Duan Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority
Overview
- Chinese Name: 水族端节
- English Name: Duan Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority
- Festival Date: September 9th each year
The Duan Festival of the Shui ethnic minority is the most grand traditional festival for the Shui people throughout the year, comparable to the Spring Festival of the Han ethnic group. The Shui people have their own calendar, with the lunar September marking the beginning of the year. Each year, it is celebrated from late lunar August to early October (Gregorian calendar December to February of the new year).
Traditional Customs
Every “Hai Day,” each village takes turns to “visit and dine at each other’s homes.” To avoid disrupting production and to save resources, the Duan Festival has been moved to the first “Hai Day” of the eleventh lunar month, after the busy autumn harvest, to celebrate the bountiful harvest. According to traditional customs, the night before the Duan Festival, only vegetarian food is allowed.
Folklore
It is said that the ancestors, while celebrating a harvest for their four sons, were overcome with excitement and accidentally fell to their death while going upstairs to fetch meat. To commemorate the deceased elder, the descendants decided not to eat meat until after the elder was buried, and the day of the elder’s death happened to be the day before the Duan Festival. Therefore, the Shui people have the custom of not eating meat on the day before the Duan Festival, or before the elder’s burial.
On the day of the Duan Festival, every household must prepare abundant dishes to hold a grand feast. The feast must include meat dishes such as beef and pork, as well as fish, shrimp, tofu, fruits, and glutinous rice. Among these, the most precious dish is “fish wrapped in chives,” which is complex and detailed in its preparation, and has a delicious flavor. Chives hold a significant position in Shui folklore because they sound similar to the number nine, commemorating an ancient elder who created a nourishing dish using nine different vegetables and fish for strengthening the body.
During the festive celebrations, alcohol is indispensable. The task of brewing alcohol is primarily undertaken by women. The Shui people produce various types of liquor, including rice wine, glutinous rice wine, mixed grain wine, and sweet wine. Among these, the glutinous rice wine from the Sandu and Jiuqian regions is the most famous; it is brownish-yellow, richly aromatic, and sweet and refreshing. It was served at a state banquet in 1957. The Shui people place great importance on etiquette whether during festivals or when hosting guests in daily life.
When guests arrive, they typically slaughter chickens and ducks. If a distinguished guest arrives, they will also kill a pig and prepare fish, as the pig’s head and chicken’s head symbolize respect. During the meal, the chicken head is first offered to the guest; the pig’s head is served as a farewell dish for the guest. If the guest is a woman, the hosts will give her the previously reserved chicken and duck wings, legs, glutinous rice balls, and zongzi (rice dumplings) to take home, a practice known as “gift wrapping.
