Activities celebrating Miao people's traditional “Girls' Day” will be held in Hunan's Suining County on May 1-5,2017.The theme of these activities is "Beautiful Girls Living in a Miraculous Oasis".
The traditional event includes the following highlights:
Banquet
Time: At 6:00PM, May 2
Venue: Suining National Hotel
Activity: Holding a large banquet; Visitors will join in the Miao people's "Maypole" dance with married Miao women who returned their parents' home.
Opening Ceremony and Evening Gala
Time: At 8:00PM, May 2 (Tentative)
Venue: Indoor stadium of Suining Sports Center
Activities: Poverty alleviation-themed stories telling and folk performances
Southwest Hunan Specialty Festival and Commodity Fair
Duration: May 2-5
Venue: Dahan Commercial Street
Activities: All E-commerce businessmen in southwest Hunan will be invited to the fair to promote the area's local specialties, travel products, local delicacies and intangible culture heritage through online/offline channels.
Traditional Handicrafts Making in Zhaishi Town
Duration: May 1-3
Venue: Zhaishi Town
Activities: Participating in folk performances such as taigushi (A folk performance integrating story-telling,painting,opera,silk figure,paper art,and acrobatics) dragon dance;traditional handicrafts making including paper-cut,embroidery,carved preserved fruit,and silver ornament.
Freestyle Sports Competition in Dayuan Miao Village
Duration: May 1-3
Venue: Dayuan Miao Village
Activities: Holding sports events such as wife-carrying contest and stilt race; presenting folk customs including lanmen wine (A polite way to greet guests),ciba (Glutinous rice cake) making,and straw dragon dance.
Forest Tour in Huangsang Valley and Folk Customs Experience
Duration: May 3-4
Venue: Huangsang Valley scenic area
Activities: Guest greeting ceremony and worshipping rituals of Bana tribe.
Origin of the Festival
The festival is observed to commemorate Yang Li'niang, an ancient Miao heroine of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Specific to Miao women only, it is normally celebrated in the Hmong regions of Hunan Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Guizhou Province that are near to Suining County. The festival was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.