腊维《又是一年新米香》
📝 作者简介 · Author Bio
腊维（lar vet)，真名张婕，女，拉祜族，85后，普洱澜沧人，鲁迅文学院第37届高研班学员，中国少数民族作家学会会员、云南省作协会员。作品曾发表于《民族文学》《青年作家》《边疆文学》《草原》等刊物。
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Lar Vet (whose real name is Zhang Jie) is a female writer of the Lahu ethnic group, born in the 1980s in Lancang, Pu'er. She is a member of the 37th Advanced Research Class of the Lu Xun Literature Institute, a member of the Chinese Minority Writers Association, and a member of the Yunnan Writers Association. Her works have been featured in magazines such as "Ethnic Literature," "Young Writers," "Frontier Literature," and "Grassland." The Aroma of New Rice: Celebrating the Lahu People's Harvest Festival "The fragrance of rice paddies speaks of a bountiful year; listen to the chorus of frogs," July heralds a season near harvest. At dawn, the mist of Lahu Mountain floats lightly, and amid the slight chill, the Lahu people residing on the mountainside begin their day early. As July arrives, t
中文原文 Chinese Source Text
“稻花香里说丰年，听取蛙声一片”，七月，是一个接近收获的季节。清晨的拉祜山雾色轻漫，流转的微微寒意中，位于半山腰的拉祜人家很早就开始一天的忙碌。进入七月，地里的稻谷陆续成熟了，饱满的稻穗坠弯了青黄间杂的稻子，沿着沾染露水的田埂，可以闻到一阵阵稻谷的清香。相比于经过打谷子，晒谷子，碾谷子等一系列工序之后，脱壳之后的白玉般的新米更加清香扑鼻。
作为拉祜族传统节日之一的新米节，并没有一个确定的日期可供参考，往往是哪里的稻谷先成熟，哪里就先开始节日的庆祝活动。当某一带拉祜族聚居的寨子陆续完成打谷子这项农忙时节的重头戏，就意味着这一年的新米节即将开始。
生活在澜沧拉祜族自治县的拉祜族以拉祜纳和拉祜西两个分支为主。稻米是拉祜族的主食，相传“新米节”又称“尝新节”，拉祜语称“扎四长”（cal siq cad）。传说拉祜族的祖先扎迪、娜迪从葫芦出来后，地面上没有吃的，只能用山茅野薯充饥，天神“厄莎”把五谷种子给了他们，教会他们种地了；拉祜族人民感谢厄莎，每当谷物成熟的时节，就要用新米饭祭祀厄莎，久而久之，就形成了传统的“新米节”。
拉祜族过新米节，全部要用新鲜食品，节日前一天要到田地里现收些成熟的谷子，放在炕笆上烤干或在铁锅里炒干，舂成末，供做粑粑和新米饭，再摘回新鲜瓜果蔬菜，有猪牛的杀了分吃，没有的杀鸡，烤一坛酒，备办丰盛的食品。
拉祜族种植的稻谷有旱稻和水稻。碾出的新米硬度越大，蛋白质含量和透明度越高，腹白是乳白色或淡黄色，颗粒均匀有光泽，有股非常清淡自然的香味，很好闻。
新米的烹制方法有很多种，最基本的做法就是煮一锅最简单的白饭。拉祜族的铁锅焖饭，就是在支起的火塘上用普通的铁锅煮食。别看它做法简单，其中的每一道程序都是很讲究。
首先用水浸泡新米10分钟左右。锅里加水烧开，放入泡好的新米，煮至半熟，米不是硬心。小心把锅里的米汤倒尽，盖好锅盖继续焖。不多时，满屋都能闻见四溢的米香。最后用慢火焖至全熟，浓郁的香气便伴着热气腾腾而起，撩拨着人们忙于节日的筹备而饥肠辘辘的胃。揭开锅盖，油汪汪的新米饭晶莹剔透，表面似乎浮着一层薄薄的油膜。新米饭含水量较高，吃起来松软清甜，齿间留香。
新米节当天，拉祜族全寨休息，邀亲友共度，放牧在山上的牲畜也要全部赶回寨与人们一起欢度节日。食物准备停当，拉祜人先盛一碗新米饭，一碗小菜豆腐汤，一碗新鲜瓜菜，点燃香烛，敬献给厄莎天神和祖先神灵。而后给牲畜吃节日食品，在犁头、农具上粘些粑粑等食品。狗要单独喂一份，不仅因为要感谢它一年来对人做出的贡献，还因为传说中，厄莎赐给拉祜族人的第一穗谷种，就是狗尾巴沾回来的。
上述仪式完毕后，才上酒上菜，与亲友开怀共度。席间，青年人向老辈说些感激话，老人们给小辈唱做人训辞及遵守族礼寨规的歌谣。晚上，寨子里举行跳笙活动，人们架起篝火，合着长鼓、芦笙节奏起舞，男女青年唱情歌，抢包头，表达恋爱之情，共同欢度新米节。
如今，“猎虎的民族”拉祜族早已走出刀耕火种的远古时代，拉祜族的美食、节日、音乐、服饰等传统民族文化是未经时间淘汰而得以保留下来的精华。稻米，从农耕时代持续温暖和滋养着拉祜族人的身心，这是拉祜族人对物质世界恒久不变的依赖，是流淌在血液中对土地最深沉的爱。
岁岁年年，又是一年新米香……
New Year, New Rice
[Author Bio-note】
Lar Vet (whose real name is Zhang Jie) is a female writer of the Lahu ethnic group, born in the 1980s in Lancang, Pu'er. She is a member of the 37th Advanced Research Class of the Lu Xun Literature Institute, a member of the Chinese Minority Writers Association, and a member of the Yunnan Writers Association. Her works have been featured in magazines such as "Ethnic Literature," "Young Writers," "Frontier Literature," and "Grassland."
