The Mongolian "wind horse" custom traces back to its origins

The so-called "wind horse" refers to the horse diagram that has flourished in Mongolian folklore, flying poles or posting indoors, and printed on white cloth and paper. The term "wind horse", the mongolian original is heimori. In Mongolian "hei" means gas or wind, and "mori" means horse. Therefore, it is generally literally translated as "wind horse", and there are also translations as "heavenly horse". However, the true meaning of heimori is far more profound than its surface pattern, and it is a symbol of people's auspicious fate, that is, "luck" or "fate". So it can also be translated as "Horse of Destiny" or "Horse of Luck".

The belief in the "wind horse" was not only prevalent in the Ikzhao League region, but also among the Mongols in other regions. So far, there are two kinds of "wind horse" figures that people have collected, one reflects the religious life of the Mongolian people, and the other reflects the production activities of the Mongolian people, and the words attached to them are in Tibetan. At present, people often introduce the "wind horse" (as shown in the picture), which reflects religious life, that is, the kind of flagpole hanging on the front of the door of the Ordos Mongols today.

In the center of its motif is a horse with a tail and hooves and a long neck, galloping with a ruyi treasure; above the horse is a Kunpeng that spreads its wings and soars, and a green dragon that soars through the clouds; and under the horse is a tiger with teeth and claws and a male lion full of blood. These five animals show their commonality of bravery and might with different postures and expressions. People printed this pattern on a white cloth or white paper more than ten centimeters square, posted it on the wall, hung it on the flagpole, or waved it in the wind from the mountain, letting the wind carry it to the distance. Whatever form it takes, the meaning is essentially the same, and people want their future to be as smooth as a horse that rides the wind.

Speaking of the origin of the "wind horse", some researchers believe that it is a great creation of the Mongolian nation and a custom that was native to the Mongolian region. It is also believed that after the Introduction of Huangjiao to Mongolia, some changes were made to it, such as adding Tibetan content, etc., but its graphics are still the original pattern of the Mongolian "Longdang" without any changes. However, this claim is unfounded, because the history of Mongolian culture tells us that such facts do not exist. First of all, take the word "Longdang", which they are based on, it is not Mongolian, but a different transliteration of the Tibetan name "Longda" of "Wind Horse". In Tibetan, "dragon" means "wind", "da" means "horse", and Mongolian heimri is a transliteration of the Tibetan word "longda". As for the Tibetan language on the "Wind Horse" map and its picture that is prevalent in Mongolian folklore, it is obvious that it was not added when the Yellow Sect was introduced to Mongolia and changed or added or subtracted its contents from the Mongolian "Customs and Customs Horses". In fact, it is a snowy culture that was introduced to Mongolia according to its original appearance. Therefore, we have reason to be sure that this object was not an invention of the Mongols, but a Tibetan custom that was absorbed and accepted by the Mongols after the spread of Lamaism to the Mongolian region.

So was the inventor of the "Wind Horse" a Tibetan nationality? Nor is it. According to Tibetan scholars, according to ancient Tibetan texts, the inventor of the Tibetan custom "Longda" was a man named Gongze Shakjab. Gong is the Tibetan transliteration of Confucius, and Shakyamuni Is the overflow number given to Confucius by Tibetan scholars, meaning "Wise King". According to this, it is not unreasonable to believe that Confucius once engaged in "Confucian" positions such as witches, history, rituals, and bu, and he may have painted horses and cattle on paper and burned them as substitutes for sacrifice to sacrifice the dead, thus inventing "Longda". It is said that when the "Ronda" first arrived in Tibet, it was also cremated as a sacrifice to the dead. Later, it was no longer sacrificed to burn it, let it ride the wind and soar freely in the air, becoming a sustenance to wish for a good fortune.

