Customs and customs of Burundi

Burundi is a country rich in cultural property and has maintained its cultural identity well. Respect for the human person, honesty and integrity are the foundations of social education in Burundi; Solidarity is the norm for Burundians. But the tribal conflicts and wars of recent decades have also had a negative impact on attitudes and behaviour. Like other Africans, Burundi is very hospitable. When a Burundian family holds a happy event, even if they do not know each other, as long as they express their congratulations, they can be warmly welcomed with banana beer. Strangers ask for directions, and Burundians will guide them to their destination even if they drop what they are doing and walk a few miles. Burundians are sincere and helpful. To make guests happy, Burundians can give everything in their homes, even sharing the last banana. Whenever foreign leaders visit Tibet, there are always warm and grand welcoming scenes such as drumming and dancing.

Burundians believe that "a distant relative is better than a close neighbor", and they cherish the neighbor relationship very much. On holidays, first of all, we should congratulate our neighbors; When you have a good wine, invite your neighbors to drink it first. In the countryside, neighbors have the obligation and the right to teach each other's children, such as a child doing bad things, the neighbor adults teach him, and even beat him, will not be blamed by the child's parents. Burundians also have the habit of celebrating housewarming. Once they have moved into a new home, relatives, friends and neighbors come to congratulate them and give gifts. The host gives warm hospitality and sometimes prepares meals. Burundians are very polite, and both sides will say "excuse me" and "excuse me" when they encounter a collision in a public place, so arguments rarely occur, and fights are even less common. The Burundian greeting is very interesting. There is the etiquette of shaking hands with guests, men and women are not condone, but when the younger generation shakes hands with elders, subordinates and superiors, and people shake hands with officials, in order to show respect, the former leans forward, holds the right elbow with the left hand, and gently shakes with the latter with the right hand, which is very humble and polite. If it is a long-lost acquaintance, close friend, then hug each other gently, and pat each other on the shoulder and back, indicating intimacy, regardless of men and women, all the same.

In Burundi, the birth of a baby is a great event for the family, especially for boys, and the joyous scenes are reflected in the atmosphere and scale of the celebrations organized. The first celebration is to introduce the new baby to the whole family, and the second is to name the baby. When twins are born, the celebration is even more lively. The celebration usually takes the form of inviting friends and family to the house for drinks (no dinner), the guest wishes the baby, congratulates the parents, but does not necessarily give gifts. Burundians also respect elders very much, such as officials living in the capital Bujumbura, every festival or weekend, most of them return to the mainland to visit relatives and spend the festival with their families. In the rural interior, Burundians always greet foreigners and extend three fingers (index, middle and ring) in homage, meaning "unity, Labour, progress". For gifts given by friends, Burundians have the habit of opening them in the presence of guests and either immediately displaying them in the living room or wearing the gift on their person the next time they meet to show courtesy and cherish.

Traditionally in Burundi, marriage was usually handled by parents, but with the development of society, more and more love marriages were taking place, especially in the cities. After the marriage is basically concluded, the man's parents go to the woman's home to send the betrothal gifts. The parents of both parties gathered together, and the parents of the husband publicly announced that the marriage was over. In the past, depending on the family, the betrothal gifts included cows, hoes, beads or other objects. There is no legal stipulation of betrothal gifts, but it is still popular among the people. On the wedding day, there are a number of ceremonies and activities. First, go to the county or city to register, perform the legal formalities of marriage, then go to the church for a religious ceremony (voluntary), and then celebrate the wedding. In the countryside, guests drink banana beer and cold drinks, the couple's relatives and friends toast each other, and then the wedding people sing and dance, which is lively until late at night. During this period, the girls who sent the bride to be married hid her and quietly brought her into the bridal chamber.

