“腊二八，打糍粑”，一片片雪花白的糍粑，在舌尖一阵甜糯，猛地想起妈妈喊我回家过年 | Glutinous Rice Cake

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"Ciba is the best New Year's gift"

“拜年、拜年，粑粑上前。”

Located on the upper Yangtze River at the border of Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province, the picturesque Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is the only ethnic autonomous prefecture in the province. Here lives Huang Zongqian of the Tujia minority.

长江上游，湖北与重庆交界处，有一个山清水秀的地方——恩施土家族苗族自治州。这是湖北省唯一一个少数民族自治州。土家人黄宗前就生活在这里。

For Tujia people, "ciba" (glutinous rice cake) is essential for the Spring Festival. Some people call it "nianba" ("nian" for New Year), saying "there'd never be a good Chinese New Year without ciba." Here in Enshi Prefecture, people inherited the original method of making ciba by hand. The round ciba is a token of reunion. It's glutinous and sticky, embodying the Tujia people's attitude on kinship and friendship. 

对土家人来说，糍粑是过年的必备食品。有人把糍粑也称作“年粑”，甚至有“没有糍粑不成年”的说法。他们一直延续着祖辈们原始手工制作糍粑的方法。圆圆的糍粑，象征团团圆圆，又糯又粘，寓意土家人对亲情和友情的看重。

The freshly-made ciba was a precious childhood memory for Huang: "I was born into a poor family. We barely had proper meals during the whole year. December 28 in the lunar calendar is the ciba-making day. We would swarm to the workshop, only to get a big hot chunk of ciba."

黄宗前儿时的过年记忆，就是那块热乎乎的糍粑：“早些年我们家里很穷，小孩子一年到头，就根本没有什么好吃的，每年到腊月二十八打糍粑那天，我们就都围过去，其实不为别的，就是为了能吃上一大块热乎乎的糍粑。”

"In the mountainous area like my hometown, there are few paddy fields. As rice was our staple food, people grew few sticky rice. If someone got the 'precious' rice, they would hold it very carefully until the Spring Festival, when families would share the sticky rice for making ciba."

“因为是山区，水田很少，只能够种水稻，少种糯米。我记得小时候啊，谁家要是有一点糯米，那是非常珍贵的，都舍不得吃。直到过年的时候，几家人才会一起凑一些糯米打糍粑。”

The process is not easy. The glutinous rice needs to be soaked in water for at least three days, and then washed three times until the water is clear. Then it's steamed for at least one hour, before being put in a stone tank for men to pound in turns using wooden hammers.

打糍粑并不是一个简单的过程，打之前，糯米至少要泡三天，淘三遍直至水清，之后至少蒸一个小时，再置于石槽内，让男人们用木槌轮流打。

"Another reason of people working together to make ciba is that, it is extremely strenuous. Men have to work in shifts. They sweat even in the freezing cold winter. This can never be one man's job."

“村民聚在一起打糍粑，还有一个原因，就是打糍粑非常累，得几家男人轮流在冰天雪地里都要打出一身汗，一个人根本没有办法做。”

Besides the white ciba, Tujia people also mix sorghum and millet with glutinous rice to make a colorful version of the cake, representing their best wishes for a lucky and prosperous new year.

除了白的糯米糍粑，土家人还会将高粱、小米与糯米混合在一起，做一些带颜色的糍粑，各种色彩的糍粑摆放在一起，代表着土家人祈求来年大吉大利、五谷丰登的心愿。

Making ciba for the guests from afar

四方来客，共享糍粑

In the Tujia-style stilt house, people sit around the fire pit, enjoying the sweet and fragrant ciba while singing folk songs, creating a joyous festival scene.

吊脚楼里，火塘边，捧上一块糍粑，轻轻嚼一下，丝滑香甜，回味无穷，再唱上几首山歌，更是热闹无比。

Tujia people have rules for eating ciba. Usually, the host would hand a well-toasted ciba to the guest, who is allowed to slap the ash off the ciba, but not by blowing. It's all about respect. Ciba can also be fried or poached before being served.

土家人吃糍粑也有讲究。主人把糍粑烤好后递给客人吃，客人不能用嘴去吹糍粑上面的灰，只能用手拍打，以示对主人的恭敬。除了火烤糍粑外，还可用油炸、水煮等方法食用。

Five years ago, the Tujia Folklore Museum was established in Tujia Girls' Town, Enshi Prefecture. It's quite an attraction. There are not only production tools and wares for wedding ceremonies, but also people performing the intangible culture heritage, for visitors to see and experience. Huang is one of the ciba makers in the museum.

五年前，恩施州土家女儿城成立了土家民俗博物馆，吸引了许多外来游客。博物馆不仅陈列展示土家族群众生产生活、婚庆嫁娶等民俗用具，还有一批非遗传承人现场展示土家族民俗技艺，让土家族民俗“看得见”，也“摸得着”。黄宗前作为传承人的一员，现在在民俗馆打糍粑。

"Ciba has to be made with a concerted effort, just like the group hunting instructed by our ancestors," says Huang. In the old days, they made ciba for fellow villagers. Now it is for people from all over the world. The delicious sticky snack joins together people from near and far,  spreading the joy and delight of the festival.

“中国人打糍粑必须要齐心协力，好比人类祖先那样，集体狩猎。”黄宗前说。以前他们的糍粑是打给村里人吃的，现在是打给全世界人吃的。黏乎乎、香喷喷的糍粑，让山里山外的人得以相聚，共享这份节日的喜悦。

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过年喽

Cameraman: Cai Dachong

Film editor: Zhou Xin, Ma Mingyuan 

Story written by: Zhu Siqi

English editor: Xuyen Nguyen

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