Minority Festivals and HolidaysVisit Sichuan


     As a province that holds so many diverse ethnic communities, Sichuan is an excellentplace to see many of their traditional festivals. Of the 55 minorities recognized by the Chinese government, 53 currently live in Sichuan. The three biggest minority groups in Sichuan are the Qiang, Tibetan and the Yi. The following are some festivals that can give deeper insight into some of these diverse ethnic cultures.

 

 

 


Qiang Festivals

    The most important Qiang festivals are the Zhuanshan Festival and the Qiang Nian Festival. The Zhuanshan Festival is held to pray for good weather so that they may get a good harvest. The Qiang Nian Festival is similar to the Western New Year. Both of these festivals are important for the Qiang and are closely related to

 


Zhuangshan Festival

    Depending on the tribe, the Zhuanshan Festival can be held up to three times a year and is usually held sometime during the months of January, April, and/or May. The Qiang tribe will take totems and animal sacrifices to the top of a mountain to perform the highly the complex rituals of the Zhuanshan Festival. The Qiang people will generally sacrifice sheep, oxen or dogs; give offerings of wine; and will also burn paper rats, boars and monkeys. The paper animals are symbols of animals that the Qiang hope the gods will prevent from destroying their crops.

 


Qiang Nian Holiday

    The Qiang Nian Holiday is usually held during the 10th lunar month and celebrates the Qiang New Year. The festival usually lasts between 3 and 5 days, although some tribes have been known to celebrate for up to 10 days. It is customary for the Qiang people to make sacrifices to the sky, mountain and village deities. This is also a time for the whole village to have a giant feast together; filled with drinking, dancing and the exchanging of good wishes.

 


Tibetan Festivals

    The Tibetans have many colorful festivals throughout the year, but the two biggest festivals are the Gtsang New Year and the Gyangtse Horse Race Festival.

 


Gtsang New Year

    The Gtsang New Year is traditionally the most important holiday of the year. It is held on the 1st of the eleventh month in the Tibetan calendar, which is usually around January in the Gregorian calendar. The holiday will usually last for a week, but many families will take a month to prepare for it. The first day probably the most important; where families spend the day together eating and drinking. On the first day there are many customs that have to be followed: Women are not allowed to do housework and thus everything has to be done by the man; Elders will hold a simple ceremony to express their gratitude to the gods; No unlucky words can be said; No one is allowed to clean; and finally no one is allowed to go visit friends. The rest of the week is spent celebrating with friends and family, and participating in a bunch of husbandry based contests.

 


Gyangtse Horse Race Festival

    The Gyangtse Horse Race Festival is largest of the local festivals that are held annually, usually around June. There are many different versions of the origins of this festival, but many follow that it was first started in 1408 in Gyangtse. Herdsmen will dress themselves and their horses in their best and participate in horse races, archery contests and horsemanship contests.



Yi Festivals

    The Yi ethnic minority is one of the largest and has many well known festivals. The most important festivals are the Torch Festival and th Yi New Year.


Torch Festival

    The largest and most important Yi festival is the Torch Festival. The festival commemorates the victory of a rebellion against a tyrannical lord. In Yi culture fire is very important and represents power and respect. The festival is three days long and held during the sixth Chinese lunar month. During the day people will partake in a wide range of activities, including wrestling, bullfighting, horse racing, cock fights, music competitions, and beauty contests. At night the Yi will sing and dance