English Translation 英文译文
The Aroma of New Rice: Celebrating the Lahu People's Harvest Festival
"The fragrance of rice paddies speaks of a bountiful year; listen to the chorus of frogs," July heralds a season near harvest. At dawn, the mist of Lahu Mountain floats lightly, and amid the slight chill, the Lahu people residing on the mountainside begin their day early. As July arrives, the rice in the fields gradually matures, and the full rice ears bend the green-yellow stalks. Along the dew-covered ridges, the fragrant aroma of rice fills the air. Compared to the processed white rice that comes after threshing, drying, and milling, the freshly shelled rice is even more aromatic.
The New Rice Festival, a traditional celebration of the Lahu ethnic group, doesn't have a fixed date. It typically starts wherever the rice matures first. When the Lahu villages finish the threshing, the main activity during the busy farming season, it signals that the New Rice Festival of the year is about to commence.
The Lahu people living in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County are mainly divided into two branches: Lahuna and Lahuxi. Rice is their staple food. It is said that the "New Rice Festival," also known as the "New Crop Festival" and called "Zhasi Chang" (cal siq cad) in the Lahu language, originated from a legend. When the ancestors of the Lahu people, Zhadi and Nadi, emerged from a gourd, there was nothing to eat, and they had to survive on wild mountain grasses and potatoes. The heavenly god "Esha" gave them five-grain seeds and taught them how to farm. The Lahu people thanked Esha, and whenever the crops matured, they would offer new rice meals to Esha as a sacrifice. Over time, this tradition evolved into the "New Rice Festival."
During the New Rice Festival, only fresh food is used. The day before the festival, they harvest some ripe grains, dry them on a bamboo mat or in an iron pot, pound them into powder, and use them to make cakes and new rice meals. They also pick fresh fruits and vegetables and slaughter pigs, cattle, or chickens if unavailable. A pot of wine is brewed, and a feast is prepared.
The rice the Lahu people planted includes dry rice and paddy rice. The more complex the newly milled rice, the higher its protein content and transparency. Its belly is milky white or light yellow, and the grains are uniform and glossy, with a very light and natural aroma.
There are many ways to cook new rice; the most basic method is to boil a pot of simple white rice. The Lahu people's iron pot steaming method involves cooking over an open fire pit using an ordinary iron pot. Despite its simplicity, each step in the process is very particular.
First, soak the new rice in water for about 10 minutes. Boil water in the pot, add the soaked rice, and cook until half-done, ensuring the rice is not hard inside. Carefully pour the rice soup from the pot, cover it, and continue steaming. Soon, the fragrant aroma of rice fills the room. Finally, steam it slowly until fully cooked, and the rich aroma rises with the steam, tantalizing those busy preparing for the festival. The oily new rice is crystal clear when the pot is opened, with a thin layer of oil film floating on the surface. The new rice has a high water content, tastes soft and sweet, and leaves a lingering aroma in the mouth.
On the New Rice Festival day, the entire Lahu village rests, inviting friends and relatives to celebrate together. The livestock grazing in the mountains is also brought back to the town to join the festivities. Once the food is prepared, the Lahu people first offer a bowl of new rice, a bowl of tofu soup with vegetables, and a bowl of fresh fruits and vegetables. They light incense and candles and present these offerings to the heavenly god Esha and the ancestral spirits. Afterwards, they feed the livestock with festival food and adorn the ploughshares and farm tools with cakes and other foods. The dog is fed separately to thank it for its contributions throughout the year and because, according to legend, the first ear of grain given to the Lahu people by Esha was brought back by the dog’s tail.
Food and drinks are served after the ceremony so everyone can enjoy a wonderful time with relatives and friends. During the feast, young people express their gratitude to the elders while the elders sing songs to impart wisdom about life and tribal rules to the younger generation. In the evening, a dance party is held in the village. People gather around a bonfire and dance to the rhythm of the long drum and the reed pipe. Young men and women sing love songs and compete for headscarves to show their affection, celebrating the New Rice Festival together.
Today, the Lahu people, once known as the "nation of tiger hunters," have long left behind the ancient era of slash-and-burn farming. The essence of their traditional culture, including cuisine, festivals, music, and clothing, has withstood the test of time. Rice, warming and nourishing the Lahu people’s bodies and minds since the agricultural era, symbolizes their enduring dependence on the material world and their profound love for the land that runs deep in their veins.
Year after year, the fragrance of new rice fills the air once again...