Religion
Traditional Maonan religion is both animistic and polytheistic, with heavy Taoist influences. Many deities and rituals are borrowed from Chinese folk religion. Important figures and deities are listed below (Lu 2008:51).
- Kitchen God - for the family's welfare
- God of Earth - for peaceful outdoor activities
- General Li Guang - A historical figure from the Western Han Dynasty who is venerated as a protector of villages.
- Shentu and Yulei - These two legendary figures protect homes from malevolent devils by feeding them to tigers. They are placed on front doors to ward off evil.
- Thunder God
- The Thunder Soldiers
- Flower God
- Guanyin
- muŋ2 ku:n1 - an evil immortal
- lu2 pa:n1 - a historical figure who was a master carpenter
- lɔk8 gi:u2 - a legendary figure who was a bridge builder
- ʔbi:u2 - Emperor Yao
- sa:m3 ȵɔn2 - a religious figure
- za4 wa:ŋ2 - the God of the Earth
- ni4 fa:n1 su:i5 - the Goddess of Birth
Maonan household shrines are called ji:ŋ1 wa3 (Lu 2008:51). The shrine consists of a wooden plate on a wall facing the front entrance. Names of deities and family ancestors are written on the plate.
The Maonan people also perform a redemptive ritual called vɛ4 da:u4 in order to show gratitude to ni4 fa:n1 su:i5 (Wansui Niangniang, the birth goddess). During Maonan weddings, couples ask the birth goddess for fertility. After the couple has children, they thank the birth goddess by offering 26 animals (1 ox, 7 small pigs, and 19 chickens and ducks).
Read more about this topic: Maonan People
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