Ganniao Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Wuding County, Chuxiong

Overview

Chinese Name: 武定县高桥镇老滔村赶鸟节
English Name: Ganniao Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Wuding County, Chuxiong
Location: Laotao Village of Gaoqiao Town in Wuding County, Chuxiong
Ganniao Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority is held in Laotao Village of Gaoqiao Town in Wuding County.

Introduction

In Laotao Village, Gaoqiao Town, Wuding County, located in the Luowu area of Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, the traditional Yi festival of “Chasing Birds” is still preserved in its original form. This festival embodies the profound connotations of Yi indigenous culture combined with the historical culture of the Central Plains. It visually demonstrates the subjective activities of ancient humans and reflects the Yi people’s longing for happiness and pursuit of a better life, making it a valuable cultural treasure.

In 2013, it was designated as a “provincial intangible cultural heritage” by the Yunnan Provincial Government and the Yunnan Provincial Cultural Department.

According to legend, four hundred years ago, Laotao Village, located in a picturesque setting with fragrant rice and leaping fish, was known far and wide as the “Land of Fish and Rice.” It served as a relay station on the route from Yuanmou to Kunming, where mule trains and merchants frequenting the ancient paths were a daily sight. The ancient path passed through a primitive forest beneath the Shiguan Reservoir, where ancient trees towered high, casting eerie shadows that made it chilling to walk through.

Mules and people traveling through the forest mysteriously began to disappear, leading villagers to speculate that a monstrous beast was lurking in a cave, preying on livestock and humans. After much discussion, the villagers decided to send five donkeys loaded with flint, kindling, and gunpowder through the forest. After the beast devoured the donkeys, a loud “bang bang bang” sounded. Once the monster was killed in the explosion, birds from all directions flocked in to feed on the remains. However, this soon brought disaster upon the village, with trees withering, grass dying, and crops failing.

From that time on, every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, villagers of all ages dress in festive attire to participate in a ritual honoring the bird deity at “Youzha Mountain” (a place name).