Fresh Flowers Festival of Nu Ethnic Group

Holding memorial ceremony with fresh flowers for the hero

On the 15th of third month in every lunar year, Nus in the Gongshan spend joyfully the grand traditional festival—Fresh Flowers Festival (also called “Fairy Festival).

At the morning of that day, the Nu people wear their festival elegant dress, bring offerings and all kinds of food for picnic which have already been prepared, hold bundles of flowers in hand, and go into limestone caves near villages to offer sacrifices and worship the hero in their heart—“fairy” Arong. They dine together and hold all kinds of entertaining activities. People eat while drinking, sing while dancing, and the whole valley is immersed in primitively simple and solemn festival atmosphere.

There is an interesting legend about the origin of the Fresh Flowers Festival: long ago, there was a diligent, clever and beautiful girl Arong in a Nu village. She took the trouble to split the Gaoligong Mountain and drew in spring water, which irrigated the always dry and wasted mountain villages and made the rocks of the either side become fertile soil and the barren hills become green. But she was burnt to death in a cave in the Gaoligong Mountain by the hateful headman. The day was the 15th of the third lunar month, when spring comes with flowers nourishing on either side of the Nujiang River. In order to commemorate Arong, the Nus set the day as a festival—Fresh Flowers Festival to memorize their respectable and beloved Arong.