Qingyuan Festivals and Events
The folk festivals in Qingyuan are rich in local and ethnic characteristics, showcasing a variety of unique traditions. Notable celebrations include the Tofu Festival, the Panwang Festival, and the Water Play Festival. Let’s experience them together!
Tofu Festival
The Tofu Festival is a unique folk activity of the Lin clan in Shegangxia Village, Gao Gang Town, Fogang County. Recognized as part of Guangdong's intangible cultural heritage, it originated in 1609 when a villager accidentally splattered tofu on another during a Lantern Festival gathering, resulting in a tofu fight. The following year, those who participated were blessed with children, leading villagers to believe the event brought prosperity. Every year on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, a tofu fight is held at the ancestral hall, evolving into a lively celebration involving thousands, throwing tofu for blessings in hopes of a prosperous year with favorable weather and abundant harvests.
Kai Geng Festival
The Kai Geng Festival is celebrated by the Pai Yao people on the third day of the third lunar month, marking the beginning of spring plowing. Families kill chickens and grind tofu to honor their ancestors, wishing for favorable weather and bountiful harvests, hence its alternative name, the "Wishing Festival." The Pai Yao also choose auspicious days for internal celebrations, where everyone collectively plants peanuts, soybeans, corn, and other crops. In addition to community activities, friends and relatives visit each other.
Panwang Festival
The Panwang Festival, held on the sixteenth day of the tenth lunar month, commemorates the birthday and death anniversary of Pangu Wang. It coincides with the end of the autumn harvest and is celebrated by Yao groups as the "Harvest Festival" or "Vow Festival." Villages gather by surname at the Pangu Wang Temple for ancestor worship and to celebrate the harvest. Senior singers perform the "Pangu Wang Song," while families prepare abundant food, including wine, meat, tofu, and glutinous rice cakes.
The festivities typically last three days and two nights, with households contributing rice, soybeans, and pig meat. The first night is dedicated to rituals, and the second night features singing contests, allowing youths to participate. The lyrics express gratitude to deities and ancestors for their protection.
Niu Wang Dan (Bull King's Birthday)
The Bull King's Birthday is celebrated by the Zhuang people in Lianshan on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. Known as Longhua Festival, it has a history of over 370 years and is an important intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong Province. Legend states that Zhuang ancestors captured a wild bull during a hunt, which later gave birth to a calf trained for plowing fields.
On this day, people let their bulls rest, clean their pens, and wash their bulls in the river, feeding them special rice as a sign of appreciation. Today, around 250 natural villages in Lianshan celebrate this festival, fostering relationships and friendships among the Zhuang people.
Ge Xu Festival
The Lianshan Zhuang Singing Festival is recognized as part of Guangdong's intangible cultural heritage. Celebrated after the third day of the third lunar month, it marks the end of the spring farming season. Singers gather at markets to engage in competitive and invitational singing, showcasing various Zhuang songs, including labor, love, and folk songs.
The festival encourages vibrant displays of ethnic culture. Since its inaugural event on April 18, 2018, it has become a key component of Zhuang spiritual and cultural life.
Water Play Festival
The Water Play Festival is a traditional celebration of the Lianshan Zhuang people, centered around water activities. According to legend, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the "Seven Fairies" bathe in the Milky Way, and around noon, the waters merge, making them particularly clean and cool. Bathing in these waters is believed to promote health and longevity.
From 2006 to 2020, Lianshan hosted 13 editions of the Guangdong (Lianshan) "July Fragrance" Water Play Festival, transforming this folk custom into a grand celebration for the entire county, which was recognized as the "2017 National Most Influential Characteristic Festival."
New Harvest Festival
The New Harvest Festival, also known as the "Eating New Festival," is an ancient Zhuang celebration aimed at praying for abundant harvests and favorable weather. Celebrated on an auspicious day around the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, it coincides with the ripening of early rice. Housewives gather new rice before the festival, preparing fragrant white rice.
On the festival day, villagers bring new rice and dishes to the fields to worship the heavens and ancestors, followed by a family feast. The first Zhuang New Harvest Festival was held on July 14, 2018, in Futang Town, Lianshan, featuring activities such as dragon boat racing, folk songs, and arts performances, alongside exhibits of intangible cultural heritage projects.
