Dujie: The Adult Ceremony

By the time Yao boys and girls reach the age of fifteen they will to their flower-trimmed has to fascinators, to symbolize the maturity of their bodies. Boys will have to go through a ceremony called Dujie. Dujie is a very sacred and holy lesson a man must receive in his lesson of growing up. The Yao do not consider 18 years of age to be of maturity, not matter how old the man is if he does not participate in and pass the adult ceremony he is not an adult. He will also not have a social statue, not be loved by girls and will probably never find a wife to marry. As for an elderly person who has never participated and passed the ceremony must do so as soon as possible, if he does not do so he will not be accepted into the Yao ethnic group. The Yao believe that once a boy passes this ceremony he is protected by God and will then be accepted into the society with all the rights an responsibilities of a man. he will be able to serve as a public official of the village.

The process of this ceremony can be very complicated, taking a lot of preparation time. When a boy turns ten years old his parents will have a knowledgeable man come and decide the best time for the boy to take part in the ceremony. The exact date of the ceremony is set one to two years in advance and the parents will then begin the detailed preparations. Once all is set more knowledgeable teachers are sent to the boy to instruct in in many things. The boy will be taught from books and instilling as much knowledge about traditional moralities, virtues and rules of the Yao nationality. This help the boy to figure out his own morality. Lastly the boy is taught how the ceremony will be done and what he must do. For five days the boy must sleep in bed covered with a quilt before the ceremony begins.

The adult ceremony begins before the sun rises. The teacher reads scriptures and helps the boy go through his religious rites. At this time the teacher is wearing is wearing a red gown and helps the boy put on the same clothes, ties a red belt and wear a charm of the ancient Yao sacred statue. A red ribbon is tied to the teachers waist and then to the boys, symbolizing a baby who has not been delivered from the mothers womb. The teacher then leads the boy to the courtyard for the ceremony while holding a divine sword. Once at the altar of heaven the boy must walk around the altar in three clockwise circles under the leadership of the teacher. The teacher climbs to the altar with a tool shaped like tree leaves and murmuring words. After this the teacher comes back and leads the boy to a big table and unties the red belt, symbolizing birth and the boy is told about the oath he will take. The boy will kneel down to thank his teacher and swears to the heaven that he will never commit murder, any crime of arson, robbery, theft, rape, kidnapping, mistreat his parents or backstab anyone. Once the oath is completed the teacher makes a red mark on the boys hand with a triangle seal before the adult ceremony comes to its end.

Although in other provinces the Yao live in the ceremony will vary it always has the same outcome. The adult ceremony can actively promote study, inheritance, and development of the traditional Yao nationality.