Posted 2018/8/1
Climbing a ladder of knives is the traditional performance and customs of the Miaos. It is a unique traditional sport game of the Miaos and held on the festival occasions or the important days of worshipping the ancestors or the gods. About the game there is a touching story.
In the ancient times there was an orphan of the Miaos named Zhang Yu. One day he went out for living and fell down out of conscious under a big mulberry because of starvation. He was saved and brought up by an old man with the surname of Long of the Miaos. Zhang Yu had dark brows, big eyes and he was tall and strong so people called him affec tionately "Long Zhanglang". One year, it was suddenly winding and thundering hard. The sand and the stones were flying in the air, which made the eyes of Old Uncle Long and many of the villagers blind. It was lucky that Zhanglang went out to put firewood and shielded himself into a cave then. Long Zhanglang was very angry and worried and went about to look for the prescription to cure the eyes of his rfellowmen. When he heard of that the dews on the moon could clear the eyes and make them see again he was determined to fetch. But how to go to the moon? Then he got an idea to insert the knives into the tree horizontally as a ladder. Six days later, the paper umbrella full of big and round dews of the moon fell down from the sky. The suffered people could see again but Long Zhanglang had never returned. The Miaos began the practice from then on in order to memorize the hero.
The game is held three times every year. It is held in the first month of the lunar year, on the eighth day of the fourth moon and the "autumn harvest". Every game has its special meaning. The game on the fifteenth of the first moon means to send off the old and welcome the new in order to pray for good luck and great prosperity. The game on the eighth of the fourth moon means to worship the heroes and their courages. It is held on the "autumn harvest festival" meaning to celebrate the harvest and express their happiness. Before the game starts, all the Fathers who take part in the rituals speak the incantation around the wood post and do the rituals led by the ritual controller. After it, the former young Father of the Miaos begins climbing the ladder of knives. He climbs the ladder from the bottom step by step to the top and performs his unique skills on the top of it and blows the horn to show that the rituals are successful. Then the test ends and the anchor admits that the rituals and the test of the ladder successfully. Climbing a ladder of knives Is the excellent skill of the Miaos. Still if expresses the brave spirit of the Miaos who are not afraid of danger, difficulties and meet the difficulties head-on.
In order to see clearly, the ground of the game is usually on a spacious lawn but a little higher on fringe. A more than 5 zhangs high round post is set in the middle of the lawn. On it carefully carved are the pictures of the dragons flying in the air and some other colorful patterns. 36 sharp broad swords are inserted horizontally on the post with same intervals and with edges of them up from bottom to the top. On the top of the wood post two square yellow flags are put tiltedly. Beside the post, there is an eight-zhang-wide-and-two-zhang-long wood rack with 36 knives inserted vertically and the points of them up. Before the game the points and edges of the knives are covered with gunny. The air Is serious and solemn.
While climbing the ladder, the young boy of the Miaos stretches his arms and legs, with the palms putting together above the head. After dancing a while barehandedly and bare-footedly he begins climbing the ladder step by step treading on the edges of the knives. On the way to the top he make post to show his strength. Upon reaching the top he takes a horn out of his waist and blows with the face up.
