Overview of The Festival

• Chinese Name: 水族祭龙节
• English Name: Jilong (Dragon Worship) Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

The Jilong Festival, also known as the Dragon Worship Festival, is a vibrant and culturally significant celebration observed by the Shui ethnic minority in China. This festival typically takes place in the late spring or early summer, coinciding with the traditional agricultural calendar, and is closely associated with the worship of the dragon, a powerful symbol in Chinese culture representing strength, fertility, and good fortune.

Historical and Cultural Significance

The Shui people have a long-standing tradition of dragon worship, reflecting their deep reverence for nature and the water resources that are vital for their agricultural lifestyle. The dragon is associated with rain and water, which are crucial for crop growth, and the festival embodies the community’s hope for good weather and bountiful harvests.

Customs and Traditions

1. Rituals and Prayers: Central to the Jilong Festival are rituals dedicated to the dragon, where community members perform ceremonies to honor the dragon spirit. These ceremonies often include offerings of rice, fruits, and other foods to seek blessings for favorable weather and abundant harvests.
2. Dragon Dance: A highlight of the festival is the dragon dance, where participants create a dragon figure using colorful materials and perform dances to simulate the movements of a dragon. This dance is often accompanied by traditional music, creating a lively atmosphere.
3. Water-Related Activities: Given the festival’s focus on water, various activities such as boat races, fishing contests, and water games are organized. These activities not only celebrate the importance of water but also promote community bonding.
4. Culinary Delights: Traditional foods play a significant role in the celebration. Families prepare special dishes, often emphasizing local ingredients, that are shared during communal meals. These foods symbolize health and prosperity.
5. Cultural Performances: In addition to dragon dances, the festival includes various cultural performances showcasing traditional songs, dances, and folklore. These performances help preserve the Shui culture and educate younger generations about their heritage.

Symbolism

The Jilong Festival is rich in symbolism, embodying notions of fertility, renewal, and community unity. The dragon serves as a powerful emblem of strength and auspiciousness, while the rituals performed during the festival emphasize respect for nature and the environment.

Community Spirit

The Jilong Festival brings the Shui community together, fostering a sense of solidarity and cultural identity. It provides an occasion for people to come together, celebrate their traditions, and express their hopes for the future.

In summary, the Jilong (Dragon Worship) Festival is a significant event for the Shui ethnic minority, characterized by a rich tapestry of rituals, cultural expressions, and communal activities. It reflects the community’s deep-rooted beliefs, connection to nature, and commitment to preserving their cultural heritage.

Overview of The Festival

• Chinese Name: 水族卯节
• English Name: Mao Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority
• Also known as: Eastern Valentine’s Day or Song Festival
• Festival time: 9th and 10th months of the Shui calendar

Festival Introduction

The “Mao Festival” of the Shui ethnic group is called “Jie Mao” in the Shui language. It is known as the “Eastern Valentine’s Day,” also referred to as the “Song Festival,” and is held annually on the Xin Mao day of the tenth month in the Shui calendar (equivalent to the sixth month of the lunar calendar). The Shui people believe that the day of the Mao Festival is related to the thriving of adults as well as livestock, which is why they avoid celebrating on the Ding Mao day when fire is lit.

The date of the Mao Festival is calculated based on the Shui calendar and is popular in certain villages in Sandu County and Libo County, Guizhou Province. The festival lasts for four days. Following ancient customs, the festival starts on Mao day in the ninth and tenth months of the Shui calendar (equivalent to the fifth and sixth months of the lunar calendar), with different regions celebrating on Mao days in a staggered manner.

On the day of the festival, young men and women carry umbrellas and hold flower handkerchiefs to sing, dance, and have fun at Mao Po. In the evening, people gather in the village square to beat copper drums, strike skin drums, blow suona (a type of Chinese horn), and perform traditional lantern dramas. They also invite guests to feast.

In the tenth month of the Shui calendar, this time is referred to as “the season when green life is most vigorous.” The Xin Mao day is regarded as “the most auspicious day,” making it the ideal day for celebration. The Shui people believe that celebrating on Xin Mao day signifies good weather and abundant harvests. Conversely, Ding Mao day is considered inauspicious and avoided for celebrations, as celebrating on this day would invite droughts, pestilence, and plagues. The scheduling of the festival has been a customary practice since ancient times.

