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Guizhou Festivals |
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Guizhou is one of China¡¯s lesser known province and best-kept secrets. A major charm of Guizhou province for you is the festivals, resplendent with color and suffused with music, that takes place throughout the year and remains an important part of continuing traditional lifestyles and customs.
A warm welcome will be given at the countless festivals where sumptuous traditional costume is set off by dazzling silver jewelry, pipes, drums and dancing. If you can visit Guizhou during the festival period, you will see a true Chinese ethnic group.
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The Main Festivals of Ethnic Peoples in Guizhou Province in 2008( For reference only) |
Festival |
Ethnics |
Place |
Date |
Activities |
Lusheng |
Miao |
Kaili |
Feb. 25th-27th |
Lusheng Dance, singing |
Sister's Meal |
Miao |
Shidong |
Apr. 20th-22nd |
Dating, Lusheng Dance |
Siyueba |
Miao |
Huangping |
May 12th |
Gathering, singing |
Dragon Boat |
Miao |
Shidong |
Jun. 28th-30th |
Rowing dragon boat |
Miao's New Year |
Miao |
Leishan |
Nov. 12th |
Singing, dancing |
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Some Featured Festivals |
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Sister's Meal |
 Festivals are for fun and their main function is for young people to meet each other and find a marriage partner. As they believed that costume shows a girl's wealth and domesticity, which are exquisitely embodied and are decorated with silver jewelry. Sister's Meal Festival, which takes place in the spring, is easy and interesting to visit for the girl's spectacular costumes. Each girl prepares her rice with a symbol inside and then wraps it in a handkerchief. Young people from several villages gather together and the girls are beautifully dressed in their embroidered costumes. Everyone chats and searches for marriage partners commences. |
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Dragon Boat Festival |
 Held on the Qingshui River between the 24th and 27th of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival is worthwhile seeing. The origin of this festival is explained by the folk story of a dragon that swallowed a fisherman's son. Guya, the fisherman, retaliated upon the dragon and burnt the dragon's house. The fire burned for nine days and finally people celebrated the fisherman's victory by eating the dragon. Five villages in the area received different parts of the dragon so that each village now holds a dragon festival on different day to celebrate his contribution. A 17-meter boat and two 10-meter boats are constructed, each with a carved dragon's head on its prow. The oarsman row to village where pleas are made to the dragon to bestow happiness on each community. Pigs, goats, ducks and geese are presented to the crew and headman. |
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Lusheng Festival |
-m.jpg) Lusheng is a Chinese name for the Miao bamboo pipe and translates as ' reed instrument'. These pipes are most commonly played at festivals related to courtship and are not generally used at religious gatherings. Lusheng Festival is an important courtship festival; several villages and all generations attend. Mothers bring their daughter's finery that consists of embroidered costume and silver jewelry. The men and boys of each village play the lusheng pipes while forming a circle and the girls follow with a relatively simple dance step to show off their costumes to best. |
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