Zhangjiajie Festivals

Culture 2011/02/22 View：3611

Three Annual Festivals of the Tujia Ethnic Group

The Tujia people observe three major festivals each year, the Spring Festival that falls on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month, the 6th Lunar Month Festival on the 25th day of the 6th Lunar Month in memory of a mass migration of Tujia people in history, and the 10th Lunar Month Festival that falls on the 1st day of the 10th lunar month. The whole community goes outside to dance and sing on these three grand occasions.

Torch Festival of the Bai Ethnic Group

At dusk on the 25th day of the 6th lunar month, the Bai people put many torches together and jump them over repeatedly. They pray in this way to the God of Fire to eliminate all the pests hazardous to the farmland and to chase away all evil.

Buddha-Bathing Festival

Also called Buddha-Birth Festival, the event celebrates the birthday of Sakyamuni. It falls on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month. Buddhist monks wash statues of Buddha in scented water and offer incense sticks and flowers to Buddha. Buddhist followers donate money to the temples and set free captive animals as a token for pursuing happiness.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Like many Chinese, people of the Tujia ethnic group celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. They eat moon cake but are not very keen to appreciate the moon. An interesting activity on this occasion is for people to steal wax gourds and present them to couples who have no children, implying fertility and the delivery of babies to them.

Reading

Introduction of “Summer Begins”

Introduction of “Summer Begins”:“Summer Begins” comes on May 5 or May 6 every year. When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45 degrees, it’s the beginning of the summer season. Usually people consider this period as the time when crops’ growth enters into the peak season.

2017-05-06 08:46 View：3690
Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China, falling on April 4-6 each year. After the festival, the temperature will rise up and rainfall increases. It is the high time for spring plowing and sowing. But the Qingming Festival is not only a seasonal point to guide farm work, it is more a festival of commemoration.

2017-04-05 21:35 View：2867
The Beginning of Winter

The Beginning of Winter is the time when winter officially arrives. When vegetation withered away, the weather becomes colder. Everything in the natural world falls into this cycle. In ancient agricultural society, the beginning of winter, spring, summer and autumn are called the “Four Beginnings.” They are all important days. For our ancestors, the beginning of winter is not just the start of a cold season but also a time to rest, a time when living things witness a period of dormancy and self-renewal.

2016-11-11 11:01 View：3402
Zhangjiajie Taboo Custom

As the saying goes: “Different wind in ten-li, different custom in hundred-li.” “Asking taboo, asking custom into countryside.” Every nation and even every family and every profession, has its own different taboo content, it can not only reflect a full of Platonic superstitious cultural mentality, but also infiltrate the times scientific connotation, and reflect the developing trend of the nations constantly marching towards progress and amalgamation.

2017-01-19 16:22 View：2984
Tujia Minority jumping funeral dance

Jumping funeral dance is also called as “Jumping funeral drum” and called "Saerhe" in Tujia language, it is an ancient funeral ritual dance of Tujia Minority people of Ba people’s descendants, with strong local color. It is mainly popular in Tujia Minority area of Qingjiang River basin, and corresponding to the popular region of Shaking Hand Dance, so called “Shaking Hand at south Jumping funeral dance at north”.

2017-04-10 16:21 View：3432
Tujia spending the New Year of three times

Tujia people spend the New Year of three times, namely spend “Having Caught Up With Year” on 29 (or 28) Lunar December, spend “June Year” on 25 Lunar June, spend “October Year” on 1 Lunar October. When spending “Having Caught Up With Year”, kindle the bonfire at village barnyard, Tujia people dance the Shaking Hand Dance and sing the New Year song around the bonfire.

2016-12-30 16:20 View：3068
Western Hunan Temple Fair

Recorded in “Juan Family Genealogy”: Dayong Tujia Minority and Bai Minority, “Believing the wizard to exceed the God Willing, bugling the ox horn to exceed the battle drum, there are much more laughter persons, but there are a few of persons to have the knowledge. Thus, Cili records is said that: not know the years outside Maohuajie.”

2017-01-04 16:19 View：2855
Miao Minority Autumn Harvest Festival

Autumn Harvest Festival is a large folk festival activity of Miao Minority for entertainment, trade, youth exchange to celebrate the future harvest before autumn harvest or autumn beginning.

2016-11-23 16:18 View：2873
Zhangjiajie Tujia Drip Bed

The Tujia bridegroom shall make a “Drip Bed” before marriage.The drip bed does not drop, just like the drip from the eaves. Usually it is divided into a pass drip and two pass drip. Two-drip bed is also called as the “One step” bed, engraved with dragon and phoenix, it is very exquisite and it is a special skill in Tujia.

2017-01-18 16:17 View：3351
Tujia Shaking Hand Dance

Tujia Shaking Hand Dance is a large-scale dance with most influence in Tujia Minority, and with a strong religious color. The song is produced along with dance and the dance is named along with the song.

2017-02-22 16:16 View：2845