The Shui people’s festive song goes: “The first Mao: the Mao of water benefits, the second Mao: the Mao of Dongtu, the third Mao: the Mao of Shuoba Po, the fourth Mao: the Mao of Jiuqian. Jiuqian is broad: eat after the Mao feast.” The first three batches of the Mao Festival are celebrated within Libo, while in the fourth batch, in addition to the Shui people of Jiuqian, Shuigao, and Zhouqian in Sandu, the Shui people of Ba Xian, Shui Wei, and Yong Kang in Libo also celebrate during this final batch of Mao days.

Traditional Customs

In the three or four days leading up to the Mao Festival, Shui families prepare for the celebration much like the Han people do for the Lunar New Year. They start cleaning their homes and yards, sweeping away dirt and dust, and scattering this dust in the rice fields (as the Shui people believe that this dust can kill pests). The Day of the Tiger (Yin Day) is considered New Year’s Eve; on this day, they carefully clean the rooms and yards and prepare offerings of fish, meat, wine, rice, and more for worshipping heaven and honoring ancestors. They also prepare a lavish feast to welcome guests. During this time, in all the villages celebrating the Mao Festival, copper drums and skin drums are beaten, and songs are sung, continuing through the night.

The Mao Day marks the climax of the festival activities. On the first day of the new year, the Mao Day is characterized by the custom of young men and women singing duet songs at Mao Po. Mao Po is a place that has been selected over many years of custom as a venue for young men and women to engage in social activities through singing duets. It is typically chosen on a wide, flat area near mountains and water that can accommodate tens of thousands of people. On this day, not only the youth from the villages celebrating the Mao Festival gather at Mao Po to sing, but also men and women of all ages from neighboring villages and counties come to participate in the festivities. Some merchants set up stalls to sell various foods and everyday items, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere in Mao Po.

Before the singing begins, a respected elder announces the rules for the duet singing: only unmarried young men and women are allowed to participate. He also wishes the participants the chance to find their beloved through the singing. Amidst the sounds of calls and laughter, young men and women group into threes and fives to each look for their singing partners. They spread out in the groves, fields, and by the rocks at Mao Po, either standing or sitting under colorful umbrellas, singing duets while hiding their faces.

The festival is a time that promotes marriages among young men and women. In the past, the Shui people were deeply constrained by feudal morals, resulting in limited opportunities for social interactions between young men and women, even if they had feelings for each other; they could not freely meet. They could only discreetly pass messages through acquaintances, such as sisters at home. However, during the Mao Festival, these restrictions do not apply, and young men and women can freely choose their beloveds to sing duets with. As long as they sing well together, the man can later visit the woman’s family with gifts like pigs, wine, and glutinous rice to formally propose, and upon setting a wedding date, they can marry, as families generally do not interfere much.

On the evening before the festival, laughter can be heard in every household, and the sound of clinking cups is constant. The resonant sound of copper drums and deep drumbeats fills the Shui village. The Shui people sip fragrant glutinous rice wine while singing the “Auntie Song,” which is said to be even more fragrant than the rice wine itself. Each Shui village has a “Song Hall” where female singers and accompanying women sit in one room, while male singers, companions, and audiences sit in the main hall, singing joyfully through the night, sometimes lasting for days on end.

Among the Shui community, there is a traditional distinction: “If you celebrate the Duan Festival, you won’t celebrate the Mao Festival, and vice versa.” Villages that celebrate the “Mao Festival” consider the Mao Day in the ninth or tenth month of the Shui calendar (equivalent to the fifth or sixth month of the lunar calendar) as their New Year’s Festival, calling it ‘Jie Mao,’ which means ‘eating Mao.’ According to Shui customs, villages that celebrate the Duan Festival do not celebrate the Mao Festival, and those that celebrate the Mao Festival do not celebrate the Duan Festival.

Festival Legends

The origin of the Mao Festival comes from a mythological story. Legend has it that in ancient times, an ancestor of the Shui people settled in Libo, but the rice seedlings were suddenly attacked by a serious pest infestation. The people were at a loss, facing the prospect of a complete harvest failure. At this moment, a scholar named Lu Duo descended from the heavens and instructed the people to sweep the accumulated dust from their homes and sprinkle it on the rice seedlings, which ultimately eliminated the pests. In celebration of their victory, the people gathered to sing joyfully, and this tradition was passed down through generations, thus forming the Mao Festival.

