Chinese Name: 澜沧县布朗族丰收节
English Name: Bumper Harvest Festival of Bulang Ethnic Minority in Lancang County, Puer
Location:澜沧拉祜族自治县惠民镇芒景村/Mangjing Village, Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County.
The Bumper Harvest Festival of the Bulang Ethnic Minority is a significant cultural event celebrated in Lancang County, located in the Pu’er region of Yunnan Province, China. This festival is an important occasion for the Bulang people, who have a rich cultural heritage and traditional agricultural practices.
The festival typically takes place in the autumn, coinciding with the harvest season, and it serves as a time for the community to express gratitude for a bountiful harvest. During this vibrant celebration, various activities are organized, including traditional music and dance performances, feasting, and communal gatherings. The festival often features colorful costumes, showcasing the unique attire of the Bulang people, and is an opportunity for communal bonding and cultural expression.
In addition to celebrating the harvest, the Bumper Harvest Festival holds cultural significance as it is a time for passing down traditions, customs, and folklore among the younger generations. It reflects the community’s deep connection to their agricultural roots and emphasizes the importance of unity and gratitude.
Attendees of the festival can expect to experience a blend of culinary delights, traditional crafts, and engaging performances, making it a vibrant display of the Bulang culture and an integral part of their social fabric. This festival not only serves to celebrate agricultural achievements but also strengthens community ties and preserves the unique identity of the Bulang Ethnic Minority.
The “Kua Ta” (Spring Festival) New Year greeting event held on the third day of the lunar new year each year is a unique traditional activity in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County of Pu’er City. On this day, the county town is exceptionally lively, with various ethnic groups gathering together to sing and dance, creating a grand scene filled with unique folk performances that attract many people from urban and rural areas, as well as visitors from nearby cities and beyond.
Local leaders of Lancang County, dressed in ethnic costumes and holding lusheng (a traditional wind instrument), welcome the New Year greeting groups at the entrance of the National Unity and Progress Square while playing and dancing. The greeting group, comprised of ethnic minority compatriots from Lancang County, wears vibrant traditional clothing and brings along offerings such as New Year pigs, rice cakes, sugarcane, rice wine, and tea. Men play the lusheng, suona (a type of horn), and a small sanxian (a three-stringed instrument), while beating drums and gongs. Women sing joyful songs and perform lively dances, with the harmonious sounds of the lusheng, string instruments, and wooden drums creating a symphonic experience. Everyone sings and dances together in a cultural parade celebrating ethnic heritage.
The New Year greeting activity serves as a grand occasion for traditional cultural exchange among various ethnic groups, as well as a celebration of unity, friendship, and harmony among them. In the National Unity and Progress Square, the greeting group and performance troupe enter, joining the diverse local population and visitors from all directions in a sea of song and dance. Lahu compatriots play the lusheng and perform their traditional sway dance, while Yi compatriots play the sanxian and do the three-step dance. Members of other ethnic groups, including the Wa, Hani, Dai, and Blang nationalities, also join in the lively drumming and cheerful singing and dancing, bringing the New Year celebration to a vibrant climax.
Plan your Puer Ethnic Villages Tour to Puer? Visit Zimajie Village of Zhentai Town in Zhenyuan County, Puer which is one of the most fascinating ethnic villages in Puer. Explore the local folk ethnic culture including History, Food and Dining, Clothing, Customs and Traditions, Architecture, Festivals, Crafts, Religion, Language of local ethnic people in Zimajie Village of Zhentai Town in Zhenyuan County, Puer.
Chinese Name: 普洱市镇沅县振太镇太和村委会紫马街村
English Name: Zimajie Village of Zhentai Town in Zhenyuan County, Puer
Zimajie is the form site of Zhentai County Government, the name comes from an interesting legend that a purple(Zi) horse(Ma) once showed up in this place. According to historical files, there have been 29 caravans led by 5 “Getou”, which contain 174 horses and 35 members. With leisurely years pass by, unmindful crisscross streets in Zimajie engraved two deep ruts marks and multiple hoof prints.
The hoof prints and ruts marks vividly record how time passes and what a busy and brilliant place it was. Most houses in Zimajie were built in latter 19th Century, wood carvings and plate drawings remain as they used to be. A large amount of the houses had kept old furniture like tables or chairs, architectural craft totem paintings could also be seen on walls.
Some houses in Zimajie remind people of the complicated household-like designs mentioned in the novel The Dream of Red Mansion, the whole construction is divided into separate rooms connecting to each other. Most houses obtain deep wells, some of the local families use the wells till now. Quiet courtyards, deep wells, exquisite carvings and archaic characters on the courtyard gates are filled with ancient architectural charm, highlighting the unique ancient architectural style of pure agricultural era. Households in Zimajie still make tourists feeling the dignity , and reminding people of the past affairs.
