Qingguniang Festival (Women’s Festival) of Bai Ethnic Minority in Jianchuan County, Dali

Overview

• Chinese Name:剑川县白族青姑娘节
• English Name: Qingguniang Festival (Women’s Festival) of Bai Ethnic Minority in Jianchuan County, Dali
• Location: 鹤庆县甸南镇杨岑村/Yangcen Village, Diannan Town, Heqing County.

The Qingtai Girl Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar each year. The Qingtai Girl Festival is a commemorative song and dance festival for Bai women. Its main content narrates the hardships and misfortunes experienced by Bai women in the old days, expressing their hopes and aspirations for a better life. It is popular in the areas of Yangcen and Diannan in Jianchuan County, and the festival takes place on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.

Introduction

On this day, Bai women from Diannan, Yangcen, and other areas in Jianchuan County participate in the activities. They gather together, each contributing money, and hire someone to create an idol of the Qingtai Girl. The idol is dressed in traditional Bai attire and is placed on a swing where the women gather around to dance and sing, enjoying themselves. Afterwards, they hold a memorial ceremony by the Hawei River. In the evening, one person holds the idol of the ‘Qingtai Girl’ as a guide, followed by the other women as they walk through the village’s streets, singing the narrative long song ‘Qingtai Girl.’ They then return to a designated area in the village to swing with the idol until late at night. Finally, they place the ‘Qingtai Girl’ into the Hawei River.

The activities of the Qingtai Girl Festival are conducted in the form of singing and dancing to perform a Bai folk epic that reflects the story of the Qingtai Girl. The content tells the tragic tale of a once innocent girl whose parents arranged her marriage, suffering abuse at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law. One night, she hangs herself from a swing but is rescued by her companions. However, after returning home, she is brutally beaten and ultimately, unable to endure the torment, she jumps into the Hawei River to take her own life

It is said that the Qingtai Girl jumped into the sea on the 15th day of the first lunar month, which is why this day has become known as the ‘Qingtai Girl Festival’ every year. On this occasion, the village girls gather together to select the most beautiful, smartest, kindest, and most melodious girl from their village to portray the Qingtai Girl. Some villages use an idol made of bamboo and paper, painted in bright colors, to represent the Qingtai Girl.

As the sun sets, all the women of the village escort the ‘Qingtai Girl’ from the river into the village, holding hands and singing and dancing in rhythm as they traverse the streets and alleys until they reach the village square. They then encircle the ‘Qingtai Girl,’ singing the entire long poem that recounts her painful experiences as a form of mourning, until the moon sets in the west.

She cries out in anger: ‘The shadows on the wall cannot become a painting, and trying to fish for the moon in the water is futile. A myriad of iron chains binds my body, yet they cannot lock my heart!’ Under the historical conditions of her time, she had no choice but to jump into the Hawei River, using death to resist the cannibalistic feudal marriage system. To commemorate the Qingtai Girl, Bai women gather every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month to hold memorial activities. In the evening, they carry the idol of the Qingtai Girl through the village’s streets, singing the long poem that narrates her tragic fate.

The long poem ‘Qingtai Girl’ is mournful and moving, divided into five main sections: ‘Elegy,’ ‘Love Song,’ ‘Suffering Song,’ ‘Dirge,’ and ‘Illusion Song.’ It begins with the ‘Elegy’ calling to the Qingtai Girl, ‘Sister Qingtai, today the sisters reunite, by the Hawei River we come to honor you, telling of your sorrows,’ and continues until the ‘Illusion Song,’ which includes: ‘Camphor tree, oh camphor tree, beside the Hawei River stand so tall, cut down a big tree to build a boat, and row to the South China Sea.’

Each line is heart-wrenching and evocative. This long poem, with its distinct ethnic style and unique artistic charm, has become a classic work in the history of Bai literature. It has been passed down among the people through the traditional customs of the ‘Qingtai Girl Festival,’ standing out as a remarkable flower of Bai culture.

Local Activities

1. Selection of the Qingtai Girl:
   • The festival features the selection of a young woman from the community to represent the Qingtai Girl, a central figure in the festival’s lore. This woman is typically chosen based on her beauty, intelligence, character, and singing ability.
2. Idol Representation:
   • In some villages, an idol made of bamboo and paper, adorned with colorful decorations, symbolizes the Qingtai Girl. This idol plays an important role in the festivities.
3. Procession and Celebratory Activities:
   • As the sun sets, the women of the village escort the Qingtai Girl through the streets, hand-in-hand, while singing and dancing. The procession culminates at the village square, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with music and movement.
4. Recitation of the Long Poem:
   • The heart of the festival lies in reciting a long epic poem that tells the tragic tale of the Qingtai Girl. This poem is divided into several sections, including elegies and love songs, expressing themes of sorrow, love, and resistance against oppressive traditions.
5. Rituals and Mourning:
   • The festival incorporates elements of mourning for the Qingtai Girl, who in the story endured great suffering due to her forced marriage. The recitation of her story serves as a reminder of her plight and an expression of solidarity among the women.
6. Cultural Significance:
   • The Qingguniang Festival is not only a celebration of womanhood but also a preservation of Bai cultural identity. It emphasizes themes of resilience, community, and the struggles faced by women throughout history.
7. Final Rituals:
   • The festival often concludes with the ceremonial immersion of the idol in the Hawei River, symbolizing the release of the Qingtai Girl’s spirit and the renewal of hope within the community.