According to the customs of the Shui people, villages that celebrate the Duan Festival do not celebrate the Mao Festival, and those that celebrate the Mao Festival do not celebrate the Duan Festival.

Regarding this custom, a consistent legend is that the ancient ancestor of the Shui people, Gong Deng, had two sons. The elder son was assigned to live in the upper Inner and Outer region, while the younger son was assigned to the lower Jiuqian region. They had originally agreed to reunite and celebrate at their ancestor’s place after the harvest. However, as time went on, they realized that the distance made it inconvenient to travel back and forth, so they decided that the elder son would celebrate the Duan Festival and the younger son would celebrate the Mao Festival. To this day, Shui people in various regions generally share the same surname and celebrate together.

Basic Introduction

• Chinese Name: 水族苏宁喜节
• English Name: Suningxi Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority
• Festival Timing: Chou Day in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar.

The festival takes place on the first Chou Day (the second day of the second lunar month) of the twelfth month in the lunar calendar (equivalent to April in the solar calendar). It is said to be the day when the Mother Goddess distributes offspring to the world, and it is widely celebrated and commemorated in the Shui regions.

Suningxi Festival, which is specific to Shui Ethnic Minority, is held in lunar December in Sandu Shuizu Autonomous County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province( 贵州省黔南布依族苗族自治州三都水族自治县). According to the legend, the Heavenly Queen Mother (王母娘娘) would send babies to the world on Suningxi Festival, so it is also known as Niangniang Festival(娘娘节).

During the festival, the Shui show great respect for women, which has been embodied in the action that all ceremonies are held by women. In order to celebrate the festival, each family kills pigs and gets some fish from the rice paddy field so that they can prepare a sumptuous meal to treat their guests. Besides, all children of the whole village, carrying special bamboo baskets, knock on door from house to house in order to get some glutinous rice, eggs as well as sliced meat that symbolize the longevity and happiness. The host and hostess of every family are happy to entertain children warmly in order to make them pleasantly.

Happy Festival

The Shui people of Sandu County and Yong Township also celebrate this as the New Year Festival. During the festival, the children from the village carry specially made bamboo baskets, forming teams to go door to door to ask for sticky rice, eggs, and slices of meat, which symbolize longevity and happiness. Every household warmly welcomes them, allowing them to enjoy themselves to the fullest. At the same time, every family cuts colorful paper figures and twists bamboo strips into paper mustaches, which are then pasted on the walls around the offering table. During the festival, there is also special respect for women, as the rituals are presided over by them. The custom of praying for the safety and health of women during the Suning Happy Festival is referred to by some as the Shui people’s Women and Children Festival.

Content

The Suning Happy Festival, in the Shui language, means “Chou Day of the Fourth Month” and is a folk festival of the Shui people, taking place on Chou Day of the Fourth Month in the Shui calendar, which corresponds to the Chou Day of the Twelfth Month in the lunar calendar. According to Shui legends, this day is when the “Mother Goddess” sends offspring to the world, so it is also called the “Goddess Festival.” The main activity of the festival is to worship the Mother Goddess. On the day of the festival, all the village children carry special little bamboo baskets, teaming up to go door to door asking for sticky rice, eggs, and slices of meat, which symbolize longevity and happiness. Each family warmly receives them, allowing them to be happy. At the same time, every household cuts colorful paper figures and twists bamboo strips into paper mustaches, which are then affixed to the walls around the offering table. The sacrificial rituals of the festival are presided over by the oldest woman in the household. On this day, women and children are the main guests at the dinner table, which is why some refer to the Suning Happy Festival as the Shui people’s Women and Children Festival. In Sandu County, particularly in the Zhouqin District and Yong Township, the Wu family of the Shui people regard this festival as New Year, while in other regions, the Shui people treat it as a regular festival.

Overview of The Festival

• Chinese Name: 水族额节
• English Name: E Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

The Shui ethnic group’s “E Festival” is celebrated every year on the You-Hai Day of the first month in the Shui calendar (the ninth lunar month). It is also known as “Borrowing E.” This grand festival is a time for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, celebrating the harvest, worshiping ancestors, and gathering with friends and family.

