Beihai Festivals and Events

Beihai, a place with many ethnic minorities, has many unique folk festivals and the strong customs, which have become the major scenery line of Guilin Tourism. Although there are many traditional festivals in China, the most exciting is undoubtedly unique festivals for all ethnic groups. Here, China Tours will introduce the representative ethnic festivals in Beihai City.

Beihai International Pearl Festival(北海国际珍珠节)

Pearls produced in Beihai are well-known for their high quality. Beihai International Pearl Festival, held in December, aims at introducing to the rest of the world the quality special local product, and developing our traditional Chinese culture. The festival is held annually since 1992. With pearl as the theme and media, a series of activities, involving the fields of culture, tourism, sports as well as economic and technological coOperation, will be held during the festival.

Yifan Festival of Mulao People(仫佬族依饭节)

The Yifan Festival is a grand traditional festival for the Yilao people to worship the ancestors, offer sacrifices the gods, and celebrate the harvest and protect the safety of humans and animals, which is held on the Beginning of the Winter of Leap Year in lunar calendar. There are different dates in different places. The Yifan Festival lasts for one-three days. 

Bronze Drum Festival(铜鼓节)

The Bronze Drum Festival is a traditional festival of Zhuang nationality in the Aidong Township and Changle Township of Donglan County, which is held on  New Year’s Day of the Chinese lunar calendar, the fifteenth day of the first month of lunar year and the 30th day of the first month of lunar year annually. At that time, the young men from each village form a bronze drum team and carry the bronze drums to the top of the high mountain near the village. They make the bronze drum hang on the wooden frame. Firstly, beat the drum to worship ancestors and then hold the bronze drum competition. After the competition of the game, people take a picnic with food such as cockroaches brought from home.

Fireworks Festival(花炮节)

Fireworks Festival, the traditional folk festival of the Dong nationality, is also a competitive sports event, which was held on the third day of March according to the lunar calendar. Legend has it that it comes from a gathering before one thousand years. The fireworks are made of an iron canister with gunpowder. The muzzle is placed with a colored iron ring of 4 cm in diameter and wrapped with silk thread. The iron cannon is placed in the center of the drum-tower square. After a simple ceremony, the fireworks are lit according to requirements. After that, the game begins.

New Year of Dong People(侗年)

The New Year of Dong people Year is a traditional festival for the Dong people. There have been different dates in the past few years, but most of them are held between the first day and the eleventh day of November according to the lunar calendar. During the festival, each family butchers pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks. On the day before the festival, villagers prepare tofu, fish and shrimp and cook them with sour water at night, which become "frozen dishes". On the festival, they offer the "frozen dishes" to worship ancestors, after then, they treat friends and relatives.