Yuanyang Festivals and Events
Main seven ethnic groups in Yuanyang are Hani, Yi, Han, Dai, Miao, Yao, Zhuang. They are indigenous peoples, living in Yuanyang for generations. They created their own traditional culture, so there are diverse festivals and activities in Yuanyang.
Festivals in Yuanyang
1. Kuzhazha Festival(矻扎扎节)
Celebrated in the middle of the 6th lunar month, Kuzhazha Festival is also called June New Year. It is one of the grandest traditional festivals of Hani people as hilarious as Spring Festival of Han people. Its main activities are playing the swing, wrestling, singing and dancing.
2. AngMaTu Festival(昂玛突)
Angmatu festival is a sacrificial activity of Hani people, helding before annual spring ploughing(usually in the middle of January). To pray for a good weather for crops, good grain harvest, people and livestock are safe and sound in the coming year, Hani people prepare long street banquet, sing and dance. The event lasts 3 to 5 days.
3. Kawopeng Festival(卡窝棚)
Kawopeng, also called Kaiyangmen(开秧门), is the traditional festival of Hani people. Kaiyangmen means the first day of seedling transplantation. At this day, Hani people wear new clothes and bring food to rice field. Accompanied by transplantation bugle, prestige people in the village pull up the first seedling to pray a good harvest, then people begin to pull up and transplant seedlings.
4. Torch Festival
It is the grandest festival of Yi people. Every year on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, Yi villages are all to prepare a big feast and have a joyous gathering. At night, villagers light their torches and shout to march through the field. It means scaring away the devil and welcoming the harvest.
5. Caihuashan Festival(踩花山节)
Celebrated from the 3rd day of 1st lunar month every year, lasting 3 days, traditional Caihuashan festival of Miao people is a good time for young men and women to fall in love and talk freely about marriage.
6. Panwang Festival(盘王节)
Panwang Festival is a great festival for Yao ethnic people to worship their ancestors, Pan Gu, pan Geng and Pan Hu. It has more than 1700 years history. Yao people in different areas celebrate the festival in different time, but usually in farm leisure time after autumn harvest and before Spring Festival.
7. Water-splashing Festival
Every year, the Water-splashing Festival is counted by the Dai calendar. The specific time is roughly on April 14, 15 and 16 in the Solar calendar. It is blessed, happy and passionate festival to pray for washing away the past year’s bad things and welcoming the New Year.
8. Double Third Day(三月三)
The 3rd day of 3rd lunar month is a traditional festival celebrated by many ethnic groups in China, in particular the Zhuang people. In Zhuang Legend, this day is the birthday of Zhuang ancestor, Buluotuo(布洛陀). The third day of the third lunar month is an important day for zhuang people to worship their ancestors, Pan Gu and Buluotuo.
Activities in Yuanyang
1. Long Street Banquet
Long Street Banquet is divided into three types, village God worship long street banquet, June New Year long street banquet and October New Year long street banquet. It shows Hani culture, costume, musical dance and swing performance.
2. Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Culture Tourism Festival
Honghe is well-known for its terrace culture. Tourist can enjoy the charm of Hani terrace, experience the true life of Hani people and their farming culture, through watching singing and dancing in the field, seeing the sunrise and tasting long street banquet during the festival.
3. Yuanyang Ethnic Market
If you want to experience the local ethnic custom, Yuanyang ethnic market is your best choice. Many villages in Yuanyang have the tradition of going to market and each market has its special day to go. In particular, the local people use an ancient calendar to record days by attaching Chinese zodiac to every day. Some festivals and market days are related to this ancient calendar. Market Day normally lasts a whole day.
More Entertainment in Yuanyang County.