Before the festival, every household cleans their homes, opens their ponds to catch fish, and uses fresh fish and pumpkins as the main offerings to honor their ancestors. At the same time, they prepare a lavish feast to entertain guests. The “E Festival” has become an important activity for the Shui people to inherit and promote their ethnic culture, and it is also one of the main activities for the preservation of their intangible cultural heritage.

Purpose and Significance

1. Cultural Renewal: It marks the transition from the old year to the new, symbolizing fresh beginnings.
2. Harvest Celebration: The festival is a time to celebrate the harvest, giving thanks for the abundance of crops.
3. Ancestor Worship: It is an occasion for honoring ancestors, with families preparing offerings to pay their respects.
4. Family and Community Gathering: The festival promotes the strengthening of familial and communal bonds as friends and relatives gather to celebrate together.

Customs and Activities

• Cleaning: Households conduct thorough cleaning to welcome the new year and rid themselves of the old year’s misfortunes.
• Fishing: They open ponds to catch fresh fish, which are important offerings during the festivities.
• Preparation of Offerings: Fresh fish and pumpkins are often used as primary offerings to ancestors, showcasing the Shui people’s connection to their agricultural roots.
• Feasting: Families prepare sumptuous meals featuring traditional dishes to host guests and celebrate together.

Cultural Importance

The E Festival is not just a celebration; it is a vital part of the Shui people’s cultural identity. It facilitates the transmission of their traditions, folklore, and values to younger generations. As an important activity in the preservation of the Shui ethnic minority’s intangible cultural heritage, the festival contributes to cultural continuity and the promotion of their unique customs and traditions in a rapidly changing world.

Basic Introduction

• Chinese Name: 水族霞节
• English Name: Xia Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

The Xia Festival (also known as the “Sowing Festival”) of the Shui ethnic minority is a vibrant celebration tied closely to agriculture, particularly rice cultivation. It typically occurs in June, around the time of the summer solstice, aligning with the start of the rice planting season.

The Xia Festival of the Shui ethnic minority is not just an agricultural event; it is a celebration of life, culture, and community. It reinforces the importance of agriculture in the Shui lifestyle while also serving as a reminder of their rich traditions and the connection between people, nature, and the cosmos. Through its rituals, customs, and collective spirit, the Xia Festival continues to thrive as a vital expression of the Shui people’s cultural identity and communal values.

Origin

The Xia Festival has roots in the agricultural practices of the Shui ethnic minority, who have historically relied on farming as a primary means of sustenance. The festival is believed to have originated from ancient rituals that sought to honor the earth and pray for favorable weather conditions and bountiful harvests. Over time, these agricultural rites evolved into a community celebration, reflecting the cultural identity, values, and traditions of the Shui people.

Significance

1. Cultural Identity: It plays a crucial role in reaffirming the Shui people’s cultural heritage and community spirit.
2. Agricultural Importance: The festival marks the onset of the rice planting season, making it vital for the agricultural calendar.
3. Prayers for Abundance: It serves as a platform for the community to express gratitude for past harvests and to pray for successful planting and a plentiful crop for the coming year.
4. Social Cohesion: The festival fosters community bonds, allowing families and neighbors to come together in celebration and cooperation.

Customs and Activities

The Xia Festival is characterized by various traditional customs and activities that reflect the agricultural lifestyle of the Shui people:

1. Ritual Offerings: Community members perform rituals to honor deities, nature spirits, and ancestors. Offerings typically include rice, livestock, and other food items, symbolizing gratitude and a request for blessings for the upcoming planting season.
2. Singing and Dancing: The festival features traditional singing and dancing performances, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Shui people. Participants wear colorful traditional attire, enhancing the festive atmosphere.
3. Tasting New Rice: A central activity during the Xia Festival is the tasting of newly harvested rice. Families prepare dishes made from the new harvest and share meals with one another, symbolizing the community’s unity and appreciation of their agricultural bounty.
4. Community Gatherings: Villagers come together to celebrate, share food, and partake in various games and activities. These gatherings strengthen social ties and foster a sense of belonging within the community.
5. Cultural Performances: In addition to songs and dances, there are often storytelling sessions where elders share folklore, legends, and cultural history, ensuring the transmission of knowledge to younger generations.

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.

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Festivals of Shui Ethnic Minority

Jilong (Dragon Worship) Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

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Suningxi Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

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Xia Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

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Duan Festival of Shui Ethnic Minority

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