In the city, the newlyweds first hold a wedding reception, inviting all guests to attend. At the reception, parents on both sides have the habit of speaking, in addition to congratulating, but also to announce how many cows or other gifts to the bride and groom. It was customary for the woman's father not to attend the ceremony. After that, hold a dinner party and invite a few close friends to attend; Finally, there is a dance, which everyone is welcome to attend, until the next morning. No drinks or food will be served at the dance. In the old days, newlyweds could go a month without work and get food and drink from the bride's family. Now the first day after marriage can not work, but the next day will start to go to the field or work. According to the habit, generally wait for the bride to adapt to the new life, that is, three or five months later, and some even gave birth to their first child before returning to their mother's home. When the bride returns home for the first time, her parents give gifts, usually cows in the countryside, and money or other valuables in the city. Since then, through the exchange of gifts and frequent visits, the relationship between the two families has been consolidated and developed.

Due to environmental and physical constraints, Burundians do not enjoy much cultural entertainment. For Burundians, there is nothing better than a beer. Often when farmers finish work, they will sit down and drink a few sips of banana beer, which is a kind of enjoyment; After work, employees buy a bottle of beer in a small shop, drink and chat with people, and sit for hours. Another characteristic cultural entertainment is sitting in front of a campfire in a quiet mountain village at night, listening to the elderly using the INDIGlTI (a bow-shaped instrument made of wooden slats and gourds), the INANGA (a wooden board seat), and the Inanga (a wooden board seat). Folk Musical Instruments, such as "Ruo lute", "INDONONGO" (Huqin) and "UMVIRONGE" (piccolo), talk and sing while playing, just like "Pingshu" or "Dagu" in Chinese folk art, which not only narrates ancient history, legends and myths, but also explains life philosophy. Or sing the scenes of people's life and production, showing the thoughts and feelings of the people, aspirations and requirements. Burundians call this art "the Soul of Burundi" and it is a living material for the study of the cloth society.

Every holiday, grand event or welcome ceremony, people will sing, dance and enjoy themselves. The common dance is mostly group dance, and the combination of song and dance, one person leads the singer, the people are together, and one to twenty young people dance and sing. TAMB0URTNAlRES is the most popular traditional folk dance in Burundi. It is also known that Africans love to play drums, and that everyone can sing and dance well. But Burundians and Rwandans play drums differently from other African countries. The performers are old, middle and young, but they are all men. They are dressed in red and white or green and white robe style national costume, head and arm wearing beads, head head drum, while tapping while trotting on the field, the formation is very spectacular; Then form a semi-circle, put down the big drum, and begin to perform. With the rhythm of the drum, the drummer appeared in a variety of different movements and postures, sometimes spinning and flying, sometimes soaring in the air, and sometimes Shouting or singing. The encouraging rhythm is strong, like thunder rumbling, shaking the sky and the earth. Encouraging the full performance of the Bu national joy, fortitude, bold character, often invited to visit abroad, is regarded as the pride of the nation.

They also have a "war dance" - "INTORE" (INTORE), its rhythm is bright and happy, the movement is sonorous and powerful, fully showing the heroic spirit of the ancient heroes before and after the battle. Ten or twenty male actors, with thatched heads, beaded bands on their foreheads, naked or crossed bands of color, leopard skin or grass skirts around their bodies, bells tied to their ankles, spears in one hand and shields in the other, dance to the whistle or command of an elder.

Of course, they also have girls' dance, but also very famous, once our country's song and dance troupe learned this dance, performance named "crane dance". Dozens of young and lively girls from Burundi imitate the movements and gestures of migratory birds such as the rare bird crown crane in East Africa, singing while dancing, beautiful and moving. A very light and beautiful dance called IMISAMBI.

Burials are practiced in Burundi and are usually done the same day. When someone dies, the family's neighbors come to help. According to local customs, when encountering a hearse on the road, the pedestrians coming towards it must stand at attention, the vehicle should stop, and the ones behind it should not exceed, in order to express their condolences to the dead, and only after it has passed can they continue on their way. The mourning period is usually one week after the funeral, and after a week the mourning part is over, relatives and friends come to visit and send some money to the relatives of the deceased, who are familiar with them, to show their support. The funeral is complete, depending on the sex and age of the deceased, usually three months or more after the burial. After the funeral, a big party should be arranged and the relatives and friends who come to visit should have some beer to show their gratitude. At the same time, the property and debt issues related to the deceased should be dealt with at this time. If the deceased is the head of the family, a successor should also be identified.