From this point of view, the history of the "wind horse" can be traced back to the time of Confucius. As early as that time, the Tibetans had the custom of believing in "wind horses". Although the specific time of the Mongol belief in this object is not recorded in history, its history is not very distant. This can be answered by reviewing the history of the introduction of Lamaism to the Mongolian region. The first to open the practice of believing in the Yellow Religion was kutuk tuche chen hongtai ji, the ancestor of the Mongolian department of The Ordos of the Yikezhao League. In 1566 AD, KutuktucheChen Hongtaiji, who personally made a pilgrimage to Tibet and converted to Lamaism, was the first Mongolian nobleman to enter Tibet ordained. After his return, he actively advocated lamaism and vigorously prepared to build a lama temple, which was completed during the Ming Chongzhen period when the first summoning temple of the Yikezhao League, The Jungar. In the early Qing Dynasty, incense was more abundant, and more and more temples were built. During the Qianlong period, the YikeZhao League was already a Yellow Sect League with a loud voice and a rolling wheel of Law, known as the Yellow Sect Grand League of summoning 28 temples and 20,000 lamas. It can be seen that the depth of the integration of lamaism and mass life in this area is unmatched in other regions.

At a time when the great change in Mongolian religious beliefs was occurring and the mutual exchanges between Mongolian and Tibetan cultures were becoming more and more prosperous, it was natural for the "wind horse" of Buddhist culture to spread to all parts of Inner Mongolia. Therefore, the "wind horse" flourished in Inner Mongolia and formed a custom in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and from then on, until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the middle of the Republic of China, it was the most prosperous period when Mongolians everywhere believed in "wind horse". Therefore, the theory that prevailed after genghis Khan's death held by some researchers is an untenable subjective assumption and therefore not based on it.　So is the "wind horse" culture without the characteristics of Mongolian national culture? Of course not. After this object spread to the Mongolian region, because it met the needs of the Mongolian social development at that time and could be integrated with the cultural traditions of its own nation, it was widely borrowed or absorbed by the Mongols, and changed it and developed it in its own cultural way, from form to content. There was not only a "wind horse" diagram reflecting the economic activities of the Mongols, but also a "wind horse" integrated with the sacrifice of Genghis Khan, that is, the so-called "Lu mason wind flag", and was regarded as a mascot that expressed national dignity and wished the nation prosperity. This is the "wind horse" culture with the characteristics of the national culture that is gradually formed after the two cultures continue to run, coordinate, adapt, and add the components with Mongolian cultural characteristics in the mutual exchange of national cultures. However, it is not possible to forget the relationship with the culture of origin because it has formed part of the characteristics of its own national culture and is considered to be a custom of its own nation. Because the mutual influence of national cultures is an inevitable phenomenon that occurs in the process of the development and change of national traditional culture. In any ethnic and cultural complex, there are traces of the influence of multiple factors in other ethnic cultures.

At present, with the development of history and the changes of the times, the Mongolian people believe in the "wind horse" atmosphere, which is very different from before. Most areas are nearly extinct, but some areas are still prevalent. But his legacy has been preserved with a humorous and bitter saying. For example, people often refer to those who are ridiculous or unlucky to be called "wind and horse lying down" guys, and they will not be lucky. The situation was different in the Ikzhao League, where the atmosphere of flying "wind horses" is still prevalent today. All Mongols had a "wind horse" pole in front of their doors, and the top of the flagpole was equipped with a trident symbolizing Genghis Khan's great soap. The reason why this wind has flourished for a long time is nothing more than that the Ordos region was the first region to spread Lamaism, so its long historical influence is also deep. More importantly, the effect of the organic combination and harmonious development of the "wind horse" and the sacrifice of Genghis Khan later had a more far-reaching impact on society. Therefore, the custom has not disappeared there to this day, and has continued uninterruptedly to this day.

So why did the Ordos Mongols set up two "wind horse" poles in front of the door, and some people set up a "wind horse" pole? Those who write about this object generally write two "wind horse" poles, but do not explain the reasons for it. As a result, some researchers wrote texts to verify that this was changed from one flagpole to two flagpoles after being influenced by Lamaism. This again conveyed the misinformation that the Ordos Mongols all had two "wind horse" poles in front of their doors. In fact, this is not the case, and there are many people who only set up one "wind horse" pole instead of two. This is determined by the traditional customs of each family. Some families only worship Genghis Khan's big rope, and they set up a "wind horse" pole; some people, in accordance with their own family traditions and customs, while offering Genghis Khan's big rope, they also want to worship the clan micro of their own family, and they have to set up two "wind horses" poles. Therefore, this difference and distinction in custom has nothing to do with Lamaism.

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Source: China Air Travel Network, NetEase Travel, Tribe Khan