Kaiyuan Festivals and Events

Kaiyuan City is dominated by Han nationality and ethnic minorities making up about 60% of the whole population. Ethnic minorities include Yi, Hui, Miao and Zhuang, etc, living in Kaiyuan for generations. Each ethnic group in Kaiyuan created its own festivals. Here below are some festivals and activities in Kaiyuan.

1. Peach Festival of Kaiyuan City开远蜜桃节

Every July when the peaches are ripe, the annual peach festival comes in Kaiyuan. The eighth peach festival kicks off on July 8, 2018. As in previous years, the festival lasts 15 days, during which visitors can taste and buy peaches, taste local delicacies and experience local culture.

2. Torch Festival of Yi Minority火把节

It is the grandest festival of Yi people. Every year on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, Yi villages are all to prepare a big feast and have a joyous gathering. At night, villagers light their torches and shout to march through the field. It means scaring away the devil and welcoming the harvest.

3. Huashan Festival of Miao Minority花山节

Every year, the second day of Lunar January is the traditional festival of Miao people, Huashan Festival, also known as "Caihuashan". Flower pole is the significant symbol of the festival. On this day, Miao people wear traditional costume, perform Lusheng(芦笙表演) and choose the king of flower pole.

4. Eid al-Fitr Festival of Hui Ethnic Minority回族开斋节

Each year, Muslims have a Ramadan. Muslims who are at least 12 years old for men and 9 years old for women must fast. When the fasting period comes to an end, the Eid al-Fitr Festival begins at dawn, and the day begins with washing, bathing, changing into new clothes and saluting at the mosque.

5. Eid al-Adha Festival of Hui Ethnic Minority回族古尔邦节

Eid al-Adha Festival is usually celebrated 70 days after Eid al-Fitr Festival. Before the festival, every family is cleaning, frying oil incense and so on. At dawn on the day of the festival, Muslims bathe and burn incense, put on clean clothes and go to the mosque to attend the ceremony. When it is over, there will be a solemn ceremony of butchering, with a portion of the meat slaughtered for food, a portion for friends, relatives and neighbors, and a portion for the poor.

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