat on
the crack of a starting gun. Competitors try to wrest away the goat from the one who has
seized the goat. The winner is the one who reaches the appointed spot with the goat in his hand. He would treat all other competitors to share the boiled mutton of the goat called "mutton of happiness"
Xingjiang's Kazak people offer another entertainment that leads much joy to the
festival. In the first half of the entertainment boys and girls in pairs on horseback slowly
ride abreast towards an appointed spot. The boy would make witty remarks to the girl in
an attempt to woo her. No matter what he says, the girl must not act in anyway to
express her opposition. After they reach the spot. the boy gallops back fast and his pair
runs on horseback after him at full speed. Aller she catches him, she may whip him if
she doesn't want to give her heart to him and he must not whip back; if she likes him,
she just pretends to whip or gently whips him. In the later ease, the boy would stop
galloping to talk more about love with the girl.