邹蓝 青海花儿
省份地方不同，花儿会的日子也不同。要特别指出的是，这里用的日期，是农历而不是公历。
In different provinces or even prefectures or counties, the Huaer Festival is observed in different times of the year. It is important to point out that the dates of the Huaer Festival are set in Chinese Lunar Calendar instead of the common calendar.
比方说，青海的第一个花儿会二月初二在互助县一个镇举行，这个地方现在是西宁机场所在地。然后有互助的哈喇子沟的花儿会，在农历三月二十七到三十，乐都的王家庄花儿会在四月初八。青海位于高海拔地区，春天一般要到公历五月才开始，因此多数地方的花儿会在五月或者六月（中国的农历的月份，基本比公历晚一个月）。五月初五，在国内其他地方是纪念古代诗人屈原的端午节，但是青海这天有三处花儿会：民和，乐都以及化隆。农历六月盛夏到来，是青海花儿会的高潮时期。海东地区和东南部同时会有许多花儿会举行。
For example, in Qinghai Province, the first Huaer Festival begin at the 2nd of the Month 2 of the Lunar Calendar at Weiyuan Town of Huzhu County where there is the present day Xining Airport. It is then followed by the Huaer Festival at Halazhi Gully, Huzhu County from 27th day to 30th day of Month 3, and the Festival at Wangjiazhuang, Ledu County at 8th day of Month 4. Since Qinghai is on high altitude and the Spring begins usually in May, most of the regional Huaer Festivals in Qinghai usually begin in summer time in May or June (Chinese Lunar Calendar in general is one month later). At 5th day of Month 5, which is the Dragon Boat Festival elsewhere in the country in honor of the ancient Poet Qu Yuan, there are three Festivals at three places: at Xiamen in Minhe County, at Zhongba in Ledu County and at Angsiduo in Hualong County. Month 6 is the apex of the Huaer Festival in Qinghai as summer is in full swing, there are dozens of them held simultaneously across the Eastern and Southeastern part of the Province.
这些日期也恰好反映出在中国农村，时间是以大自然的节律或者农历来标记的，而不是欧洲传来的公历。
当这些民俗活动展开的时候，游客、访问者、摄影者以及录音师以及学者都去那些花儿会。花儿会是举办了一代又一代的民俗。
Incidentally this shows that in rural China, the time is measured by the seasons of the Mother Nature and by the lunar calendar, instead of the Calendar from Europe.
While all the ethnic groups in the region enjoy themselves in these festivals, the visitors and tourists as well as photographers and sound recorders, and academics all go there. The Huaer Festival is held for generations after generations.
实际上，现在不需要任何具体日子花儿会也可以举行。只要有一群回族人聚会或在休闲场所，就可能有微型的花儿会出现。我亲身经历了一次，是1992年8月在青海西部格尔木市的格尔木河西岸人民公园内，大约有40来个从青藏高原下来的采金汉子在游玩。一个人唱起花儿，随后就有好多人和了起来。而传统上格尔木并非主体人口为回族的城市，位于蒙古族地区。
Actually in present day, there is no need for specific date for the Festival to begin. When there is a gathering of a certain number of Huis or so in a leisure place there is probably a mini Huaer festival. I personally witnessed such a one in Golmud in West Qinghai on my way to the Kunlun Mountains south of Golmut. On the riverside of the Golmud River in Central Golmud’s Renmin Park in August 1992, a group of about 40 people were enjoying the relaxation from their gold mining activities from the High Plateau in low land Golmud, one sang a Huaer and he was quickly followed by others. And traditionally Golmud is not a city with dominant population of the Huis and it is in ethnic Mongolian territory.
甘肃各地的花儿会也大致如此。因此对这些民俗活动有兴趣的游客，应该事先确定要去的地方的花儿会的具体日子才去。
That is more or less the same with Gansu Huaer Festivals everywhere. So the visitors interested in these folklore festivals, please check the accurate date information for each of them before you set out.
青海花儿的歌手，我要提到马俊和马文娥。这是撒拉族的二重唱磁带，有些歌曲有现代配器的摇滚节拍，有点则是传统调式。撒拉族据说千年前来自遥远的中亚国家乌兹别克斯坦的撒马尔罕。他们居住在青海，撒拉人以往以出强悍的士兵而著称。
Of Huaer singers in Qinghai, I would like to mention Mr. Ma Jun (马俊) and Ms. Ma Wen’e （马文娥）, http://v.ku6.com/show/n1gakpWM1q_8-um9.html a Salar duet producing a cassette of Qinghai Huaer, http://v.ku6.com/show/iHL16W8Jp-_bbc85.html with contemporary instrumentation of rock beat in some cases and some are still in traditional style. http://www.56.com/w11/play_album-aid-5586159_vid-MzEyNzA5MzU.html The Salars are an ethnic group said to be originally from Samarkhand in present day Uzbekistan in Central Asia a thousand years ago. They live in Qinghai. The Salars were noted for good soldiers in the past.