Lusheng Festival of Miao Ethnic People

Date: First Lunar Month 16th-20th

Place: Kaili in Guizhou Province

The Lusheng Festival is the most influential festival of the Miao community. It is popular throughout Guizhou, Yunnan , and Sichuan Provinces, the Lusheng Festival in Kaili, Guizhou being the most famous and grand of the bunch. It begins on the 16th of the first lunar month, and climaxes on the 19th and 20th .The festival features a lot of Miao ethnic activities, such as singing, bullfighting, horseracing, and dancing to the rhythm of the Lusheng (a homemade reed mouth organ with five or six bamboo pipes, played by various ethnic groups in southwest China).

All the Miao people come together from different villages. The girls dress up in their best traditional costume and silver headdresses, while the boys carry their lusheng and head to the Lusheng Stadium to celebrate the festival. They circle in rings as the girls dance to the rhythm of the music provided by the boys. The ceremony is performed to bring hope for a favorable harvest in the coming year alongside good health. It is also a chance for the youth to express their admiration and love towards one another.