The Hulu Festival is referred to as ‘Apeng Alonni’ in the Lahu language and is the most grand festival of the Lahu ethnic group in Lancang County. It is held on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month each year. During this time, villages hold lively celebrations with songs and dances. Men play the hulu sheng (a type of gourd flute) as the lead dancers, while both men and women join in the ‘Gake’ dance; women beat the elephant foot drums while performing the ‘Bai’ dance; young men and women engage in folk song duets. There are also sports and games, such as swinging, water carrying, spinning tops, and crossbow competitions. Elders gather by the fire at the pond, drinking wine and reciting the creation epic ‘Mupa Mipa.’ In the center of the dance area, a pair of gourds is placed to symbolize the ancestors of the Lahu people, and everyone shows respect towards it, always remembering the kindness and blessings of their ancestors
According to the legends described in the Lahu creation epics ‘Mupa Mipa’ and ‘Shuodian Ludian,’ the ancestors of the Lahu people were cultivated from gourds by the heavenly deity ‘Asha’ on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month in the Rexiang Mansion. Therefore, the Lahu people believe they are descendants of the gourd and regard the gourd as the embodiment of their ancestors and a symbol of good fortune for the entire nation.
In accordance with this legend, on November 6, 1991, during the ‘Lahu Ethnic History Symposium’ held in Lancang, the Lancang County government and the Standing Committee of the County People’s Congress, after consulting the opinions of Lahu participants from various regions, decided to designate the day of the ancestral birth in the legend as the official festival for the Lahu people of the county, thus establishing the 15th day of the 10th lunar month each year as the Hulu Festival.
During the festival, activities such as offering gourds, performing the hulu sheng dance, dancing the Bai dance, singing gourd epics, and playing gourd-themed games all originate from the gourd belief. This belief reflects the long-standing close relationship between the Lahu people in the mountainous areas and nature, as well as their struggles for survival. The Hulu Festival is rich in ethnic characteristics, offering a variety of vibrant activities and serving as a joyous occasion for communal singing and dancing. It encompasses a wealth of historical and cultural content.
The Lancang County government organizes various cultural and sports activities, as well as exchanges in technology and commercial goods each year, integrating traditional ethnic festivals with economic development to further enhance the social influence and recognition of the Hulu Festival
Every fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional New Rice Festival, men and women of Wa people in new festival clothing with a lot of feature food (new rice, steamed sticky rice, cooked chicken rice, bamboo worm, tilefish, yellow fruit, etc.), packed by red thread for themselves or for the guests. On this day all people in the village gather on the village square for traditional activities including “cattle slicing for sacrificial offering”, new grain celebration, new rice eating, bullfight, wrestling, hunting, wooden drum dragging etc.
In the evening, they light bonfires, beat wooden drums, fire celebration salvo, blow lusheng, bamboo flute, play the three-string sanxian, traditional wooden drum dance, hair-swing dance and singing carnival activities. In addition the young, taking advantage of this festival day, look for companion and spread love, wishing for everlasting relationship.
The carnival goes overnight in dancing and singing, food tasting, drinking to celebrate harvest and to “communicate” with the heaven, and to pray for good crop weather, safety of human and animals and good harvest for the next year. These activities during the New Rice Festival generally last for three days.
Origin of the Event
The Wa ethnic group in Ximeng County has a unique cultural charm, with a rich and colorful ethnic culture. The traditional Wooden Drum Festival has its own distinctive flavor. The county committee and the county government decided to hold the first Yunnan Ximeng Wa Wooden Drum Festival in April 2003.
Opening ceremony, original ancestor worship activities of the Wa ethnic group, wooden drum performances, Wa ethnic dance performances, traditional rice wine tasting and cattle wrestling celebration, ethnic sports displays, investment promotion, business negotiations, sightseeing tourism, and closing ceremony, among others.
The “Grey Month” in Wa’s calendar (i.e. December in solar calendar) is the time for Wa people to hold the Wooden Drum Dragging activity. The day before the festival, the head and the “Moba” (priest) lead a small group of people to the pre-selected big red tree right in the dark night. After sacrificial offering rites (oblations, ghost expelling, incantations chanting), the “Moba” uses an axe to cut the tree for the first several moves then the other people altogether cut the tree down, on the stump they put three stones as money paid to the tree ghost. Then they cut the trunk into sizes of the needed wooden drums, chisel out drum ears and fasten the drums by rattans.
