Benzhuism () is the

indigenous religion Indigenous religions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate the religious belief systems of communities described as being "indigenous". This category is often juxtaposed against others such as the "world religions" and "new re ...

of the

Bai people The Bai, or Pai ( Bai: Baipho, (白和); ; endonym pronounced ), are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, Bijie area of Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi area of Hunan Province. They constitu ...

, an ethnic group of Yunnan,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It consists in the worship of the ''ngel zex'', the Bai word for "patrons" or "lords", rendered as ''benzhu'' (本主) in Chinese, that are local gods and deified ancestors of the Bai people. It is very similar to common Chinese religion. While many of the Bai are

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, the local government of China has recently helped the revival of the Benzhu

ethnic religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, in which gaining converts is a pri ...

, for example through the promotion of the Gwer Sa La festival.Liang Yongjia, 2013.

The patrons

Local lords and ancestors

The ''benzhu'' are mainly deified ancestors, "patrons" or "lords" of the local communities. Every Bai village has its own pantheon of gods which has formed throughout its existence, incorporating its history in deifying virtuous leaders, warriors, and heroes. ''Cultural China''
The Benzhu religion of the Bai
These deities, who are tied to the immediate surroundings, protect the people against sickness and violence, foster local economy, and grant prosperity. Generally, one village enshrines one benzhu, and there are also cases of multiple villages consecrated to the same benzhu. In every village around

Erhai Lake Erhai or Er Lake (), is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze () or Kunming Lake () in ancient times. Etymology The character "洱" (er) does not have the same meaning as ear (耳). During the Han to Tang ...

the local people have developed a peculiar mythology about their local lord, differing from that of neighboring villages. This tradition is similar to that of the City God Temple of Chinese religion.

Gods of nature

Other ''benzhu'' are gods of the generation of the local place. These include the God of the Mountain, the God of the Crops, the God of the Hunt, the Dragon King or the Mother Goddess of the Dragon King.

Features

Benzhu festivals

Benzhu Festivals in Dali City take place according to the lunar calendar, after

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

. During festivals, the benzhu shrine are taken from the temples and carried through the towns to a different location where they stay for a number of days. The villagers follow the gods to the designated place burning incense and worshiping with food and money.

Psychology and shamanism

The Bai believe that the soul does not die with the body, but it can go to the "Kingdom of the Shades" helped by complex ritual ceremonies performed by the living community. Angry spirits can cause illness, but local gods can protect people against them. Illnesses are caused by the possession of evil spirits and they can be treated by female shamans.

Cult of the white stones

The Nama branch of the Bai, residing near the Mekong, preserves a cult of the white stones common to the ethnic groups descended from the Qiang people. Some believe they represent the bones of the ancestors, others that they are a representation of the Fire God, a deity worshipped around

References

Bibliography

* Liang Yongjia.
Turning Gwer Sa La Festival into Intangible Cultural Heritage: State Superscription of Popular Religion in Southwest China
. In: '' China: An International Journal''. Volume 11, Number 2, August 2013. pp. 58-75

External links

Benzhuism of the Bai Ethnic Minority
China & Asia Cultural Travel, TanSuo Cultural Travel Solution Ltd. {{Religion topics Bai people Religion in Yunnan East Asian religions Shamanism in China