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The Sister Festival of Miao People

in Taijiang County

The Sister Festival of the Miao people is a celebration of love between young men and women, often referred to as "the oldest Valentine's Day in the East" and "the hidden celebration of flower cores." In June 2006, the festival was recognized as one of the first national intangible cultural heritages.

Definition

The Sister Festival of Miao people in Chinese is a term used to refer to the traditional Miao culture. It is called Nongx Gad Liangl（垄嘎粮）in the local Miao dialect. "Nongx" in Miao language means "eat", "ga" means "meal", while "LiangL" means "satisfy one's desire ". Nongx Gad Liangl means that young men and women come together for dinner，to fulfil sisters’ and friends’ wishes without regret.

Cultural Background and Distribution

The Sister Festival of the Miao people primarily originates in the north of Taijiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. With Shidong as its center, it encompasses most of the Miao villages in Censong Town. This festival is renowned as "the world's oldest Oriental Valentine's Day" due to its lengthy history and distinctiveness.

Cultural Expression Forms

In Taijiang, numerous celebrations have been held since the government initiated the Sister Festival in 1998. The Sister Festival has become a prominent tourism brand in Taijiang for over two decades. Every year on the opening day of the festival, a huge parade team nearly a kilometer long is formed, with ten thousand Miao compatriots dressed in costumes, singing and dancing slowly along the streets, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from inside and outside the county to stop and watch. The costume performance is the highlight of the festival, featuring various transformations, Miao dance performances, production and life form displays, dragon lantern and flower lantern performances, etc. These convey the colorful Miao costumes and the daily life of Miao people in Taijiang, fully displaying the original ethnic culture of different branches, such as splendid Miao costumes, silver jewely, embroidery, etc. The festival recalls the ancient dream and romance of the age of group marriage of the Miao people.

Nowadays, there are several additional activities, such as the opening ceremony's song and dance, the parade of Miao people in traditional costumes, a dance performance by a thousand people to the beat of drums, the famous "Lanmen wine" in Shidong, fishing and shrimp-catching, visiting for a sister dinner, and a long table banquet. Additionally, there are bullfighting, cockfighting, dogfighting, and Miao song competitions, among many other competition activities. These activities hold significant cultural value.

Important Value

The Sister Festival is a significant traditional festival of the Miao people in Taijiang County. It showcases the evolution of the love and marriage system in human society and the passionate love lives of young men and women during the transition from a matrilineal clan to a patrilineal clan. Additionally, it features colorful Miao songs and dances, exquisite costumes, silver jewelry, embroidery, and profound cultural heritage. The ethnic customs and cultural scenes are magnificent and dazzling, with high historical, anthropological, cultural, and aesthetic value.

文字：张倩洁

图片：张维腾

指导教师：王雪丽

稿件审校：周丽

一审：黄超禹

二审：杜玉红

三审：徐焱