The next day early in the morning, all people in the village, from the old to the young, will climb up the hill to drag the wooden drums. The “Moba”, holding high up a tree branch, lead people to sing the song of “wooden drum dragging”, command and coordinate people in their action. People strew water wine on the ground where the wooden drums is passing through, men dragging the wooden drums will sing and dance along the way, and other people will cheer on for them or send them wine or food. In fact the wooden drums they’re dragging are yet semifinished materials, which will be put outside of the entrance of the village for two or three days. Then the “Moba” kills chicken for sacrificial offering, and put the semifinished wooden drums on the ground beside the wooden drum house and hand them over to the carpenters.
On this day, men and women dragging the wooden together, it is said to be a good chance to find someone to fall in love with. It takes time for people to drag the drums, sing, dance and play. After the wooden drum is finished and qualified by test beats, people will lift and put them into the wooden drum house, and the celebration continues, the wooden drum dance starts and coordinates with the drum beats.
At the Wild Fruit Festival, people can taste local specialty wild fruits, wild vegetables, and unique delicacies while enjoying the original ecological songs and dances performed by the Masha community. Additionally, they can experience folk activities such as rice pounding, handmade crafts, and crossbow shooting.This festival typically takes place annually and attracts both residents and visitors, showcasing the abundance of wild fruits and vegetables native to the area.
Chinese Name: 楚雄市彝族年/十月年
English Name: Yizunian (Shiyuenian) New Year of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City
Location:
http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/663161.shtml
Overview
Introduction
Every year on the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month, a festival is held in the town of Dazhuang, Shuangbai County, featuring large-scale material exchanges and ethnic folk art activities. The festival’s origin is related to a local folklore tale about a “crane defeating a monster that harmed the local people and teaching them to read and understand.” In many villages nearby, such as Ganhai, Zibo, and Xichang, during this time, people imitate the various postures of the crane and perform the “Crane Performance” as a way to pay homage to the brave and intelligent crane.
Located in the central part of Yunnan, east of the Ailao Mountains, Dazhuang is situated at the intersection of Shuangbai County, Chuxiong City, and Yimen County. This area boasts a long history and unique culture, with abundant resources, particularly renowned for its warm valley crops. The local people have had an inseparable bond with cranes since ancient times, worshipping the “crane” as a sacred object, leading to the formation of an ancient ethnic culture that emphasizes “cultivating oneself to become a celestial being and respecting the crane.”
According to legend, 800 years ago, a monster from the far south blocked the Shadian River in Dazhuang with its massive body. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and the river was dammed, drowning many crops in murky water and causing the deaths of numerous people in the resulting flood. The survivors fled to a distant high mountain away from the riverbank, however, the muddy waters relentlessly pursued them. As people ran, the water followed, and just as it seemed they would face disaster, they heard “caw—caw—” echoing from the vast northern sky. Then, from the thick clouds, a multicolored auspicious cloud emerged, carrying a dazzling white crane with a brilliant red head riding on a rhinoceros. The rhinoceros swiftly blocked the waters flowing from the Yindai River and Puyan River, while the crane bravely charged at the monster, battling it fiercely. With the crane’s cleverness and power, the monster was ultimately defeated and fell into the river by dawn. Exhausted, the crane rested by a pond along the Shadian River, but upon hearing the rooster crow at dawn, it could no longer ascend to the heavens and chose to reside there permanently. The rhinoceros transformed into a mountain, guarding against floods day and night, using its strength to prevent disaster. From that point on, Dazhuang was spared from severe flooding. The crane’s feathers that fell during the battle turned into various tools previously unseen by people, which they used to clear the river channel, allowing water to flow freely. After settling there, the crane watched over the people day and night, teaching them rice farming and fish rearing. Every summer and autumn, Dazhuang’s riversides are filled with fragrant rice blossoms and plump fish, earning the title “the land of fish and rice in Shuangbai.” Even to this day, Dazhuang’s rice is of excellent quality, and the fish and meat are delicate, beloved by many consumers. Furthermore, the crane taught them to read and write, and as a result, many cultured individuals emerged from Dazhuang, with several traveling overseas for further education.
