Guizhou Ethnic Minority Festivals
Like Yunnan, Guizhou province also has many ethnic minorities, including Miao, Dong, Bouyei, Shui, Tujia, Zhuang groups and more. Each year, different Guizhou ethnic groups use their own ways to celebrate festivals, which give tourists a great chance to experience unique ethnic folk costumes and traditions. Kaili is one of the perfect destinations for you to watch the major Ethnic Minority Festivals in Guizhou, and more popular festivals are listed in the form below.
Top Recommended Guizhou Ethnic Minority Tours:
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Sisters' Meals Festival in Taijiang
April-May, in Shidong Town, Taijiang County
Sisters' Meals Festival is also called the valentine's day of Miao people. Each year, on the lunar calendar of March 15, young women will beautifully dress up in their embroidered costumes, silver necklaces and towering headpieces and make the special parcels of dyed rice meal. And young men will sing songs to impress the girl he liked. If a man is given a parcel with a single chopstick in it, he must try his luck elsewhere. While, if there is a parcel with a pair of chopsticks, the young man is in luck.
Lusheng Festival in Guizhou
January-February or November, vary in different places
Lusheng, a kind of bamboo pipe, plays an important role in Miao culture and can be seen in many big festivals. And Lusheng Festival is one of the most occasion to play Lusheng. During this Festival, hundreds of the Lusheng are simultaneously played and the Miao girls wearing silver-decorated clothes are dancing with the rhythms and make an echo along with the silver ornaments tinkling by forming a silver swirling circle.
Join in the representative Lusheng Festival in Zhouxi and Gulong Lusheng festival to feel the charm of Lusheng on the scene.
Miao New Year Festival in Leishan
October-November, in Leishan County
The Miao New Year festival, one of the most important festivals of Miao people, is usually celebrated in the tenth lunar month as it’s the beginning of a new year, according to Miao custom. However, the exact date varies each year and is only disclosed one or two months in advance.
During the celebration of the Miao New Year in Leishan, tourists can enjoy watching enchanting Miao customs come alive through various kinds of ethnic activities, including the traditional music of the Lusheng (a kind of musical instrument made of bamboo), bullfights, horseracing, and of course, lots of singing and dancing. Miao girls and women in traditional dress will parade during the festival, like a fashion show.
Major Guizhou Festivals Calendar
| Festival | Date of Lunar Calendar | Host Venue | How to Celebrate |
| Tiaohua Festival (Jump Flower Festival) | January 10 | Suoga Town, Liuzhi County, Liushui City | Lanterns hang high, colored flags flutter, floral decorations, play the Lusheng/Suona horn, beat copper drums, sing traditional songs and dances |
| Lusheng Festival in Zhouxi | In February (normally lasts 3 days) | Zhouxi Town, Kaili City | Lusheng dance, singing and bull fighting, celebrated not only by native Miao groups, also other regions of Guizhou and Sichuan |
| Sisters' Meal festival | March 15 | Shidong Town, Taijiang County | Eating sisters’ meals, appreciate bullfighting, local dancing and hear the Lusheng concerts |
| Dragon Boat Festival | May 24- 27 | Gulong Town, Huangping County | Pushing the dragon boats with a willow dragon's head of horns and red pendants in the water and send presents of ducks, geese and pigs to God of dragon |
| Gulong Lusheng Festival | Sep.27-29 | Gulong Town, Huangping County | Play Lusheng and dance with it, drink rice wine, eat sticky rice wrapped by bamboo leaves |
| Miao New Year | October- November (vary in each year) | Leishan County | Play Lusheng, bullfights, horseracing, singing and dancing with their traditional clothing |
| Dong New Year | October- November (vary in different regions) | Southeast Guizhou | Make new clothes, clean their houses, make glutinous rice cakes, slaughter pigs, cattle for feasts, and cook the cold dish to sacrifice to ancestors on the eve of the New Year |
Note: if you are interested in any festival, please contact us to get the corresponding date of Western Calendar and more festival details.
Keep Reading on Guizhou Ethnic Minority
- Guizhou Minorities
- Top 10 Guizhou Ethnic Villages
- Ethnic Villages in Qiandongnan
- Xijiang Miao Village
- Upper Langde Miao Village
Useful Guizhou Travel Articles
- Guizhou Travel Guide
- How to Plan a Guizhou Tour
- Guizhou Tours
- Guiyang Tours
- Kaili Tours
- Anshun Tours
- Fanjingshan Tours
- Rongjiang Tours
- Congjiang Tours
- Zhaoxing Tours
- 10 Best Places to Visit in Guizhou
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- Guizhou Weather & Seasons
- Guizhou Hotels
- Guizhou Maps
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