Guilin Festivals and Events

Guilin, 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 Dragon Tours will introduce the representative ethnic festivals in Guilin.

Long Hair Festival( 长发节)

The Long Hair Festival is celebrated on March 3 of the Chinese lunar calendar. The Red Yao women of a small Chinese village-Huangluo(黄洛) have always cherished their hair as sacred. A girl is allowed to cut her hair just once in her life—for her 18th birthday. A short haircut along with a scarf she has to wear is indicated that she is looking for a husband. Meanwhile, cropped hair is made into an ornamental piece and is kept by her grandmother until the girl gets married. Then the bunch of hair is gifted to her groom, and afterwards, it becomes a part of her everyday hairdo. It is worth mentioning that Huangluo Yao Village is also known as Long Hair Village at home and abroad. Here, even the 80-year-old grandmother keeps a bunch of long black hair. Come here, you may know the secret why they keep a bunch of long black hair.

Longji Plowing Festival(龙脊开耕节)

Longji Plowing Festival is regarded as the most significant festival for Zhuang people in Longsheng. The Plowing Festival is a traditional festival in Longji. After the Qingming and Grain Rain(6th solar term), cuckoos in the mountain begin to scream, which remind people of the coming spring season. The villagers  in Longji will choose a good day. Under the leadership of  Zhailao(寨老) and Shigong(师公), they will go to offer incense to gnome(local God of the land) before plowing every year and pray for the gods to bless the good weather for the crops and an abundant harvest of all crops for the whole village. After the completion of the ceremony, the six sound of firecracker is indicated that the plowing begins.

 Longsheng Yao Red Clothes Festival(龙胜瑶族红衣节)

As a unique ethnic group in Longsheng, Guilin, Guangxi Province, the Yao people celebrate their Red Clothes Festival every year, which has progressed for a long history successfully since Yuan Dynasty.  Each March 15 or April 8, Yao people in Longji Rice Terraces will dress up and go to Leishui Street, Longsheng Town, Guangxi Province to celebrate Red Clothes Festival. Just like other festivals, this festival serves as an ideal chance for bachelors to find their sweethearts. During a Longsheng trip, the long-haired Yao women with red clothes will light up your eyes. They refer to a sub-group of the Yao people in Longsheng, and have been named "Hong Yao" because the women wear red clothes. Typically, a national costume of Red Yao features bright red clothes and dark blue knee length skirts. Red Yao women are experts in weaving, dyeing and embroidery.

Zhuang People's Song Festival( 壮族歌节)

As Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has the largest number of Zhuang People in China, it is not only famous for its marvelous karst landscape, but also widely known for its rich minorities’ culture, especially Zhuang People’s culture. Travelers can take part in singing songs with Zhuang People during the Song Festival falling on the third day of the third month on Chinese lunar calendar.

Zhuang Nationality Bullfight Festival(壮族斗牛节)

The Zhuang Nationality Bullfight Festival is held annually by the Zhuang people on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. According to the legends, the local people celebrate the festival in order to commemorate the birthday of the God of Cattle. 

Gongcheng Peach Flower Festival(恭城桃花节)

In March, Peach Flower Festival is held in Gongcheng which plants lots of peach trees in Dalingshan park, and those flowers would blossom during the period, and looks like a flower sea of pink and light red. During this festival, Guilin people and tourists would go to Gongcheng to see those beautiful flowers, and local people in Gongcheng would have art shows to welcome travelers. 

Guilin Scenery Tourism Festival(桂林山水旅游节)

In the period from October to December, Guilin Scenery Tourism Festival would be held, which is one of the biggest cultural tourism festivals, and it was initially held in 1992. During the festival, there are lots of activities from several topics, like tourism, culture sports and exhibition, which present the culture and scenery of Guilin to the world and enrich people’s life, and some programs of its art show are performances played by foreigners. This festival shows Guilin’s historical, cultural and travel resources, and is a propaganda of Guilin as an international tourism city.