Aini People Wedding song of Hani ethnic group

The Yuvxal yiv is one of the most important songs sung during the Akha wedding ceremony. It is not sung by the newlyweds, their relatives or friends, but by the old folks of the village in a tradition that has been kept during the last 1100 years.

The singers express in this long song their best whishes to the newlyweds; with their hope that the new formed couple will be auspicious they transmit also a detailed account of the traditional way of life that expands from the moment they are born to the wedding day. The children ceremonies, their education in the laws and customs of the Akha, the things they must know to behave properly inside their community, the social and working conditions and the basic knowledge about the love.

The steps that lead to the adultness, the proper way of go out to do business for the men and the importance of chose a suitable partner for the rest of their lives.

The duty of the old Akhas, as keepers and transmitters of their secular traditions is enacted on the wedding night not only for the newlyweds but for all the people in the village.

In 2002 Yunnan Nationalities Press published a bilingual (Hani-Chinese) edition of this important song.

Shi Da and Chen Guifen.l Ouxiayi - Hani zu hunli gu ge (Ouxiayi - Old wedding song of the Hani Nationality. Yunnan Nationalities Press, Kunming, 2002.