AngMaTu (Dragon Worship) Festival of Hani Ethnic Minority in Lvchun County, Honghe
Overview
- Chinese Name: 绿春县哈尼族昂玛突节
- English Name: AngMaTu (Dragon Worship) Festival of Hani Ethnic Minority in Lvchun County, Honghe
- Location: Gekui Village of Gekui Town in Lvchun County, Honghe
- Holding time: Before the start of spring plowing each year for the Hani people.
- Duration: 3-5 days
The Hani Angma Tuj Festival is the most significant celebration among the Hani people. It is a sacrificial event held annually before the start of spring plowing (typically in mid-January) to pray for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and safety for both people and livestock in the coming year. With the development of modern times, this activity has evolved into the grandest festival of the Hani people. AngMaTu Festival in Lvchun County is held in Gekui Village of Gekui Town.
Basic Introduction
The “Ang Ma Tu” festival usually lasts for 3-5 days. During the event, the enthusiastic and lively Hani people, regardless of age or gender, form circles to dance joyfully and sing songs celebrating life. There are over 300 banquet tables set up along the streets, stretching for several hundred meters, which is why it is also called the “Dragon Banquet.” At the banquet, respected elder men from the village sit at the head of the dragon, while women occupy the tail, and the rest of the people sit in between. Everyone in the village enjoys homemade rice wine and tastes the dishes carefully prepared by the housewives. The atmosphere and scenery not only make it a cooking competition but also fill it with warmth and showcase the spirit of unity among the Hani people. If you happen to be here at this time, the hospitable Hani people will warmly invite you to sit down and share this beautiful life with them.
The Ang Ma Tu festival, which marks the Spring Festival of the Hani people in Habao Village, Ezhai Township, YuanYang County, is celebrated in early December of the lunar calendar (around October 10 of the Gregorian calendar). The Ang Ma Tu festival is a time for the Hani people to worship the village guardian deity and pray to the dragon for rain. On the eve of the festival, the dragon head sets up an altar in the center of the Dragon Grove at the entrance of the village and sacrifices a pure-colored dragon pig, inviting the dragon to join them in celebrating the festival. After the ritual, the dragon head cuts the dragon pig into as many pieces as there are households in the village and distributes it to each family.
Long Street Feast
The Long Street Ancient Feast, as a custom of the Hani people’s “October Year,” is a banquet for blessings. People of different skin colors and nationalities come to participate in this annual Long Street Ancient Feast celebration, carrying beautiful wishes and participating in a pilgrimage-like manner, tasting the “blessing” foods that symbolize good fortune, longevity, and health. Attendees request a sip of the holy water from the “altar” in Migu while holding a pair of chopsticks, and they eat from the “dragon head” table down to the “dragon tail” along the street, mutually wishing for smooth progress in all matters, thriving families and businesses, and peace and happiness.
On the second day of the Ang Ma Tu festival, every household prepares about 40 types of Hani-style dishes, including yellow glutinous rice, three-color eggs, pork, chicken, fish, duck, beef jerky, deer jerky, shredded meat, and peanuts, along with alcoholic beverages, which are then carried to a designated spot in the street center. Each family sets up one or two tables, creating a continuous series of tables along the street, forming a street banquet over 700 meters long (locally known as the Dragon Banquet or Street Center Wine), which is the longest banquet in China.
As the banquet is set up, the sound of gongs and drums fills the air, creating a lively atmosphere. Men, women, and children from the entire village, dressed in festive attire, gather from all directions, bringing their daughters and assisting the elderly. When entering the banquet, the host, representing the dragon head, sits in the main seat, while others voluntarily form groups at a long table based on gender, age, and interests. When the dishes arrive from different households, they are first presented to the dragon head for tasting, symbolizing the dragon’s blessings with sincere toasts. The dragon head then combines portions of each family’s dishes into one pile and redistributes them, indicating the unity of the village people in honoring deities and celebrating the festival together.
As the Long Street Feast begins, the dragon head leads everyone in raising their glasses, wishing for favorable weather in the coming year. Everyone attending the banquet takes the first bite of the dragon pig meat, cut into small pieces and placed in the center of the table, symbolizing the dragon’s presence in their hearts, before enjoying other dishes. If tourists happen to encounter the Long Street Feast, people will invite them to sit, offering warm hospitality. Each year, around 4,000 people participate in this feast, eating together, drinking, and exchanging blessings joyfully. During the event, elders take the opportunity to bring out various musical instruments to sing and dance. After a delicious meal, young men and women often venture into the bamboo forest to flirt and talk about love. The banquet concludes at around 5 PM, where the dragon head beats the drum and walks around the tables under the dragon tree, and everyone claps their hands to send the dragon home. In the evening, as the feast disperses, the young people sing, dance, and talk about love throughout the night. This celebration continues for three days and three nights.
