Wenshan Festivals and Events

Wenshan festivals and activities tell you what to do during the festival tour in Wenshan Yunnan, and they will surely enrich your Yunnan Travel. The featured festivals are the essential parts of culture, which represent their traditional rites, custom, costume, food and so on. If you want to know more about local folk culture, festival should be in your plan. 

Festivals in Wenshan

Wenshan offers the traditional festivals of Zhuang, Miao and Yao etc. Here are main festivals of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Popular Ethnic Festivals in Wenshan

Spring Festival of Zhuang People 春节

In New Year’ Eve, Zhuang people will take copper drum, clean it and have the sacrifice ceremony. On the early morning of the first day of the year, the villagers took the torch to fetch water of the fresh year when the bronze drum rings.

Huashan Festival of Miao People 苗族花山节

Huashan Festival is the most important festival of Miao people in Wenshan. It is the festival to sacrifice ancestor of Miao, Chiyou(蚩尤), during the 3rd to 9th day of the first lunar month. The main activities include singing in antiphonal style, martial art show, horse-racing, bullfighting etc.

Panwang Festival of Yao People 瑶族盘王节

The activities and time of festival differ regionally. In general, they will kill the animal and give a banquet for giving a cordial hospitality to guests. It is the activity to memorize their hero, Panwang, who protect them in the ancient time.

Torch Festival of Yi People 彝族火把节

Torch Festival is one of the main festival of the Yi people of southwest China. It is celebrated on the 24th or 25th day of the sixth month of the Yi calendar, corresponding to August in the Gregorian calendar. The Torch Festival is an event as influential to the Yi people as the Spring Festival is in the Han people's lives. For 3 days, men and women, young and old, carry flaming torches and engage in a variety of activities. This time is also a good opportunity for young men and women to meet prospective spouses.

Hualian Festival of Yi People 彝族花脸节

Hualian means to enforce somebody to wear collies. Hualian Festival is special of Yi Minority in Qiubei County, Wenshan Prefecture. Yis there also claim themselves to be Sani branch like that in the Stone Forest. Yi ancestors in Qiubei were said to wear black collies on their faces to drive away evil spirits thus Hualian Festival was brought forth, and it has become a golden opportunity for young generation to develop new romances because they could, on that day, “mark the faces” to express love.

Further Reading:

Festivals by Regions in Wenshan

Guangnan County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
April of lunar calendar Qiaocai (Buckwheat) Festival  Hualuo Ethnic People
March 3rd of lunar calendar Huajie Festival/Sanyuesan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 
April of lunar calendar  Huanggu Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 

Yanshan County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
August or September of lunar calendar New Rice (Changxin) Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority
June 24th of lunar calendar Torch Festival Axi Ethnic People
March 3rd of  lunar calendar Sanyuesan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 
October 16th of lunar calendar Panwang Festival  Yao Ethnic Minority
May 1- 3 Huashan Festival Miao Ethnic Minority
Jan of  lunar calendar Kainian Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 

Xichou County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
March 3rd of  lunar calendar Sanyuesan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority
June 1st of lunar calendar Qilang (Qiyue/July) Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority
Feb 1st of lunar calendar Women’s Sun Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 

Qiubei County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
March 3rd of  lunar calendar Sanyuesan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority 
August Eid al-Adha Festival Hui Ethnic Minority
October 16th of lunar calendar Panwang Festival  Yao Ethnic Minority
May 1- 3 Huashan Festival  Miao Ethnic Minority
Jan 9th of lunar calendar Taiping Festival  Bai Ethnic Minority
June 24th of lunar calendar Torch Festival  Yi Ethnic Minority

Malipo County

July 1st of lunar calendar Xiaonian Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority
October 16th of lunar calendar Panwang Festival  Yao Ethnic Minority
April of lunar calendar Qiaocai (Buckwheat) Festival  Bailuo Ethnic People
May 1- 3 Huashan Festival  Miao Ethnic Minority

Maguan County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
March 3rd of  lunar calendar Sanyuesan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority
June 1st, 2nd and 3rd of  lunar calendar  Colored Rice (Huafan) Festival Zhuang Ethnic Minority
May 5th of  lunar calendar Naodouyang Festival  Miao Ethnic Minority
May 1- 3 Huashan Festival  Miao Ethnic Minority
June 24th of lunar calendar  Torch Festival  Yi Ethnic Minority 

Funing County

Date Festival Ethnic Minority
December Tuomao Festival Yi Ethnic Minority
October 16th of lunar calendar Panwang Festival Yao Ethnic Minority
April of lunar calendar Tiaogong Festival  Yi Ethnic Minority
Feb or March of lunar calendar Longduan Festival  Zhuang Ethnic Minority

Activities and Events in Wenshan

Diverse ethnic festivals also contribute to the various festival activities and cultural events in Wenshan. For your Wenshan Festival Tours, you can join in the activities such as Lotus Festival, Hualian Festival, Hedeng Festival and Food Culture Festival, etc.

Festival Activity/Event Location Note
Hedeng (Water Lantern ) Festival  Guangnan County Zhuang Ethnic Event
Niuwang Festival  Maguan County Buyi Cultural Event
Hualian (Face Painting) Festival Puzhehei  Yi Cultural Event
Jilong (Dragon Worship) Festival Maguan County Zhuang sacrificial ceremony
Puzhehei Ethnic Culture and Art Festival  Qiubei County Ethnic cultural event
Douniu (Bullfighting) Festival Guangnan County  Zhuang ethnic festival activity
Horse Racing (Paoma) Festival  Guangnan County Zhuang ethnic festival activity
Chili Pepper Festival Qiubei County Chilli pepper themed event
Lotus Festival  Puzhehei  Lotus themed tourism event
 Food Culture Festival Maguan County Ethnic food cultural event
 Pingba Rapeseed Flower Festival Pingba Town Rapeseed flower themed tourism event
 Wenshan International Pseudo-ginseng/Sanqi Festival Wenshan City Exhibition and trading of Sanqi
Wenshan Tea and Bamboo Shoots Culture Festival  Wenshan City Tea and bamboo shoots themed activity

Wenshan Festival Tours

Our Wenshan festival tour will guide you to experience the famous festivals in Wenshan, such as Yi Ethnic Minority’s Hualian Festival and activities like Lotus Festival and Rapeseed Flower Festival, to learn and know more about Wenshan culture