The mountain associated with the legend is known as “Festival Mountain” among the local community. Every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year, families bring abundant food to pay homage there. The pond where the crane rested has been enlarged by later generations and is called “Crane Lake,” becoming a main recreational area for local residents. Following various efforts by successive party committees and government administrations to secure funds for improvements, it is now referred to as “Crane Park.” According to legend, after the crane settled in Dazhuang Village, people began to migrate there seeking the crane’s protection. Those who moved found themselves well-fed, with thriving livestock, leading to happiness, and over time, the population grew, turning it into the largest village within a radius of several dozen miles, which was later named “Dazhuang.” Viewed from the mountain across from Dazhuang, its terrain resembles a white crane bowing down to drink from the Shadian River, believed to be where the crane rested after its battle with the monster. The story of the crane is widely recounted in Dazhuang, and people express their reverence for it in various ways. A legendary site on the back mountain of Dazhuang is thought to be where the crane gazed towards the east, and locals frequently come to pray and make wishes, referring to it as “Crane Temple.” In nearby villages such as Ganhai and Zibo, during major holidays, people replicate various crane postures and perform the “Crane Performance” as a tribute to the brave and intelligent crane, inspiring others to pursue brightness and shun darkness. To commemorate the crane’s courage and wisdom, based on the community’s wishes, the Dazhuang Town Party Committee and the Dazhuang Town People’s Government have designated August 12th, the anniversary of Dazhuang’s establishment as a town, as “Crane Festival,” organizing large-scale material exchanges and ethnic folk art activities, wishing for a bright future for Dazhuang together.
Chinese Name: 双柏县安龙堡乡它宜龙村岩神抢婚节
English Name: Yanshen (Rock God) Bride Kidnapping of Yi Ethnic Minority in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong
Location:
http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/490327.shtml
http://www.huaxia.com/ly/fsmq/dl/2011/04/2394523.html?oeld3
http://www.sohu.com/a/215258550_673627
Chinese Name: 武定县彝族十月新小米节
English Name: New Rice (Xinxiaomi) Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Wuding County, Chuxiong
Location:
http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/510456.shtml
Chinese Name: 楚雄市彝族耕牛节
English Name: Farm Cattle Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City
Location:楚雄市山区/The Mountain in Chuxiong City
The Farm Cattle Festival of the Yi Ethnic Minority is a vibrant and culturally rich celebration that showcases the traditions and lifestyles of the Yi people. This annual festival typically occurs during the summer months and serves as an important event for the local Yi community, bringing together people to honor their agricultural practices and festivities related to cattle.
Basic Introduction Chinese Name: 澜沧县布朗族丰收节 English Name: Bumper Harvest Festival of Bulang Ethnic Minority in Lancang County, Puer Location:澜沧拉祜族自治县惠民镇芒景村/Mangjing Village, Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County. The Bumper Harvest...
Overview Chinese Name: 澜沧县拉祜族新年拜年活动 English Name: Chinese Spring Festival Celebration of Lahu Ethnic Minority in Lancang County, Puer The “Kua Ta” (Spring Festival) New Year greeting event held on...
Plan your Puer Ethnic Villages Tour to Puer? Visit Zimajie Village of Zhentai Town in Zhenyuan County, Puer which is one of the most fascinating ethnic villages in Puer....
Overview Chinese Name: 西盟县力所乡拉祜族葫芦节 English Name: Calabash Festival of Luhu Ethnic Minority in Ximeng County, Puer Location:西盟县力所乡南亢村/Nankang Village, Liso Township, Ximeng County Introduction The Hulu Festival is referred to...
Overview and Introduction Chinese Name: 西盟县佤族新米节/迎新谷节 English Name: New Rice Festival of Wa Ethnic Minority in Ximeng County, Puer Every fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month is the...
Overview Chinese Name: 西盟县佤族木鼓节 English Name: Wooden Drum Festival of Wa Ethnic Minority in Ximeng County, Puer Location: 西盟县/Ximeng County, Pu’re Festival Dates: April 10 to April 12 Origin...
Basic Introduction Chinese Name: 西盟佤族自治县生态野果节 English Name: Wild Fruit and Vegetable Festival in Ximeng County, Puer Location:西盟县勐卡镇马散村永俄寨/Wild Fruit and Vegetable Festival in Ximeng County is held in YongE Village of...
Chinese Name: 楚雄市彝族年/十月年 English Name: Yizunian (Shiyuenian) New Year of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City Location: http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/663161.shtml...
Overview Chinese Name: 双柏县大庄镇仙鹤节 English Name: Red-crowned Crane Festival in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong Location:双柏县大庄镇/Shuangbai County, Dazhuang Town Introduction Every year on the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month,...
Chinese Name: 双柏县安龙堡乡它宜龙村岩神抢婚节 English Name: Yanshen (Rock God) Bride Kidnapping of Yi Ethnic Minority in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong Location: http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/490327.shtml http://www.huaxia.com/ly/fsmq/dl/2011/04/2394523. ...
Chinese Name: 武定县彝族十月新小米节 English Name: New Rice (Xinxiaomi) Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Wuding County, Chuxiong Location: http://www.chuxiong.cn/mzwhpd/mzjq/510456.shtml...
Basin Introduction Chinese Name: 楚雄市彝族耕牛节 English Name: Farm Cattle Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City Location:楚雄市山区/The Mountain in Chuxiong City The Farm Cattle Festival of the Yi...
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