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Guizhou Sister's Rice Festival
Guizhou Province is in the middle of southern China. It is home to many minority ethnic groups. Many of them are still practicing centuries-old customs and look forward to their traditional festivals. Taijiang is in the eastern part of Guizhou Province, and is the county with the largest population of Miao People in China.
Every year on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month (April 28th in 2010), the Miao people in Taijiang county start celebrating the Sisters¡¯ Meal Festival, also known as the Sisters¡¯ Rice Festival. The Festival is a celebration of spring and of love. It is a local version of Valentine¡¯s Day and lasts three days.
On festival days, mothers dress their girls in traditional costume and take them to join in the festival celebrations. They want to show off their beautiful girls and their splendid clothes. It is perceived that the more splendid the jewelry the richer the family.
The parade on the first day of the celebrations, featuring the many different branches and sub-branches of the Miao people group, is a highlight which should not be missed. The people wear their own magnificent and distinctive costumes and jewelry. They come together to dance, sing and play their musical instruments. It is a kaleidoscope of colors, local customs and traditions, minority costumes and hairstyles, that provides a truly traditional fashion show. The most popular event during the festival is the drum dance, when everybody dances together to the beat of the drums.
The Sisters¡¯ Meal Festival is a great opportunity for Miao people to catch up with friends, to show off their family and their wealth. It is naturally also a big market day in the villages.
Although it originated in Taijiang County the celebration has spread to Laotun and Shidong counties. These counties are known as the cradle of these amazing festivals.
Every year on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month (April 28th in 2010), the Miao people in Taijiang county start celebrating the Sisters¡¯ Meal Festival, also known as the Sisters¡¯ Rice Festival. The Festival is a celebration of spring and of love. It is a local version of Valentine¡¯s Day and lasts three days.
On festival days, mothers dress their girls in traditional costume and take them to join in the festival celebrations. They want to show off their beautiful girls and their splendid clothes. It is perceived that the more splendid the jewelry the richer the family.
The parade on the first day of the celebrations, featuring the many different branches and sub-branches of the Miao people group, is a highlight which should not be missed. The people wear their own magnificent and distinctive costumes and jewelry. They come together to dance, sing and play their musical instruments. It is a kaleidoscope of colors, local customs and traditions, minority costumes and hairstyles, that provides a truly traditional fashion show. The most popular event during the festival is the drum dance, when everybody dances together to the beat of the drums.
The Sisters¡¯ Meal Festival is a great opportunity for Miao people to catch up with friends, to show off their family and their wealth. It is naturally also a big market day in the villages.
Although it originated in Taijiang County the celebration has spread to Laotun and Shidong counties. These counties are known as the cradle of these amazing festivals.
